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Nerdist was started by Chris Hardwick and has grown to be a many headed beast.

Susan Boyle: Don’t Ask, Just Watch

by on April 16, 2009

This would be borderline unbelievable if you saw it in a movie but is probably one of the most PERFECT moments ever captured on television. From top to bottom. If this doesn’t make you say to others nearby, “Ah…there’s something in my eye,” before you run off to the bathroom, your heart is made of tar.


Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent
[via dwarthy]
 
54 comments read them below or add one

  1. Guess my heart’s made of tar, then.

    I thought it was a touching moment, but I don’t know… didn’t pull the heart strings that much.

  2. This was a breath of fresh air. I just wonder how Susan wasn’t discovered long before now. I got goose bumps listening. Thank you for clip.

  5. I was totally shocked…i dont think i was the only one tho the people in the audience giving her salty looks looked like they became believers as well…i guess its another case of dont judge a vocalist by their talking voice or hairdo selection.

  13. this clip is such a good one because it illustrates how easy it is for us to be mean and cynical based on nothing, really. how easy it is for us to want to shit on that which doesn’t fit our packaged ideals. and it would be easy for her to stay home and sing to the cat and never try. but what makes this clip and her so awesome is that she did risk it, she risked EVERYTHING, she TRIED. and she succeeded. she told us all “Eff you, i’m rad, deal with it.” that’s pretty damn great. i wish i were half so brave, really.

  15. I have seen this clip multiple times on different blogs and talk shows for a few days now. Every time, I start tearing up. I just love the look on everyone’s face when she sings that first line. You’re right. If it was in a movie, it would be unbelievable. And corny.

  16. I watched it the first time, didn’t feel much, thought, “I’m a monster”. Second time around I actually paid attention to all of the scene kids who laughed at her and at the end, was able to confirm that my heart was not made of gruel.

  17. Is it more cynical to assume she won’t be able to sing, or to think (as I did) that they get dozens of ugly girls with incredible voices every day, and they usually send them packing?

    Maybe it’s because I’ve read Chart Throb by Ben Elton, but I think they put her through because it made a good story.

  18. That was inspiring. Although I didn’t shed a tear from watching it, I promptly punched myself in the nuts so that I would shed a few, because that deserved it. Just an absolutely wonderful singing voice. Somebody needs to sign her to a big old contract.

    Portions of this comment may have been exaggerated or completely made up for comedic effect, and it was brought to you by the letters B, and L, and the number 7.

  20. When she belted out that first line in the song my eyes started to water. And that girl in the audience, the young girl that looked so disgusted at her before she started singing… I hope she choked on her dirty glare.

    Susan Boyle is so cute. I want to hug her for how excited she got.

  21. thank you. part of me started to think this was a prank; that they turned on a recording and she was lip syncing …but the other part of me was tearing up. also the fact she is british just makes it 100 times better.

  22. It just proves that some of the most extrodinary things in life come in seemingly ordinary packages.

  25. Such a simple lady living a simple life with this fantastic voice. How she never entered into theater is beyond me. Her voice was meant for the stage. The end of the clip definitely made me teary-eyed and her singing gave me chills. Loved it.

  26. I was really amazed not just at Boyle’s voice, but the reaction of everyone who learns about her back-story. This woman had such a difficult life and remains so positive.

  28. Amazing voice, but only a distant second to Connie Talbot. Search it, it’s worth watching.

  31. I experienced the same warm and fuzzy feeling I had when they let Rudy play a snap. Amazing voice.

  33. I think perhaps the thing that leaves the boldest impression on me, aside from her very beautiful voice, is her artistic, deep choice in this song from Les Mis. I find the lyrics, about someone who as a young person was full of hope but as time has gone on life and love has kind of just passed them by, almost disturbingly haunting. I can’t help but feel that the choice in song was deliberately heartfelt by her especially after just reading that Ms. Boyle:

    - Was born with a mild form of brain damage and suffered tremendous ridicule as a child because of it.
    - Lived with her sick mother and cared for her for over 10 years before her mother passed away in 2007.
    - Perhaps because of shyness from being bullied as a child, or perhaps because she was just so busy caring for her mother, she never found the time to marry. In fact in an interview she says that she has never even kissed a man before.
    - Always dreamed of being a professional singer but never had the time or courage to pursue it.

    All of this makes me wonder how many more talented, brilliant, and humble people there are out there in the world who have a lot to offer but have simply never been given a chance because of what they look like or the circumstance that life has dealt them.

    The thing that impresses me most of all though is that none of this has been able to keep her down and she has still somehow managed to find a way to the top. I find that inspiring, and honestly Chris I really needed that today. Thanks.

  34. Here are the lyrics to the song that she is singing that I mentioned. So sad.

    I dreamed a dream in time gone by
    When hope was high,
    And life worth living
    I dreamed that love would never die
    I dreamed that God would be forgiving.

    Then I was young and unafraid
    When dreams were made and used,
    And wasted
    There was no ransom to be paid
    No song unsung,
    No wine untasted.

    But the tigers come at night
    With their voices soft as thunder
    As they tear your hopes apart
    As they turn your dreams to shame.

    And still I dream he’ll come to me
    And we will live our lives together
    But there are dreams that cannot be
    And there are storms
    We cannot weather…

    I had a dream my life would be
    So different from this hell I’m living
    So different now from what it seems
    Now life has killed
    The dream I dreamed.

  35. Just goes too prove you cannot always judge a book by it’s cover. You don’t need to be beautiful on the outside to be great from within.

  36. My favorite part of this clip is Simpn’s reaction. He clearly couldn’t wait to deploy the snark missile, but she blew him away. The look on his face was priceless!

  39. I guess I should look up Tar Heart on WebMD…

    Though I will admit it was impressive. I’d watch it again just for the look on Simon’s face.

  42. I’m sure there might be some kind of production involved to kind of stir up the moment but a great moment nonetheless!

  45. ok… i did have something in my eye… and it was a tiny tear drop. i wasn’t aware that i am still capable of this type of feeling. i though it was removed by work. thanks chris!!! c”,)

  47. Damn you Hardwick! That was fucking amazing and simply a joy to watch. I wanted so badly for her to blow that smirk of Simons face, and she did! It feels so good when a normal person, who gave so much of themselves, succeeds like that.

    It gives me hope that my talent, of being able to open a can of beer with my penis, will eventually go noticed by the rest of the world. I might not reach 20 million hits on youtube, but surely I can get at least a million on x-tube.

    Thanks for the slight moments of pretending my eyes itched. It was a little embarrassing to have my kids see me start leaking from my eye sockets while they watched “The Backyardigans” and I sat watching my computer. My cold coal heart was reawakened. I actually thought it was dead ever since my father died, but yup it woke back up and was really moved. Thanks for the link to the video.

    Michael

  48. Wow, that was a big surprise to me too. No tears, but I could feel the emotional intensity. Good find

  49. Am I the only one who sees the whole message of this as “Look! Ugly people can sing too!” Would anyone be talking about it if she looked like an average girl?

  50. Okay, Chris….

    Purely as a basis of comparison, what DOES pull your heart strings?

    I think we would all like to know what, if anything, moves someone unmoved by this.

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