Susan Boyle's Dream Comes True With I Dreamed a Dream

Back in April, I was perusing my Inbox when a headline in an e-mail from Entertainment Weekly caught my attention. It had to do with a singer who had earned accolades from the judges on Britain’s Got Talent after an initially chilly reception. As those judges included American Idol’s notorious Simon Cowell, who has shown himself on previous occasions to be a softie under all that barbed criticism, I was particularly intrigued. I played Susan Boyle’s performance, and then I played it for my parents and brother and posted the video on Facebook. It was obvious I was watching something remarkable unfold.

When I heard about her album, which was released in November, I knew I would want to listen to it, and I bought copies for my grandparents for Christmas, but I held off on purchasing a copy for myself, and sure enough, I found I Dreamed a Dream in my stocking on December 25. A classy album featuring handwritten comments from Susan on each track in the liner notes, it’s a collection of standards that nonetheless feels personal as we can read what each song means to the humble Scottish woman singing it. She dedicates I Dreamed a Dream to her beloved mother, with whom she lived until her death in 2007, and lists Cowell first in the acknowledgments. I too feel grateful to him for helping her make the transition from talent show contestant to recording artist, and to her mother for laying the groundwork of encouragement for so many years that would allow her to share her talent with the world.

Wild Horses - This piano-driven track was the song that received the most promotion prior to the album’s release. Though this is a Rolling Stones cover, I heard her version before I heard theirs. The two are strikingly different, with hers extremely slow and heartfelt, with sweeping strings kicking in to increase the melancholy feel of the track. A powerhouse performance.

I Dreamed a Dream - This is the song that made millions worldwide sit up and take notice. Susan sounds every bit as dramatic here as she did on that Britain’s Got Talent performance that got so much attention on YouTube. Of course, it’s hard to listen to it without visualizing the crowd’s instantaneous change of heart toward her and particularly the flabbergasted reaction of the judges; I’m especially thinking of that slow, sighing “I’ve died and gone to heaven” chin-resting-on-hands grin that spreads across Cowell’s face toward the end of the song (the expression that Susan herself seems to be imitating on the cover photograph). Her dynamic vocals are matched here by full orchestral backing, of which I think my favorite element is the hint of guitar toward the beginning. The title track, this Les Miserables song is the one most likely to be associated with Susan for years to come, and though the speaker declares that “life has killed the dream I dreamed,” for this chart-topping chanteuse, the dream is clearly just beginning.

Cry Me A River - This jazzy number originally recorded in the 1950s by Julie London is one that Susan recorded as a charity single a decade ago. It’s the shortest song on the album, but it still packs a powerful punch.

How Great Thou Art - The first of three hymns on the album, this is one of the most iconic and dramatic songs in the hymnbook. A choir, the LJ Singers, joins Susan on this reverent track, which makes its role as a song you’re likely to hear in church even clearer. My grandparents recently received from their children a wall-hanging featuring the sheet music for this hymn, and I know many Christians around the world find the song equally moving. Susan is an active member of her congregation, and it’s nice to get a sense of her reverence here.

You’ll See - This strings-heavy track is a Madonna cover, and it feels like a challenge to all of those who have tried to discourage Susan. “I know I’ll survive, I know I’ll stay alive,” she sings, and she’s certainly done that, though “all by myself” doesn’t seem quite so accurate. It was the support of the judges and millions of fans that helped her to advance in the competition, and certainly many people contributed to this album. Still, the decision to appear on the show was all hers, and it took real courage to get up there and sing her heart out in front of a hostile audience.

Daydream Believer - With the exception of the hymns, this piano-driven track is probably the song on the album that is the most familiar to me. I love the Monkees so much I have a Davy Jones bobblehead, and this cheerful ditty always merits an increase in volume on the radio. Susan’s version is slow and mellow, almost to the point of sounding mournful. While it’s interesting to hear such a different take on the song, I confess I spent most of the first verse waiting for her to suddenly break loose at double speed. Susan has many dynamic songs, but she could use a couple that are bouncy, infectious and just plain fun. While I like her rendition well enough, I would have preferred it if she’d allowed herself to get a bit silly with this song.

Up to the Mountain - Written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Patty Griffin, this gospel-flavored track is probably my favorite on the album, with the exception of I Dreamed a Dream. The choir contributes nicely, chiming in occasionally to add depth to Susan’s vocals. The piano is extremely prominent on this track, to the point that I initially wondered if it might be an Elton John song. It’s nice to hear Susan on something somewhat up-tempo for a change, and she sings it with vigor.

Amazing Grace - Very similar in arrangement to How Great Thou Art, this iconic anthem features the choir in prominence, particularly on the final verse - though I confess to wishing they would accentuate a different verse, as the grammar geek in me always recoils a bit at hearing “less days” and can’t shake the feeling that it really should be “when we first began,” though that would, of course, require a rewrite to avoid mussing up the rhyme scheme. I love this hymn but really do prefer it without that verse. Aside from that long-standing quibble, however, it’s a lovely rendition and one that seems especially appropriate for this woman who struggled so much before finding her way as a singer. I like that she returns to the first verse, solo, after the choir-heavy final verse, as it ends the song on a more personal note.

Who I Was Born to Be - This original song wonderfully speaks of Susan’s journey. A power ballad about realizing one’s dreams, it features heavy orchestration and eventual choir backing, but Susan never gets lost in the shuffle. This is her assertion of gratitude and self-assurance, another favorite track. “Though I may not know the answers, / I can finally say I’m free. / If the questions led me here, then / I am who I was born to be.”

Proud - I also really like this song about yearning for the pride of a loved one. Thematically similar to Taylor Hicks’ Do I Make You Proud?, this piano-driven track also has a slight Gospel flavor to it, particularly on the verses, while the choruses feel more like a pop ballad. “All of your life you’ve taken chances, / Broke the rules time after time. / All of your life, you’ve gone your own way; / Give me this chance and I’ll go mine.”

The End of the World - Susan’s voice sounds different on this gentle guitar-driven song than any of the others; it almost sounds as though she is consciously altering her accent. I always found this song a little maudlin for my tastes, but I like her rather restrained rendition.

Silent Night - Like the other two hymns, this one features an organ that provides a consistent undercurrent throughout the track. After taking two verses by herself, Susan is joined by the choir for a repetition of the first verse, while she takes the last line herself. Though I think a little more variation in the accompaniment on the hymn tracks might have been nice, all three sound appropriately reverent, and Silent Night seems like a good way to end an album coming out so close to Christmas.

Wikipedia informed me that the Japanese release of this album includes the delicate bonus track Wings to Fly. I find bonus tracks a rather annoying phenomenon, as it causes those who purchase albums without them to feel disenfranchised. Happily for fans who don’t live in Japan, however, this track is readily available on YouTube.

Susan Boyle has had quite a year. She shot to instant fame, which overwhelmed the shy homebody, but she ended the year triumphantly with this popular album, hopefully the first of many. It’s refreshing to see such a wholesome album topping the charts, especially knowing how much it means to the singer who had put her dreams on the shelf. With I Dreamed a Dream, they’ve become a reality.