My Li’l Bro Thom just sent this to me.
Incredible. A humble quiet phone salesman takes the stage at “Britain’s got Talent” and announces he wants to sing opera. The judges look skeptical to put it mildly. Then he sings.
Translation:
None must sleep! None must sleep!
And you, too, Princess,
in your cold room,
gaze at the stars
which tremble with love
and hope!
But my mystery is locked within me,
no-one shall know my name!
No, no, I shall say it as my mouth
meets yours when the dawn is breaking!
And my kiss will break the silence
which makes you mine!
(No-one shall know his name,
and we, alas, shall die!)
Vanish, o night!
Fade, stars!
At dawn I shall win
A musical people, these Welsh.
UPDATE: Thanks to reader Klaire, we have an update on Paul Potts, and Maggie’s Farm has more info on his background. His latest performance is here.
Mr. Potts, it seems, is causing a lot of us to re-think the way we make fast judgments about people based on how they look, or their manner or affect. In the second video Potts talks about being “bullied,” and I think we all know what he means, either because we’ve been bullied ourselves or because we’ve been the bully. Perhaps that is why he is touching so many.
June 13th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
That is amazing. I had to stop by the library and decided t check the net. People are wondering why I have tears in my eyes lol
jh
Louisiana
June 13th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Anchoress,
I am sitting here with tears flowing down my face. My heart is touched with this amazing gift that this young, humble man has displayed. You find the most wonderful things sometimes. I could not have been more inspired today…words fail me. Thank you so much for this beautiful gift today. Truly awesome!!!!
June 13th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
That, to me, is what heaven will be like. We will witness the unique gifts of each person flower before our eyes and be amazed.
June 13th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Wonderful! Thank you from another teary-eyed listener.
(My second attempt to post this comment…)
June 13th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Oh my God! That is Pavarotti’s signature piece, Nessun Dorma! The cell phone guy nailed it!!! I didn’t like it when the woman said ‘lump of coal who will turn into a diamond’ tho… the guy is already a perfectly honed gleaming gemstone. What a smile… reminded me of Sister Wendy’s a little. Even Simon the Curmudgeon could barely contain himself… reminded me of his reaction to Melissa on Idol. Thank you for this, M’am. Now I have to cue up my Three Tenors CD and of course Bryn won’t be far behind that.
June 13th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Many thanks to that brother of yours. I can’t believe how much of an effect this had one me. It must be related to that “see beauty/see God” thing combined with the guy’s humility. I’m still crying! Thanks so much for sharing this gem.
June 13th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
A single word will have to suffice: WOW!
June 13th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
A Single Word Will Have To Suffice: WOW!
June 13th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Did. You. See. That? What a reaction to a beautiful voice!
June 13th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Anchoress, everyone that I’m sending over to watch this clip ends up crying. This was a real joy today. Thanks again.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
That was fantastic. I particularly loved watching the judges move from skepticism to awe. He really is something special, much more than just an amazing voice, as the audience instantly recognized. Tears all around.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Oh, Anchoress, thank you for passing that on! It’s been a rough month for me and my roommate, and we needed something purely beautiful to shine in our lives for a moment, and you’ve given it to us. I’ve loved this aria for many years, never quite able to pull it off with my own Soprano range. . .
This was a glorious reminder of the miraculous in the everyday. Thank you!
June 13th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
What a beautiful performance! Thanks for posting it. I hope this young man finds a teacher/vocal coach who can take his natural talent and really help to develop it properly. There is so much that goes into turning a really good voice into one that can make it big time in the world of opera, if this is what he truly wants. I wasn’t surprised to see the audience respond the way they did ~ people recognized the talent and beauty of what he was singing. I must say that it takes guts to sing Pavarotti’s “theme” song, because it is so well known! Hearing him sing brought tears to the eyes of this seasoned musician! I hope there is a way to follow this contest to find out how he does thru the various rounds of the competition.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
OH Anchoress, Thank You! After a pretty rotten 48 hours, this lifted my spirit so much! The tears are just running down my face. And the shot of Simon’s mouth hanging open helped make my day!
June 13th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Wow. Just wow. Thank you for sharing this. What beauty.
*wipes tears away*
June 13th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
[...] saw this video over at The Anchoress’s Place (she always finds these amazing, beautiful [...]
June 13th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
Yes, the Welsh are indeed a musical bunch. In the Royal Army, instead of a band the Welsh regiments would have singers set the cadence for marching. ” Singers To The Front! “
June 14th, 2007 at 2:02 am
My gosh! I watched this three times in a row and goosebumps! Every. Single. Time. I can’t wait for his first DVD.
June 14th, 2007 at 6:12 am
Heartwarming Story of the Year…
Humble Brit cell phone salesman takes the stage at the UK’s version of American Idol. Story and video at Anchoress….
June 14th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Thanks for the update on Paul and this story.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Just wonderful!
June 14th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Wow!…
I am not a watcher of American Idol or any of those type shows, but I had to steal this from Mrs. Who. She got it from The Anchoress who has the translation. Yes, I had tears in my eyes……
June 14th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
I’m a day late and a dollar short.
I just saw this today and posted the video.
That will teach me- whenever music and Simon are involved, check here first.
June 14th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I’ve sung in church choirs and community choruses for many years, and I can tell you that virtually every choir in America has somebody who is just an awesome talent. (I once saw a biography on Pavarotti where the other members of the local men’s chorus which the Pavarottis sang in claimed that his dad had just as much talent as the son, just wasn’t interested in the professional musician life.)
June 14th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
After all the news of murder, hatred, killing, war, there is this loveliness . . . this beauty.
Thank you.
June 14th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
He had another performance tonight. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8
I too had tears when I saw it. Amazing, just amazing.
June 14th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
When I saw this on Fox News I cried. The last part was cut off so I am glad I found it. How can we find out how well our Cell Phone Impresario does in the future? I will keep watching. FR
June 14th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
I liked this performance even better than the first one. All you can do is to keep your fingers crossed that he makes it in the world of opera if that is what he truly wants. Hopefully, someone will also get him turned on to lieder and oratorio, which will expand his chances of getting work. There are so few spots and so very many talented singers vying for them. I’ve worked with some singers who should have been able to make it to the top, but they just didn’t have the lucky breaks to get there. . .talent alone isn’t enough. It will be interesting to follow his career and see where he is in a few years.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
whoooooa…
that was quite moving.
great guts and talent.
i would buy a phone from this fine Man.
and who is that cute young female judge clapping?
ahhh, Britain isn’t finished yet.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
In this world, where Madison Avenue employs “symbology experts” and uses subliminal advertising to drown us in crude, offensive imagery and “art”, this is truely a gem.
Not only did his performance move my family and I, but the reaction of the audience, who were assuredly looking foward to an evening of shallow pop-art/entertainment, that, that was just as moving!
What a bright, shining light, in a sea of fog!
June 15th, 2007 at 7:12 am
I wept…for so many reasons…my heart grew larger.
June 15th, 2007 at 7:31 am
This is truly a wonderful performance and an incredible story. What a wonderful Shock as Paul Potts began to sing!
His Semi Final Winning performance showed that the “Britain’s Got Talent” people realized what a gem they have here as they had him perform the final act of the evening and brought the full audio and visual backup. Great Show!
Thank you for posting and thank you Fox News Special Report for bringing this to our attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8
June 15th, 2007 at 9:01 am
I just watched the second performance. He does a wonderful job again. The first time around was so powerful because no one expected it and certainly the judges did not. I am glad to see he had a Tux on this time and his hair fixed up a bit. I’m glad you keep us updated on this. Thank you so much.
June 15th, 2007 at 10:21 am
[...] The Anchoress and Dafydd at Big [...]
June 15th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Appearances Can Be Deceiving…
I have stayed away from all these shows in which people sing, juggle, or do whatever they can to win the prize. Just not for me. Could never figure out the fascination with American Idol. But Dafydd at Big Lizards……
June 15th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
[...] is the video to the Paul Potts semi final performance. The Anchoress has more on Paul Potts, including links to some background [...]
June 15th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Don’t miss this in The Corner http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjNiNjMzZjgyMDQ4Njg0NjA5MGJlNjY1YTcxNTgyN2Q=
June 15th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Paul Potts has touched me far more than anything I can think of, these past many years. How many of us, do you suppose, are living quietly and unassumingly in this world, all the while possessing gifts of such awesome wonder that the universe would quiver if we all let loose at once?
I think we all have these gifts. Perhaps one of our jobs, while we are here, is to discover our own, and everyone else’s, as well.
This man humbles me, and raises me up.
He reminds me of Erma Bombeck’s words: Do not confuse “fame” with “success.” Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.
June 17th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
JOY!
Here’s the Finals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_5W4t_CBzg
Hint: Paul Potts is not going to be selling Cell Phones anymore!
RamS
June 21st, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Well the saga continues. I keep checking this site to see how Paul is doing and I see he is doing fine. How can I find out how he finished. I,m in the “colony” and can’t get the news on the show. This is the true story of the pauper that became the prince. FR