Few could forget the moment in 2009 when a soft-spoken woman from a small Scottish village walked onto the Britain's Got Talent stage with a performance that changed the course of her life — and reality competition history — forever. Susan Boyle's iconic audition of "I Dreamed a Dream" became an instant global sensation, and remains a cherished set to this day.
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With just one performance, the Got Talent legend shattered expectations and inspired millions with her dynamite vocals, leading her audition to become one of the franchise's most unforgettable moments. Boyle began her set by introducing herself and announcing she aspired to be a professional singer, initially met with raised eyebrows and skepticism from the crowd and Judges alike. Apprehension aside, the energy completely shifted from the moment Boyle began singing "I Dreamed a Dream." Boyle's rich voice and passionate delivery instantly rendered the crowd awe-stricken, silencing the nay-sayers and cementing herself as a bona fide star in the making.
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Boyle earned a standing ovation from both the audience and Judges, with Simon Cowell visibly stunned by what he'd witnessed. Boyle's BGT audition remains viral, with "I Dreamed a Dream" later becoming the titular cover track for her debut album, skyrocketing to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon its release.
Susan Boyle sings during the musical "I Dreamed A Dream" at the Royal Theatre in Newcastle, north-east England, on March 27, 2012. Photo: Andrew Yates/AFP via Getty Images
Read on to learn all about the meaning behind the lyrics of "I Dreamed a Dream" and how Boyle made it her own.
What is the song "I Dreamed a Dream" about?
Few songs better encapsulate Boyle's story of defying expectations than "I Dreamed a Dream." The song is one of the standout ballads in the musical Les Misérables, the mythic stage production based on Victor Hugo's 1962 novel. A young mother named Fantine delivers the vocal heavy-hitter, a song of heart-wrenching reflection, lost dreams, and the harsh realities of life. Fantine sings "I Dreamed a Dream" after losing her job and facing the brutal challenges of poverty.
The song boasts poignant lyrics that speak of stolen youth and the pain of dashed aspirations. Composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg and written by French lyricist Alain Boublil (Herbert Kretzmer wrote the English translation), "I Dreamed a Dream" lands like a sonic gut punch. The song begins with Fantine reflecting on her childhood, when men were kind, love was exciting, and the world was still an inviting place to her. "There was a time, then it all went wrong," Fantine sings.
"I Dreamed a Dream" continues with Fantine exploring how unafraid she was when she was younger and how she delighted in life's comforts. Then, the song shifts to the ill-fated nature of a young love. "But the tigers come at night / With their voices soft as thunder / As they tear your hope apart / As they turn your dream to shame."
Fantine then sings of a man who took advantage of her, abandoning her just as quickly as he showed up in her life. Alone and fearful of her future, "I Dreamed a Dream" ends with chilling sentiments like "But there are dreams that cannot be / And there are storms we cannot weather." The song centers around grieving the loss of dreams and love, a certified tear-jerker within Les Mis' emotional score.
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Boyle is unsurprisingly a big fan of Les Mis, with her BGT audition leading to a resurgence of interest in the song. In 2022, Boyle returned toBGTalongside the West End cast ofLes Miserables for an iconic "I Dreamed a Dream" performance, delivering her signature velvety vocals alongside the showstopping cast.
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Susan Boyle redefined "I Dreamed a Dream"
Susan Boyle's 2009 audition for "Britain's Got Talent"
Despite the song's devastating lyrics, Boyle brought new meaning to "I Dreamed a Dream" after selecting the ballad for her BGT audition. Instead of dreams being abandoned, Boyle turned those aspirations into a reality with her performance of the Les Mis standard. Nearly 10 years following Boyle's life-changing BGT audition — highlighted by several album drops and global success — the Scottish songstress delivered a reprise of "I Dreamed a Dream" for her AGT: The Champions appearance.
"There are very few surprises in life anymore, and well, I surprised everyone 10 years ago when I stepped on theBGTstage, so I thought 10 years on, let's surprise them again," Boyletold Peoplein 2019 while talking about her choice to revisit the song so many years after her groundbreaking BGT audition.
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Susan Boyle performs during Season 1 Episode 1 of America's Got Talent: The Champions. Photo: Trae Patton/NBC
"["I Dreamed a Dream" is] something I can relate to," Boyle told People. "It's about a lady who, more or less, was left on her own with nothing. Lots was taken away from her and she had to rebuild her life again. I started off having a hard time, and things have become brighter and better."
"Every time she comes on, particularly that song 'I Dreamed a Dream,' I get goosebumps," Cowell said during Boyle's Got Talent return for America's Got Talent: The Champions (via People). "I remember [Boyle's BGT audition] like it was yesterday. I remember her walking out with a microphone and thinking, 'Oh please God, don't be a singer. She's not going to be a singer, not a singer,' and the rest followed."
"She's the most amazing person in real life," Cowell gushed. "Just amazing."
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