I'm no fan of the show, not by a long shot and for the most part I manage to tune out all the fuss each year. But now I live back near my family and my parents are fans. Seeing them almost every day has made it much harder to ignore the show this year and I must admit that one contestant has caught my eye.
Diana Vickers is an extraordinary talent and a surprise to see on a show designed to find a spark of talent and stomp on it until it resembles every other manufactured pop blah out there. With the notable exception of my parents, of course, the audience of X Factor is not known for its ability to recognise and acknowledge genuine musical ability. So I see from all of the vitriol I have noticed online about Diana that despite never appearing in the sing-off, this girl has a tide of anti-support.
It seems that the fans of the show are incensed by the inclusion of a singer with personality, talent, individuality and the very real and scary potential to become a credible recording artist. It does make me wonder whether the show ought to change its name. The producers of it are basically looking for someone who will sell records, fine. They are also attempting to present a show that will draw viewers, the lowest common denominator, I'm sad to say, is NOT looking for anything interesting or unique. They are looking for another pop tart.
Is it wise to name a show after a quality that neither the producers or the audience are actually looking for?
This year's winner will release a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, one of my favourite songs of all time. I don't normally expect X Factor winners to do justice to great songs like this one, but Diana Vickers stands a real shot of recording a very respectable cover. What I find amusing is one blogger's view that this is a suitable Christmas number 1! It begs the question of why the song was picked by the producers. Is it purely about the current popularity of the song? Leonard Cohen's current sell out world tour? Do they genuinely think it's an appropriate song for Christmas?
I wonder if they have listened to and understood the lyrics. Yes, the song contains the title word a hundred times, and yes, it does contain biblical references, but the context of those references does actually matter in considering the meaning of the lyrics. It is hardly a song of praise to Jesus Christ (written by a Jew), and the lyrics point vividly to sexual references.
Is this really a suitable song for the season? Is it really a suitable song for a manufactured pop tart to sing?
No.
But could Diana Vickers record a beautiful and inspirational version that would go multi-platinum? Probably.
Diana Vickers is an extraordinary talent and a surprise to see on a show designed to find a spark of talent and stomp on it until it resembles every other manufactured pop blah out there. With the notable exception of my parents, of course, the audience of X Factor is not known for its ability to recognise and acknowledge genuine musical ability. So I see from all of the vitriol I have noticed online about Diana that despite never appearing in the sing-off, this girl has a tide of anti-support.
It seems that the fans of the show are incensed by the inclusion of a singer with personality, talent, individuality and the very real and scary potential to become a credible recording artist. It does make me wonder whether the show ought to change its name. The producers of it are basically looking for someone who will sell records, fine. They are also attempting to present a show that will draw viewers, the lowest common denominator, I'm sad to say, is NOT looking for anything interesting or unique. They are looking for another pop tart.
Is it wise to name a show after a quality that neither the producers or the audience are actually looking for?
This year's winner will release a cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, one of my favourite songs of all time. I don't normally expect X Factor winners to do justice to great songs like this one, but Diana Vickers stands a real shot of recording a very respectable cover. What I find amusing is one blogger's view that this is a suitable Christmas number 1! It begs the question of why the song was picked by the producers. Is it purely about the current popularity of the song? Leonard Cohen's current sell out world tour? Do they genuinely think it's an appropriate song for Christmas?
I wonder if they have listened to and understood the lyrics. Yes, the song contains the title word a hundred times, and yes, it does contain biblical references, but the context of those references does actually matter in considering the meaning of the lyrics. It is hardly a song of praise to Jesus Christ (written by a Jew), and the lyrics point vividly to sexual references.
Is this really a suitable song for the season? Is it really a suitable song for a manufactured pop tart to sing?
No.
But could Diana Vickers record a beautiful and inspirational version that would go multi-platinum? Probably.
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