Susan Boyle Sounds Like Never Before As She Questions God in a Raw, Honest ABBA Cover
The AGT alum goes outside the box in this unbelievable performance.
Spirituality and music go hand-in-hand for Susan Boyle.
One of the America's Got Talent alum's most significant contributions to the music industry is her third studio album, Someone to Watch Over Me, which includes a masterful cover of "You Have To Be There," originally penned by ABBA in the mid-1990s.
One of the world's most beautiful sounds is Boyle's voice backed by an orchestra.There's a desperation in Boyle's voice as she sings, and the star showed range that takes listeners on a journey along with her. It's undeniably raw. And if you close your eyes, you could picture Boyle moving across the stage while she performs "You Have To Be There" — but she isn't. She stands stoically, letting her dynamic vocals float through the air instead.
Fans can immediately hear why Boyle included this cover on her third album. It has an almost frantic energy that isn't usually found in other songs she records.
Every track on Someone to Watch Over Me has spiritual significance to the singer, and in a 2011 interview with RTÉ TEN, Boyle spoke to the meaning behind the album as a whole.
"There are certain songs that I liked that resonated with the letters that people had written and sent to me," she told the outlet. "I knew that's what my record needed to be about. They wrote about grief, love, happy and sad times, it was all deeply moving and the songs mirror the emotion and life experience."
As far as "You Have To Be There" is concerned, Boyle recorded her own version of the song due to its powerful introspective qualities because ultimately, even as a woman of faith, her relationship with God can be questioned occasionally.
"This song makes a demand on God's presence," Boyle explained. "It raises questions as to whether or not he can be there when needed. It's a powerful song."
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We don't know what's more powerful — the song's message or Boyle's unbelievable vocals! She's come such a long way from her epic 2009 Britain's Got Talent audition!
Here's what to know about "You Have To Be There"
Written by ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus for the 1995 Swedish musical Kristina från Duvemåla, "You Have To Be There" centers around the lead character questioning her relationship with God after suffering a miscarriage.
While the song wasn't popular stateside, it became a minor hit in Sweden the following year.
However, longtime AGT fans surely remember Boyle performing the song live during Season 6 in one of 2011's best musical moments!
