Today's Treasure #11
I've been giving my blogs a lick and a promise lately. Here's something a bit more substantial. It's an old blog about Unchained Melody that I posted on the OFC months ago, with a video of AI's UM added. Enjoy!
The Triad of Unchained Melody – a metamorphosis
Clay has sung a myriad of songs. He has conquered countless classics and even made sonic diamonds out of Barry Manilow and the Monkees. When Clay Aiken sings cheese, it’s Brie. While Unchained Melody isn’t cheese, it is a love song, and one that has a lot of meaning in the context of my fandom.
When I was fifteen, my dad bought me a little glass music box that played Unchained Melody. I didn’t know much about the old song at the time, but I thought it was very pretty, and liked to play it in more pensive moods. It was a harbinger of things to come. Thanks to our rebel prince, Unchained Melody is now one of my favourite songs of all time.
Chronologically, Clay’s transformation of the song begins with the version on Look What Love Has Done. The tempo is slow, almost dreamy. He caresses the notes; like he’s singing a lullaby. His lower range is prominent here – so prominent, that when I discovered this version on Kazaa, I didn’t believe it was really Clay. The voice was stunning – and yet, so incredibly different from that radiant tenor I’d heard on American Idol. Yet something about this stayed with me, and when I found the fan boards and discovered that Clay had done the version in his ‘deep voice’, I knew why. While I don’t listen to this often, I enjoy it greatly when I do. There’s a certain majesty about it that belies his eighteen years.
Next, we have Unchained Melody, as sung on American Idol 2. Clay’s had owned me since ‘Take’, and I fell prey to his charm with DLTSGDOM. Unchained Melody was another milestone in my fandom. He exuded power – vocally, and emotionally. Something about that performance compelled me to listen to those two blessed minutes for an hour at a time. There was something beyond the thrilling vocals – it was the unbridled yearning pouring from him. Clay wanted something; our love, glory, perhaps immortality to match his name. Listening to it now, he still leaves me breathless.
Finally, Clay sang Unchained Melody during the Jukebox Tour. I was fortunate enough to hear him sing it live at the Toronto show. It was my first time seeing Clay live, and I was terrified that he couldn’t be as charming, handsome, witty, and talented as I’d imagined him to be in my two and a half years as a fan. Unchained Melody swept away the last of those misgivings. He was every bit as wonderful as I’d imagined and seen him to be. He cradled the audience in the palm of his hand and sang to us with tender, wistful grace. In one of my fanfics, his wife Alicia said that his voice fills every part of you. I didn’t quite understand why I’d written that until I’d finally heard him sing Unchained Melody live.
To me, Unchained Melody in Toronto was the culmination of two and a half years of fandom. Unchained Melody is my little magic moment, when the world is drowned in his melody. I know that we will have many more sonic diamonds from Clay, but Unchained Melody is one I hope he takes out and polishes now and then. For old time’s sake.
P.S.: As an aspiring writer, I love the dictionary more than a normal person would. *g* When I looked up ‘metamorphosis’ on my Mac’s dictionary widget, the example of word usage given was ‘his amazing metamorphosis from gawky hayseed to sexy pop star’. Clay’s name was not mentioned, but as we can see, they didn’t have to.
Technorati tags: clay aiken,a thousand different ways, youtube, unchained melody, the jukebox tour, mac, barry manilow, the monkees.
The Triad of Unchained Melody – a metamorphosis
Clay has sung a myriad of songs. He has conquered countless classics and even made sonic diamonds out of Barry Manilow and the Monkees. When Clay Aiken sings cheese, it’s Brie. While Unchained Melody isn’t cheese, it is a love song, and one that has a lot of meaning in the context of my fandom.
When I was fifteen, my dad bought me a little glass music box that played Unchained Melody. I didn’t know much about the old song at the time, but I thought it was very pretty, and liked to play it in more pensive moods. It was a harbinger of things to come. Thanks to our rebel prince, Unchained Melody is now one of my favourite songs of all time.
Chronologically, Clay’s transformation of the song begins with the version on Look What Love Has Done. The tempo is slow, almost dreamy. He caresses the notes; like he’s singing a lullaby. His lower range is prominent here – so prominent, that when I discovered this version on Kazaa, I didn’t believe it was really Clay. The voice was stunning – and yet, so incredibly different from that radiant tenor I’d heard on American Idol. Yet something about this stayed with me, and when I found the fan boards and discovered that Clay had done the version in his ‘deep voice’, I knew why. While I don’t listen to this often, I enjoy it greatly when I do. There’s a certain majesty about it that belies his eighteen years.
Next, we have Unchained Melody, as sung on American Idol 2. Clay’s had owned me since ‘Take’, and I fell prey to his charm with DLTSGDOM. Unchained Melody was another milestone in my fandom. He exuded power – vocally, and emotionally. Something about that performance compelled me to listen to those two blessed minutes for an hour at a time. There was something beyond the thrilling vocals – it was the unbridled yearning pouring from him. Clay wanted something; our love, glory, perhaps immortality to match his name. Listening to it now, he still leaves me breathless.
Finally, Clay sang Unchained Melody during the Jukebox Tour. I was fortunate enough to hear him sing it live at the Toronto show. It was my first time seeing Clay live, and I was terrified that he couldn’t be as charming, handsome, witty, and talented as I’d imagined him to be in my two and a half years as a fan. Unchained Melody swept away the last of those misgivings. He was every bit as wonderful as I’d imagined and seen him to be. He cradled the audience in the palm of his hand and sang to us with tender, wistful grace. In one of my fanfics, his wife Alicia said that his voice fills every part of you. I didn’t quite understand why I’d written that until I’d finally heard him sing Unchained Melody live.
To me, Unchained Melody in Toronto was the culmination of two and a half years of fandom. Unchained Melody is my little magic moment, when the world is drowned in his melody. I know that we will have many more sonic diamonds from Clay, but Unchained Melody is one I hope he takes out and polishes now and then. For old time’s sake.
P.S.: As an aspiring writer, I love the dictionary more than a normal person would. *g* When I looked up ‘metamorphosis’ on my Mac’s dictionary widget, the example of word usage given was ‘his amazing metamorphosis from gawky hayseed to sexy pop star’. Clay’s name was not mentioned, but as we can see, they didn’t have to.
Technorati tags: clay aiken,a thousand different ways, youtube, unchained melody, the jukebox tour, mac, barry manilow, the monkees.
Pixie,
This is an excellent summary of the evolution or metamorphosis of UM as sung by Clay Aiken. Thnx for all the memories!
Caro
Posted by
Dianne Barbee |
7/29/2006 4:37 p.m.