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"Who I Was Born to Be"
Song by Susan Boyle
from the album I Dreamed a Dream
Released23 November 2009
GenreAdult Contemporary
Length4:08
LabelSyco/Columbia
Composer(s)Johan Fransson, Tim Larsson, Tobias Lundgren
Lyricist(s)Audra Mae
Producer(s)Steve Mac

"Who I Was Born to Be" is the first original song recorded by Susan Boyle, appearing on her multi-platinum debut album I Dreamed a Dream. The song has become a staple in Boyle's repertoire. The songs lyrics describe Boyle's decades long dream of becoming a professional singer. The lyric has become associated with Boyle who titled her autobiography The Woman I Was Born to Be.[1]

History

The lyrics were written by singer-songwriter Audra Mae, grandniece of Judy Garland.[2] In an interview with MTV Audra Mae stated, "I knew it needed to be a song that made sense for her to sing, so I went online and researched her and her life and found out how she got to be where she is, and it came from that." "I knew it needed to be something that she could be proud to sing," Mae explained. "Almost like a mantra — and I'm thrilled that she liked it enough to put it on the album." The music to "Who I Was Born to Be" was composed by Johan Fransson, Tim Larsson, and Tobias Lundgren.[3]

Performances

Among her most notable performances of "Who I Was Born to Be", Boyle's first live performance of this song was on 7 December, 2009 in London before an audience for the taping of her television special I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story.[4] "Who I Was Born to Be" was used as the theme song for the anime Welcome to the Space Show which was released in 2010.[5] Boyle performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago on 19 January , 2010.[6] On 10 July 2011 she performed it in front of a live audience of 58,000 in the Shanghai Grand Stadium for China's Got Talent viewed by a 560 million television audience.[7][8] In recent years Boyle performed "Who I Was Born to Be" in an appearance at the end of the touring musical I Dreamed a Dream in the U.K. March-October 2012 and during her Susan Boyle in Concert tour of Scotland in July 2013. In August 2013 Boyle performed the song during the opening ceremonies of the 2013 Special Olympics held at the Royal Crescent in Bath.[9]

References

  1. ^ Boyle, Susan (2010). The Woman I Was Born to Be. Great Britain: Bantam Press. ISBN 978-0593066942.
  2. ^ Susan Boyle Songwriter Audra Mae Is Suddenly Famous by Gil Kaufman, 2 Dec 2009, MTV news, retrieved 22 July 2013
  3. ^ musicroom, SusanBoyle:Who I Was Born to Be
  4. ^ Susan Boyle Special Breaks TV Guide Network Ratings Records by Adam Bryant, 15 Dec 2009, TV Guide, retrieved 22 July 2013
  5. ^ Susan Boyle Sings Welcome to the Space Show Theme 25 May 2010, AnimeNewsNetwork, retrieved 22 July 2013
  6. ^ Big Breaks with Adam Lambert and Susan Boyle 19 January 2010, About.com, retrieved 22 July 2013
  7. ^ China’s Got Talent 15 July 2011, Susan Boyle official webpage, retrieved 22 July 2013
  8. ^ Susan Boyle in Town for China's Got Talent 11 July 2011, CRIENGLISH.com, retrieved 22 July 2013
  9. ^ "Special Olympics in Bath". ITV. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
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