Talent Completion: The Voice and “La Vie En Rose”

I don’t usually watch that much television, but I do have a handful of shows that I like. Most are cooking shows. I have to put limits on myself so that I don’t become consumed with television. That’s not so difficult though, since there aren’t that many shows out there that grab my attention. I turn to my books and I try to include movie watching. I don’t watch as many movies as I’d like. There’s a constant balance and, oh yes, the Internet can be distracting. I might be reading an article or a book and next thing I know I’m searching for other books or digging deeper into this or that; I start writing or scribbling thoughts out and then I add to my thoughts, backspace, delete; and before I realize—hours have gone by.

All this talk about television brings me to my next TV show for the season: The Voice, a talent competition of blind auditions where contestants are at first judged solely on their voice, hoping that their voice is strong enough for at least one of four coaches to turn a chair to say, “I Want You.” Once the blind auditions are complete, next come the battle rounds, and finally the live performance shows. The judges are Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton. 

While I was searching for a You Tube of The Voice this morning, I came across this clip of an Australian version of this program. I adore the Edith Piaf song, “La Vi En Rose” and had to have a listen to Rachel Leahcar’s rendition. Her voice is magical and I could feel the emotion welling up inside of me.

The power of the voice: in all its manifestations whether through singing, acting, dancing, cooking, writing, or a gesture.

My first introduction to “La Vie En Rose” was Grace Jones singing it. Her version holds sentimental value and I treasure it.

Enjoy!

The Voice Australia – Rachael Leahcar sings “La Vie En Rose”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVHl3j31pUA

Edith Piaf – “La Vie En Rose”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NdmIpHKfgk&feature=fvwrel

Grace Jones sings “La Vie En Rose”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah2x1Enu7Go

The Voice

Who am I today? I am not the image that states back; I am not even my own voice.

I am a culmination of experience and interactions; I am constantly evolving.

Today, I am in fourth grade—Mrs. Reed’s class. I have dodged the oral book report for as long as I can. Mother reads the note, irritated with me—or was she understanding? Memory is cloudy, gray, with streaks of purple. She chooses a book, reads it, primes me. I do not remember reading it myself: Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors. Yes, the story is familiar.

My name is called. Terror leeches on to me. I walk up to the front of the class, clutching my book tightly. I look out at a blur of faces, my legs begin to lock; they are tight. I am a wooden doll. I hear murmur coming from my mouth, a small din of bees in my head. I am in the dark. I have gone deep inside and cannot see, hear, speak. I cannot even see myself; my awareness has slipped away, slipped off to somewhere far away. I begin to feel my legs again and I see the faces in focus now—staring back.

I must be finished. I walk away with great difficulty because—who knows how long I stood up there in the land of nowhere. I went to my seat and hoped to never face a moment like that again. The dark veil…thick laced black curtain would stay. It would take a lifetime to find the light again.

But here I am, legs free, voice free—my words, my voice—with the mark of time and all who have crossed my path—the voice of one; the voice of many.

**

Originally jotted down in my notebook June 6, 2009

**

I didn’t change anything about this piece from when I originally wrote it, except a few minor technical edits. I feel that there are still changes I can make, details I can add, yet I want to keep it this way because it’s how it flowed out of me then and marks a very specific time in my life when this childhood memory resurfaced and came out in this particular way.

Rebb reading The Voice:

http://redroom.com/member/rebbecca-hill/media/audio/the-voice