Charlotte & Jonathan on Britain's Got Talent 2012
Seldom seen bonds of friendship and loyalty brought to vibrant life in the public eye recently – during the 2012 Britain’s Got Talent competition specifically – are a genuine testament to the power of those bonds to help a human spirit triumph over crippling adversity to find its true purpose and expression in life.
I’m speaking of course about the unbelievably powerful and moving audition of Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli on Britain’s Got Talent 2012, in their rendition of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s version of “The Prayer” which has stunned music lovers and watchers around the world. You can listen to it for the first time or over again in the video below, but either way you can not fail to be moved by both the power and the pathos of the full contents of this video.
No other music video I’ve ever heard or seen has impacted or affected me as deeply and meaningfully as this one – and that’s saying a lot!
I’ve lost count by now of the number of times I’ve found myself drawn back to listen to it over and over again, but I’m fairly certain it exceeds sixty or seventy times at least – and all because of the deep and heartfelt displays of these highly public but seldom seen youthful bonds of friendship and loyalty I’m attempting to describe to you here today that are such a vital part of what they bring to the world stage musically.
What I’m saying is that this repetition of listening is happening as much because of the spellbinding display of this friendship in conjunction with the riveting background story of these two good friends, as it is because of the sheer unparalleled power and beauty of their performance.
It’s not often that we are privileged to see and share within the lens of the public eye such deeply rooted bonds of mutual loyalty based on the love and respect between friends. That we have the opportunity to witness it happening between two committed young people is beyond rare and nothing less than astonishing in our day and age – they’re only 16 and 17 years old respectively!
If you haven’t done so already, take the time to listen and pay close attention to the meaning within the back-story comments made by these young people in the video. Watch for the physical touches of mutual support they give each other throughout, and observe closely their words and reactions during the judges comments.
If you have any feelings about such a subject at all you’ll just naturally find your heart swelling with admiration and joy for these two – especially after you place this entire picture within the context of the judge’s and the crowd’s initial reception to their appearance on stage, and judge Simon Cowell’s later attempt to split them up after the performance.
If ever there was an occasion when the old adage about not judging a book by its cover could ring true, this is such a time. It’s equally true that the power of true friendship is not to be underestimated, as Simon discovered with the heart-felt answer given back to him by Jonathan when he suggested they split.
Turn up your speakers now, click on the video below and be prepared to be amazed, entranced and enraptured by this vision of friendship and loyalty’s bonds being brought to vibrant life before your eyes and listening ears, in the midst of an absolutely unsurpassed and unforgettable world-class musical performance!
And don’t be surprised if you find yourself compulsively listening to it over and over again, as I’m sure and certain tens of thousands of other listeners around the world are doing in these moments as well.
Are you a believer now too in seldom seen bonds of friendship and loyalty brought to vibrant life in the public eye – especially when viewed in concert with the unequaled power, beauty and depth of a musical performance such as this?
Pretty good. The boy definitely has potential. But I agree 100% with Simon about the girl. She has no voice by comparison. Weak and out of tune. Eventually he’ll have to dump her once his confidence is up. Love the friendship bond they have going on.
Thanks for that comment David, and I obviously completely agree with you about Jonathan.
As for the girl Charlotte…of course she’ll have to go at some point, but that wasn’t the point of this first exposure together as a duo. It’s abundantly clear that she was there to support him and not the other way around. It’s also quite clear that she understands the import of Simon’s words when he said what he did about her possibly holding Jonathan back.
And when you tie that together with her last words at the end of the video about that performance being a life-changing event “for you” (Jonathan) it also seems quite clear that she understands not only what’s at stake for her friend, but is more than willing as a friend to do whatever is necessary to help him achieve it. Such supportive understanding coming from someone so young is what melts my heart for both these kids!
For now it’s also clear from Jonathan’s response to Simon that he wants to complete their Britain’s Got Talent foray together both as a duo and as friends supporting each other through the experience of it all, and he’s willing to take whatever good comes of that for him as long as she stands with him through it.
Having said all of those wise words, we’ll see what the coming weeks bring about in terms of influencing their course, together or apart.
Whatever that end result might be, I’ve still never heard a sweeter, more powerful, or more beautiful presentation of music than those two put on together! But that’s me. You’re the music pro and I’d expect you to have a different perspective.