Sunday, August 31, 2008

Clay Aiken - The Real Me

Clay Aiken's new CD, On My Way Here, includes the song written by Dove Award winner Natalie Grant - The Real Me.

The lyrics read like a poem, and the song is poetically interpreted by Clay:

Foolish heart looks like we're here again
Same old game of plastic smile
Don't let anybody in
Hiding my heartache, will this glass house break
How much will they take before I'm empty
Do I let it show, does anybody know?

But you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Reveal me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
No need to hold back my frailty
Oh, cause you see the real me
Painted on, life is behind a mask
Self-inflicted circus clown
I'm tired of the song and dance
Living a charade, always on parade
What a mess I've made of my existence
But you love me even now
And still I see somehow
That you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Reveal me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to hold back my frailty
Oh, cause you see the real me

Shadows of shattered dreams
They follow me
They've haunted me
But you've taken the broken pieces of my life
and helped me to believe.

Cause you see the real me
Hiding in my skin, broken from within
Reveal me completely
I'm loosening my grasp
There's no need to hold back my frailty
Oh, cause you see the real me

Clay has challenged us to listen to the songs on On My Way Here and interpret them as they apply to our life experiences.

For me, The Real Me speaks to the soul of a person - the REAL person - not the outer wrapping. Clay has said that this song is about God for him, and I can absolutely hear that.

But, for me, this song epitomizes the real Clay - someone who truly does not judge others on the outer wrappings but sees the inner beauty.

In his 2005 book, Learning to Sing, Clay wrote about a Meet & Greet that he was attending in Atlanta. During this Meet & Greet, a woman approached him and she was sobbing. Clay did what Clay does best - tried to help her laugh a little, to feel better. This woman went on to tell him about how his video to Invisible changed her life....

"and then she said "I used to weigh two hundred and fifty pounds. And I hated myself for so long. And it meant so much to me to see that you had an overweight girl in your video."

I had to think about it, because I didn't remember any overweight girls in the video. She told me she meant the girl who climbed onstage as I sang to her.

Then I remembered the girl. I remembered her because she was from New Jersey and was visiting L.A. for her birthday. She came to California because she heard I was going to be on Jay Leno's show, and she just happened to be riding the bus past the site for the video shoot. She hopped off the bus and cheered and clapped so loudly that the director decided it would be fun to put her up onstage.

Her weight never crossed my mind. She was a normal girl. But her being normal and being in a video had brought on a wave of comfort for this woman in Atlanta.

"I wish I had seen a video like that when I was younger," she explained. "It would have saved me a world of hurt. I only hope that some other heavy girls watched it and realized they don't have to look like rail-thin models. They don't have to hate themselves."

This is one of the many things that I admire about Clay Aiken - "Her weight never crossed my mind. She was a normal girl." and I know that he means this. He accepts people as they are for who they are.

and now, here's my interpretation of The Real Me, hope you enjoy:




37 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an awesome interpretation of Clay Aikens song, Sue! It perfectly sums up the fact that people should look deeper into the soul, rather than what shows on the outside..

Thank you for your awesome montages - if you havent had chance you gotta check out all her others on YouTube - shes a maestro at these!

Rhode Island Fan said...

What a beautiful blog and a perfect video interpretation of Clay Aiken's song, "The Real Me." What a wonderful world it would be if more people thought the way Clay Aiken does and were able to look past the physical appearance of a person and find the "real" them.

Anonymous said...

What a creative use of The Real Me. Clay sings this so beautifully with real conviction and sensitivity. Thanks for the video. I love it!!!

Anonymous said...

Clay + Disney = magical

great montage for a great man

~em

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. Just beautiful. And a wonderful montage. I think you really captured the feeling and meaning of the song. Thank you.

LovesClaysVoice said...

Sue, what a great blog and a beautiful montage! I love your work and the fact that you 'get' Clay!

jbc4clay said...

Lovely, just lovely.

This is a great blog and beautiful montage!

Anonymous said...

Astonishingly lovely montage, Sue Rue. The words in your blog brought tears to my eyes, but the video, oh my! You have become a master artist. Clay Aiken is so lucky to have you in his camp. And this doesn't begin to express how enchanted I am with your montage.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for the montage. I love this song as sung by Clay Aiken. He gives it such genuine emotion, it leaves such a powerful impression on the listener.

Anonymous said...

To slightly misquote Oscar Wilde, "oh, I wish I'd thought of that!". Beautiful interpretation of the song, and Clay Aiken sings it so poignantly that it is hard not to get choked up while listening. Awesome combination...thank you.

Anonymous said...

Well, the video won't play for me but that's okay - if it shows what a beautiful and compassionate man Clay Aiken is, that's all I need to know.

PaulaBear said...

My absolute favorite song on Clay Aiken's CD. It can have so many different meanings to so many people. Your montages are always so special!

Chitter said...

Beautiful video and that song is so beautiful - Clay pulls on every emotion when he sings that song.
Thank you so much.

Whatever Clay has shown me of himself so far has been wonderful and honest.

Anonymous said...

Boo hoo...the Clay Aiken video is gone. *sniff* It must have been beautiful too!

~Shycon

katy said...

Suerue: Your interpretation is beautiful. Loved seeing it and it does portray Clay Aiken perfectly.

Anonymous said...

The Real Me is sung so poignantly by Clay Aiken. I am so glad Natalie Grant was willing to change some words of the lyric for him.

Anonymous said...

The creativity and love you put into this montage is evident. The real Clay Aiken.

Anonymous said...

This montage is amazing. I wish the entire Clay Aiken fandom could see this.

Anonymous said...

I so love Clay Aiken singing this song, The Real Me!!

and how appropriate is it with Beauty and The Beast!!

Fabulas!!

BichonLover said...

SueReu, thank you for creating such a beautiful, emotional montage for Clay Aiken's "The Real Me." I never would have thought of "Beauty and the Beast," but it's a perfect fit! Clay looks beneath the surface to see the good in people. We should all take a cue from him.

Anonymous said...

Love your montage. It's a beautiful Clay Aiken song.

Oh Crap said...

Outstanding, Suerue!

Anonymous said...

I think this is my favorite song on the album and video was wonderful.

Thank you, Suerue for this wonderful blog.

Anonymous said...

Why do I always end up crying after reading something like this about Clay Aiken?! This man should be praised by all.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful Blog! This is a wonderful song and Clay Aiken sings it so well. Thanks for this!

Anonymous said...

Clay Aiken's version of The Real Me is so awesome!

Anonymous said...

Seeing into another person's soul is a humbling experience. I love Clay Aiken's soul!

~Shycon

Anonymous said...

I am so proud to be a Clay Aiken fan, he is so talented, and he keeps raising the bar when it comes to showcasing his talents. He not only can sing, he can act, he can dance, and he is a terrific stand up comedian.

Anonymous said...

This song by Clay Aiken is one of my absolute favorites on his latest CD. And what a beautiful video; it was a perfect combination of imagery, music, and lyrics. Thanks for sharing your creativity with us!
-VoxAngelicus-

Anonymous said...

One of the most haunting Clay Aiken songs on any of his CD - its like a window to the soul.

Anonymous said...

Awwww, your blog is so touching. I love that song but continue to relate it to Clay and his difficulties in living his real life without so much interference from the public.

stargazer

Anonymous said...

Very nicely done. Clay Aiken is a special man and a wonderful entertainer.

Anonymous said...

What a sweet montage. I think almost everyone hides their 'real me' to prevent hurt.

Leave it to Clay Aiken to sing about it so that we can all stop hiding in our own skin. He leads by examaple, and I'm proud to follow him.

Anonymous said...

The Real Me is a very inspiring song and even more so with Clay Aiken singing it.

Anonymous said...

When I first heard the song I thought it was Clay Aiken's way of sharing with God that he didn't have to pretend that the rotten things said about him didn't hurt. That he could say in prayer what pain these ugly things caused him. Love the man and the song.

Anonymous said...

It's so ironic that such a kindhearted, nonjudgmental man can be so judged by others. Clay Aiken deserves our admiration and respect.

Anonymous said...

"It's so ironic that such a kindhearted, nonjudgmental man can be so judged by others. Clay Aiken deserves our admiration and respect."

It's crazy, isn't it? I'm really happy that he has so many devoted fans that see the truly caring and nonjudgmental man that Clay Aiken is.