Clay Aiken singing Solitaire is one of those defining moments. When I first heard Clay sing this song on American Idol, you could tell that he connected with the lyrics. Much later, I learned why.
In Clay Aiken's book, Learning to Sing, he speaks honestly and poignantly about his birth father, Vernon Grissom. The following passage from this book always makes me sad, not just for Clay, but for the father who cast aside the love of his son for whatever reason.
My birth father showed me what happens once you shut down your heart. Still, I sing about him.Clay also stated in his book
There was a man, a lonely man
Who lost his love through his indifference
A heart that cared, that went unshared
Until it died in his silence
I think about him
And Solitaire's the only game in town
And every road that takes him, takes him down
And by himself it's easy to pretend
He'll never love again
And always, I feel sorry for him
Another day
A lonely day
So much to say that goes unspoken
And through the night
His sleepless nights
His eyes are closed
His heart is broken
"When you come in contact with another life, that individual dabs a little color onto your soul. It isn't always a color you like, but even ugliness provides its own lessons"Clay Aiken is a testament to taking those colors and creating a beautiful masterpiece. Bravo Clay
18 comments:
SueReu,
Thank you for a wonderful post about Clay Aiken and "Solitaire" as the song relates to his birth father and anyone who shuts down his heart. Many thnx to Neil Sedaka for such a beautiful song!
Thank you, too, for your kind remarks in the Carolina blog. Have an awesome weekend!
Caro
Sue........this is a beautiful blog. Clay always sings Solitaire so well and with such feeling. I do believe it is personal to him.
Thank you for this wonderful blog.
Sue....another great blog. Solitaire has always been my favorite song recorded by Clay, I get goosebumps every time he hits that "glory note."
Clay always, always sings with his heart and soul, not just with his amazing voice.
It's amazing how such a beautiful song like Solitaire can be so sad.
When Clay Aiken sang it on AI2, that's when it began to dawn on me the beauty and true emotion Clay puts into a song. That's one of the traits that makes him so unique.
Thank you, SueReu, for a wonderful blog.
Thank you Sue for a great blog! I love to hear Clay sing Solitaire! He sings every song with passion, but this one is very personal it seems.
I love this video Sue. He is so versatile....and hot.
"When you come in contact with another life, that individual dabs a little color onto your soul. It isn't always a color you like, but even ugliness provides its own lessons"
This quote is why I would love for Clay Aiken to write more lyrics. He has such a way with words and feelings.
outback
Thank you, sue. I will never forget seeing and hearing Clay sing that song for the very first time on American Idol. And then when he wrote about it in his book, I realized just how personal it was to him. Neil Sedaka said it best when he heard Clay sing his song.... "Bravo Clay, I have lost my song forever to you, it will always be a Clay Aiken Song." How true and how generous of Neil to say so.
What a great Blog! I love Clay Aiken singing Solitaire. It's a song I always want him to sing at every concert!
Solitaire could very well be Clay Aiken's signature song. No one has ever sung it like he does.
The first concert I ever went to was the NAT. The one song I had hoped to hear Clay sing "live" was Solitaire. He sang it as his encore at that tour. It was just beautiful to hear him singing it live. I think he put a lot of feeling into all the songs in that montage.
Solitaire is such a fantastic song and Clay Aiken is such a fantastic performer.
Thank you Sue for a great blog!
Great blog, and I love the video of Clay Aiken.
SOLITAIRE is one of my all time fave songs - even before Clay sang it. And after reading LTS I realized how deeply he feels when he sings it. Thanks for the memories Sue.
Clay's initial performance of Solitaire on American Idol was mesmerizing! The dramatic lighting and his heartfelt rendition of this song are unforgettable. I've heard other artists sing this song (such as Elvis Presley and Karen Carpenter) but Clay's rendition fo Solitaire is unparalleled, in my opinion. As Neil Sedaka said, Solitaire will forever be a Clay Aiken song.
--VoxAngelicus--
Awesome blog, Sue, and what a treat for weary eyes that partied half the day and night!
Incredible montage!
Just WOW!!!!!!
I had to visit again just to see the wonderful videos.
Thank you for this wonderful blog!!
There is no voice in the world quite as beautiful as Clay Aiken. Looking forward to him making more music for us in the future.
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