Ben Haenow sings 'Jealous Guy' on The X Factor UK 2014 (VIDEO)
Ben Haenow sang 'Jealous Guy' on The X Factor UK 2014 Live Show 2 on October 18, 2014.
Pre-performance: Ben was originally going to sing "Everytime You Go Away" by Paul Young, but Simon didn't like how it sounded, so they changed the song pick to "Jealous Guy" by John Lennon, which is an absolutely terrific choice for his voice. However, Ben has some vocal trouble due to a sudden throat infection. He spends the rest of the week on vocal rest, although his nerves are completely frayed, since he worries he'll go home if he doesn't get better in time for the show. He notes that this competition means everything to him, and he doesn't want to go home yet.
Nick's Thoughts: This is an absolutely fantastic performance. I actually liked it quite a bit more than last week's performance, which was a damn solid vocal. The grit and character in Ben's voice goes a long way in selling the pain and experience of each song, far more so than someone with a smoother voice. Of course, it helps that Ben sells the song himself with his expressions, body language, and overall affectations. He earns a standing ovation from Mel B and Simon, and it's well-deserved, in my opinion.
Judges: Louis believes Ben is the total package, and says he's exactly the kind of contestant they're looking for. Mel B gives a good news/bad news critique: the bad news is that she feels Ben shouldn't complain about being sick, since it's something every singer has to deal with. She gets unusually harsh, telling him to "be a man" and "deal with it," drawing boos from the audience. Hell, I'd have booed her too. Her message isn't a bad one, but she delivered it in such a miserable, "kiss my ass" tone that it felt less like advice and more like criticism. You don't have to bring his manhood into question just because he caught an illness that robbed him of his voice in a competition that's ostensibly about who delivers the best vocal each week. Hell, he wasn't even using it as an excuse, he was simply fretting about the possibility that he might not heal on time, since he bloody well can't go out there if his voice doesn't work. He wasn't asking to be given a free pass. I usually like Mel B, but this really, really soured me on her. That said, she does praise Ben. But Simon agrees with me about how needlessly harsh Mel was being, saying that even with his illness, he delivered the best vocal of the night thus far.
But what do you think of Ben Haenow? Watch the performance video below: