Previously unseen footage reveals a touching early moment in Susan Boyle’s career, as she sings "The Power of Love" at a social club in Scotland eight years ago. The shaky amateur video, dating from 2001, shows Boyle performing at a talent show in a dim-lit room in the Scottish town of Alloa, not too far from her home in Blackburn.

In the video, Boyle wears a black dress with a sequinned bodice. Her hair is untamed, as it was before her make-over, but her smile and her singing are the same. Her voice is pure and she easily masters the song’s wide range, belting the high notes out with passion. After her performance she smiles sweetly at the audience, who clap and shout with enthusiasm.

According to the News of the World, Boyle did not win the contest, however. The prize went to a 35-year-old man from another nearby town.

"The Power of Love" was a hit single that has attracted several high-profile female singers, and it obviously appealed to Boyle, who injects her own strong emotion into the song.

Eighties singer Jennifer Rush co-wrote and first performed the song in 1985. It was in the UK top 40 for several weeks before making it to number 1, according to the Wikipedia entry on the song. Once it got there, it stayed at number 1 for five weeks.

Since then, other successful female artists like Celine Dion have covered the hit.

Perhaps it’s time Boyle made her own official version. One US Susan Boyle fansite, indianasusanboylefan.blogspot.com, has started a petition to get Sony to put the song on Boyle’s next CD.

And that’s before Boyle’s first album has even come out.