So, “The Greatest Showman” Got It Wrong…

So, the movie… The Greatest Showman… kind of got it wrong.

In 2017 when The Greatest Showman hit screens featuring Hugh Jackman (and an incredible soundtrack) the movie purportedly covered the life of the 19th century impresario P.T. Barnum and the rise of his legendary circus. At the crux of the narrative however was the story about Jenny Lind (played by Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson), a world famous singer and her scandalous relationship with Barnum.

As the movie goes, as Barnum catapulted her career into stardom across the United States, he let his feelings for her and the accompanying allure of fame and fortune conflict with his fidelity for his wife, Charity. Jenny Lind for her part, romantically pursued Barnum. In the movie, this leads to a painful reckoning where Barnum rediscovers his true goals of being with his family, and he returns to his home a sobered and honest man.

Or so the silver screen leads you to believe. But is that what really happened?

Recently, I’ve been reading a biography about P.T. Barnum, and something in the Jenny Lind saga caught my attention as it relates to influence and success. And as you probably guessed, the truth has nothing to do with the Hollywood depiction.

Here’s what really happened.

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When Jenny Lind initially rose to fame in Europe, she was hailed by leading composers as having a truly remarkable voice. Chopin, Wagner, and Berlioz all praised her abilities. But Mendelssohn went the furthest saying, “She is as great an artist as ever lived; and the greatest I have known.”

But not everyone was smitten with the Swedish nightingale. Though everyone admired her voice, many walked away unimpressed with her stage presence. She could sing, no doubt. But she wasn’t interesting to watch, nor did she sing particularly interesting music.

One of the challenges was she was too… perfect.

Deeply religious, Jenny Lind gave large amounts of money towards charity, and prioritized personal piety in all she did. She despised opera as being too worldly, and also hated being around large crowds of people. Combine that with a very anxious disposition, and you had a singer who at times could be difficult to work with. But Barnum saw an opportunity to create a sensation and offered her a contract (never having heard her sing in person) for a 150 concert tour across America, at $150,000 for Lind. That’s nearly $7 million in today’s money.

Barnum would cover the marketing, and all the costs of the tour… and Lind would just sing with a small travelling ensemble.

Initially, with the help of Barnum’s marketing and promotional genius, Jenny Lind was an absolute sensation. Crowds thronged every available concert hall in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and beyond… all to hear her incomparable voice. People sent her rooms full of gifts, and newspapers effusively wrote page after page praising her abilities. And when people learned that she was donating most of her proceeds to charities, interest in her rose to fever pitch.

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(Photo: Jenny Lind and a depiction of one of her first concerts in NYC)

But overtime as the burden of touring and excessive fame wore on Lind, she began to have doubts as to whether Barnum was the right man for the job. Close confidants told her she could make even money on her name alone, and she grew tired of Barnum’s excessive and obsessive promotional tactics. And counter to what the movie would have you believe, there never was any hint of impropriety. Their relationship remained strictly professional.

Eventually in 1851, after 93 concerts, Jenny Lind severed the contract with Barnum and ventured out on her own. Barnum, for his efforts, returned home an extremely wealthy man.

So what happened then?

Sadly, Jenny Lind quickly faded into insignificance. Her novelty wore off, and audiences found her purity and perfection… uninteresting. When she gave her final performance in New York, her profits for the night was a modest $7,000. Her first concert under Barnum several years before? Over $17,000.

After she returned to Europe, she tried to give a few more concerts, but failed to recreate the magic of her initial success. However thanks to Barnum, she had more money than she knew what to do with, and retired to rural England where she rarely sang for the rest of her life.

I find this story interesting for several reasons.

(Photo: PT Barnum and General Tom Thumb)

First, don’t believe everything you see in the movies…

Second… you can be the best in the world at something, but if you don’t promote it, it will fall flat. As P.T. Barnum said, “Without promotion, something terrible happens… nothing!”

But here’s the deeper lesson of Jenny Lind.

She had Mendelssohn calling her the greatest artist he had ever known. She had Chopin, Wagner, and Berlioz on her side. Her technical excellence was unquestionable.

And yet she still faded into obscurity because excellence on its own doesn’t connect.

People don’t fall in love with technique, instead they fall in love with being made to feel something.

That’s what Barnum understood — and what Jenny Lind never did. Promotion isn’t just about getting people’s attention. It’s about helping people feel something and connect with you.

So this week, when you catch yourself trying to be more impressive, more polished, more technically perfect in front of your audience…

Remember Jenny Lind.

And remember that the person next to her — the showman the movies say got everything wrong — got the one thing right that made it all work.

He connected.

P.T. Barnum himself once said, “The noblest art is that of making others happy.”

Not impressed. Not awed.

Happy.

Christian

CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his family. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com