The 10 best and 5 worst song choices ever - 美國偶像

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【BEST】

David Cook, ''Billie Jean'', Season 7

What made this choice so smart wasn't the fact that David picked a pop tune
like ''Billie Jean'' for ''Songs from the Year You Were Born'' Week. Rather, it
was David's savvy decision to eschew the King of Pop's iconic version for Chris
Cornell's haunting, rock-friendly arrangement that really paid off. It won him
legions of fans — and even the respect of Simon Cowell.


Katharine McPhee, ''Black Horse and the Cherry Tree'', Season 5

Talk about unexpected. Before serving up KT Tunstall's pop confection,
Katharine had given us Aretha (twice!), Whitney Houston, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Not exactly contemporary. More than anything, this choice (and her saucy,
on-her-knees performance) showed that the eventual runner-up had real pop-star
potential


Constantine Maroulis, ''Bohemian Rhapsody'', Season 4

Constantine always had a flair for the dramatic. So what better song to show
America what he could do than the theatrical masterpiece by Queen? It was a
risky choice, but Constantine pulled it off with bold vocals and some
enthusiastic head banging. In fact, the performance was so good, we nearly
forgave him for those cheesy, smoldering looks he kept throwing to the camera.


Fantasia, ''Summertime'', Season 3

Movie soundtrack week inspired more than a few contestants to go with cheesy,
overwrought tunes like Titanic's ''My Heart Will Go On'' (Diana DeGarmo) or
gimmicky numbers like ''Jailhouse Rock'' (Jon Peter Lewis). Fantasia, however,
aimed for understated with this soulful Porgy and Bess ballad that showed off
her gorgeous pipes — and has since gone down as one of the best performances
in Idol history.


Ace Young, ''Father Figure'', Season 5

As if the Idol heartthrob hadn't already won over enough swooning fans with his
good looks stellar audition, Ace kicked off the semifinals with a George
Michael tune that both complimented his limited vocal range and appealed to
fans' libidos. (Sample lyric: ''Just for one moment, to be warm and naked at my
side.'') And you thought Idol was a family program.


Elliott Yamin, ''Moody's Mood For Love'', Season 5

The song — featuring lyrics that were added to jazz saxophonist James Moody's
solo on the track ''I'm in the Mood for Love'' — showcased the smooth velvet
quality of Elliott's vocals, as well as his Stevie Wonder-like bounce. Who says
you can't win fans with obscure, offbeat ditties?


Melinda Doolittle, ''Have a Nice Day'', Season 6

Rock is all about confidence, and timid Melinda wisely chose this Bon Jovi
anthem that had confidence built right into the lyrics. JBJ told her to ''take
it to church,'' and after this performance, no one questioned that Melinda had
the soul, life experience, and Tina Turner 'tude to testify.


Kristy Lee Cook, ''God Bless the USA'', Season 7

After failing to ignite fan support with three average performances and her
abysmal country-fied version of ''Eight Days a Week,'' Kristy Lee whipped out
this patriotic ditty and immediately won over Idol's much-coveted flag-waving
contingent. Apparently, they were willing to overlook her middling vocals
simply because Kristy Lee had so much love for the good ol' US of A.


Chris Daughtry, ''I Walk the Line'', Season 5

The sweet, dreamy sounds of '50s night could have spelled the end for an
alternative Idol, but Chris smartly opted for Johnny Cash (a badass in any
decade), and Live's ominous, slow-build arrangement of the tune. Staying true
to yourself on theme nights is impressive, even if every note you sing isn't.


Jasmine Trias, ''It's Raining Men'', Season 3

Jasmine had little going for her when she hit the Top 4 against LaToya London,
Diana DeGarmo, and Fantasia Barrino. But if she couldn't win with talent, then
she'd have to use her tears. And so it was that Jasmine chose to get the crap
kicked out of her by the Weather Girls' classic, prompting further abuse from
the judges. (Et tu, Donna Summer?) Cue the waterworks, cue the sympathy votes,
and cue a TKO over poor LaToya, who never saw it coming.



【WORST】

Clay Aiken, ''Grease'', Season 2

You can't be squeaky clean and sing a song called ''Grease'' — not even on
Bee Gees night. The song's got groove, it's got meaning, and neither were
present as Clay swiveled his hips and did the white man's overbite. Like Simon,
our word is ''horrible.''


Jordin Sparks, ''Livin' on a Prayer'', Season 6

There was desperation in her voice, but not because she was empathizing with
the story of Tommy and Gina — no, Jordin was too worried about hitting the
notes in her lower register. If you're scared to rock, don't pick a Bon Jovi
song with a chorus that soars.


Michael Johns, ''A Day in the Life'', Season 7

Michael had good intentions choosing the psychedelic Beatles track — it was a
favorite of his recently deceased friend — but shrinking a complex five-minute
song down to 90 seconds was a gamble that didn't pay off. His attempt to mash
together ''the best parts'' of the complex classic resulted in a scattershot
performance that even managed to confuse the Swaybots.


Tamyra Gray, ''New Attitude'', Season 1

One of Tamyra's best attributes was her polish and control while performing,
which made a song choice like Patti LaBelle's ''New Attitude'' — which requires
a vivacious energy and style Tamyra just didn't have — all the more
confounding. America agreed, and in one of the most shocking Idol eliminations
ever, sent her packing.


Carrie Underwood, ''MacArthur Park'', Season 4

Bad idea number one: choosing a song that forced her to sing in an
unforgivingly low register. Bad idea number two: choosing an antiquated tune
with some of the most confounding lyrics ever. If Carrie had to choose ''Park''
for '70s Dance night, she should have at least done a little research into its
meaning — it's about a breakup — rather than delivering the song like a
Stepford robot. Let's hope we never see that recipe for disaster again, oh no.

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