Update: Very limited Idol Gives Back tickets are still available! Here’s your chance to get a preview of the summer Idol tour!
Update 2: I found more Idol Gives Back tickets in case the first update link runs out.
Update 3: Check out Reality Rewind’s response to the rumor that Crystal Bowersox almost quit American Idol.
Next week on Season 9 of American Idol we have our two hour special Idol Gives Back on Wednesday April 21 with an all star line up for our entertainment. Guests include: The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lenox, Jeff Beck and Joss Stone, Mary J. Blige and Sir Elton John will sing on behalf of the Elton John Aids Foundation. If you don’t want to wait until next week to donate check out the online auction at http://idolgivesback.vonality.com/.
Alicia Keys will mentor the hopefuls on Inspirational Songs throughout the week and will perform on Wednesday night as well. A list of songs the contestants may choose from is available on itunes. Here are some thoughts on what I think would be good song choices for the remaining 7 to choose from.
Lee Dewyze should sing “Higher” by Creed or “Dare You To Move” by Switchfoot.
Casey James “Calling All Angels” by Train or “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw
Siobhan Magnus “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders
Crystal Bowersox should step out of her comfort zone and sing “We Are The Champions” by Queen or “Livin On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi just to give us something different.
Tim Urban would make my night by singing “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. That would be priceless and it’s possible he could do a really good job. Well maybe not.
Big Mike should stick to what he does best and sing “I Believe I Can Fly” by R. Kelly or give us a little diversity with “Rainbow” by Sugar Ray.
Aaron Kelly is the hardest for me to choose for some reason. What about “Drive” by Incubus or “This Is My Now” by Jordin Sparks?
Complete list of songs the contestants can choose from:
- Your Love Keeps Lifting Me (Higher and Higher) – Jackie Wilson
- A Moment Like This – Kelly Clarkson
- Amazing Grace – Susan Boyle
- Angels – Robbie Williams
- Anyway – Martina McBride
- Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In – The Fifth Dimension
- Better Days – The Goo Goo Dolls
- Bridge Over Troubled Waters – Simon & Garfunkle
- Calling All Angels – Train
- Changes – David Bowie
- Dare You To Move – Switchfoot
- Don’t Dream It’s Over – Crowded House
- Don’t Stop – Fleetwood Mac
- Dream Weaver – Gary Wright
- Drive – Incubus
- Everyday People – Sly & The Family Stone
- Flying Without Wings – Ruben Studdard
- From a Distance – Bette Midler
- Go the Distance – Michael Bolton
- Greatest Love of All – Whitney Houston
- Hands – Jewel
- Heaven Help Us All – Stevie Wonder
- Hero – Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott
- Higher – Creed
- Holding Out for a Hero – Bonnie Tyler
- I Am Changing – Jennifer Hudson
- I Believe I Can Fly – R. Kelly
- I Can See Clearly Now – Jimmy Cliff
- I Hope You Dance – Lee Ann Womack
- I Turn To You – Christina Aguilera
- I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
- I’ll Be There – Jackson 5
- If You Believe – The Wiz Original Broadway Cast
- I’ll Stand By You – The Pretenders
- I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross
- It’s My Life – Bon Jovi
- I’ve Had The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
- Lifted – Lighthouse Family
- Live Like We’re Dying – Kris Allen
- Live Like You Were Dying – Tim McGraw
- Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
- Living in America – James Brown
- Lovely Day – Bill Withers
- My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
- My Wish – Rascal Flatts
- Only Hope
- Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland
- People Get Ready – The Impressions
- Rainbow – Sugar Ray
- Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand) – Diana Ross
- Reflection – Christina Aguilera
- Return to Innocence – Enigma
- The River of Dreams – Billy Joel
- Show Me What I’m Looking For – Carolina Liar
- So Small – Carrie Underwood
- Stronger – Mary J. Blige
- That’s The Way God Planned It – Billy Preston
- That’s What Friends Are For – Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight
- The Boxer – Simon & Garfunkle
- The Impossible Dream – Frank Sinatra
- The Prayer – Andrea Bocelli & Celine Dion
- The Time of My Life – David Cook
- The Is My Now – Jordin Sparks
- Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
- Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
- We Are the Champions – Queen
- What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstong
- What the World Needs Now is Love – Jackie DeShannon
- When you Believe – Mariah Carey
- Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
- World – Five for Fighting
- You Light Up My Life – Debby Boone
- You Raise Me Up – Josh Groban
- You’ll Never Walk Alone – Barbara Streisand
- You’re My Best Friend – Queen
- You’re the Inspiration – Chicago
- You’ve Got a Friend – Carole King
What do you think the contestants should sing?
The problem is that most of these songs are slow, slower or slowest and most of the singers need to get more life in their performances. I would love to see Siobhan or Mike do the Jackie Wilson song.
Ted I totally agree. I tried to pick some upbeat songs but there wasn’t many to choose from.
Though tough to chose lets see lol
Siobhan: A moment like this
Casey: Walking on sunshine
Lee: It’s my life
Mike: If you believe
Aaron: The time of my life
Tim: Stronger
Crystal: Living on a Prayer
Was not easy but I think these songs can suit each of them.
I think this could be Siobhan’s chance to shine this week. There are quite a few songs there that she can belt out…..then again I don’t think anything she sings will please Simon, he is all for Crystal…..
Hoping Lee shines this week too….
I agree Lee should sing It’s My Life. No one should sing Living On A Prayer but Bon Jovi, ever. Least of all “Dirtysox”.
“I Will Survive” for Tim would be perfect !!!! I hope he reads this. Mark my words – he’ll be in the top 4 ……
The song chose that I would like the 7 remaining Idol contestants to sing are:
Crystal-Bridge over trouble waters
Siobhan-Let the sunshine in
Aaron-I be there
Tim-I believe I can fly
Casey-I’m coming out
Lee-The impossible dream
Mike-Rainbow
OK here goes:
Tim – Dreamweaver
Siobhan – I Hope You Dance
Lee – It’s My Life
Aaron – Impossible Dream
Mike – What A Wonderful world
Crystal – You’ve Got a Friend
Casey = Don’t Stop
My advice to the contestants. Do not take on Whitney, Celine Dion, Mariah, Chistina, or Alecia Keys. These divas are no easy task.
Not a great list, to be honest. Great songs, sure, but a large part of them should not be attempted and there’s simply not enough variety and range in this limited selection. They should not scream at people about song choice unless they truly give them freedom to choose whatever songs they wanna sing.
Lee- Hero or Better Days
Crystal- Wind Beneath My Wings or Don’t Dream It’s Over
Casey- I Hope You Dance
Siobhan- Only Hope
Michael- What the World Needs Now is Love
Aaron- So Small
Tim- Over the Rainbow
I certainly agree with Phyllis from Las Vegas, anything that Siobhan sings, Simon will never be pleased. It’s a shame, it will just make me vote for the whole 2 hours.
Grandma from Alabama
I think Siobhan should do “Over the Rainbow”. She has the vocals to pull that one off….
Tim should sing “You Got a Friend”
Mike…”Its A Wonderful World”..thats his speed.
@Gayle…..Sometimes I wonder how legit that voting is…..!!!!!! I tried that last year and it didn’t work….
The real achievement is that they managed to come up with a list of inspirational songs that excluded Mahalia Jackson and Shirley Ceasar
I agree that they should all do something upbeat. I will really miss seeing katie’s face on american idol, though
Pleeeeese, could we go through this season without Over The Rainbow? It’s bad enough they’ve handed these guys a crap song list without having them compared to Kimberly Locke and Tamyra Gray.
I keep seeing how people are saying these songs are going to be hard but that’s the point. There are a lot of contestants thatr have not moved from their comfort zones yet. Next week should be really interesting to see. I just hope Tim doesn’t try anything crazy again like that Sweet Love by Anita Baker. That was definitely not a good song choice.
strange song choices
I hope tim urban chooses a really bad song and bombs this week. disgusted!
come on crystal come on please sing livin on a prayer
Leave Tim and Aaron be. They are part of AIs no child left behind policy [see Sanjaya, Chicken Little etc.].
What I’d like to see / hear:
Crystal – Everyday People. Sly
That’d be the best for her, IMHO for her, but the Bon Jovi would be awesome, too.
Big Mike – People Get Ready. The Impressions
Perfect!
Casey – You Raise Me Up. Josh Groban
I KNOW he could do wonders with this!
Tim – I’ll Be There. Jackson 5
I think he’d get a great performance out of this one.
Aaron – Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher. Jackie Wilson
Time for Aaron to crank it up a bit.
Siobhan – Changes. David Bowie
I would love to see (hear) what she can do to this song!
Lee – What a Wonderful World. Louis Armstong
Lee’s voice could really turn this into a contemporary tune.
I like the idea for It’s a Wonderful world for Lee. I think he’s got such a cool sound that he could really make a song like that his own.
For my opinion!
Casey – ” I believe I cant Fly ”
Crystal – ” You’ve got a friend ”
Mike – “What a wonderfull World”
Aaron – ” I’ll be there”
Lee – ” Drive ”
Siobhan – ” Over the rainbow”
Tim – ” Impossible Dream ”
Thanks!
I’m a fan of Casey James. I totally agreed with LeisaK’s comment for Casey in performing this song. I think so far Casey’s best performances were slow-rhythm songs as Heaven & Jealous Guy. He could make it his own by rearranging the song with a little touch of rock.
Siobhan should rock out Holding out for a Hero!!! But kinda the Shrek version where she can start slow and then goes up beat!!! Dont care about the rest!!…Siobhan is our next IDOL!!!!!!!
I am a huge Casey James fan, and while I think all of his performances have been solid (I haven’t always agreed with his song choices), I think #’s 22 and 25’s comments are spot on! Keep voting for Casey…he is the best!
I would love to see Lee do It’s My Life. I think he could do really well with that song.
Mike should perform What a Wonderful World. He could make that song sound really nice.
if aaron kelly or the other guy – tim urban I think- sings “drive”, I will kick somebody and not watch american idol again.
Simon will never like Siobhan. s She is Irish. She just has to get “that not exactly right” whatever song she sings.
I think casey should do either dare you to move or hero. But it doesn’t really matter because he makes everything sound great. He could sing the dictionary and win AI as far as I’m concerned. I love you casey.
Here’s my pick
Casey – The Time of My Life by David Cook
Lee – Higher by Creed
Crystal – Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkle
Mike – This is My Now by Jordin Sparks
Aaron – You Raise Me Up by Josh Grobin
Tim – Angels by Robbie Williams
and last but not least
Siobhan – A Moment Like This by Kelly Clarkson
I wish all the reader and all the contestants the very best!
I so agree with you, Jackie(#31). Casey is the best! No matter what he sings, he is fabulous!! I don’t think he gets enough credit because he is quiet and doesn’t make a fool of himself, unlike some of the others. He is a class act all the way. All of my friends at work vote for him every week…we looooovvvvveeeeee Casey!!!!
hopefully siobhan steps it up.she has picked a few wrong song choices lately.she needs to choose better,but saying that even when she picks bad songs she still sounds better than most of the singers left.if she hits a home run on one her choices it could be over for all the other remaining contestants
It isnt just because he’s so good looking and charismatic and im a female here with raging hormones! But Casey is really GOOD when he sings, leave alone all his other good attributes. Yes,i agree that slow songs work for him, as he is capable of putting his emotions and feelings where they matter most. Indeed if Casey goes, there’s nothing for me to watch anymore on AI. 🙁
I agree 100% Erin with Not a great list, to be honest. Great songs, sure, but a large part of them should not be attempted and there’s simply not enough variety and range in this limited selection. They should not scream at people about song choice unless they truly give them freedom to choose whatever songs they wanna sing.
Siobhan can sing anything. She’ll slay any song. This week, she’ll sing a song in the best way she can, she’ll shine, the audience will love her again, she’ll be happy with her performance.But then again, Simon and Kara will steal the happiness of her heart. Sad thing….
Lee DeWyze should sing Better Days by the Goo Goo Dolls and he would hit that one out of the park and would instantly become the front runner to win this thing.
okay! I’m a hugeee Crystal fan! Whatever she’ll sing, she’ll slay! Not worried about her at all !! Second of all, Siobhan is better than most of the remaining contestants, great voice and great presence! She’ll shine! As for the song list, i just would like to see Tim Urban sing ” I Will Survive” Thanks.
lEE Dewyze should sing LIVIN ON A PRAYER. or IT’S MY LIFE, by JON BON JOVI!!! LEE DEWYZE contines to make the right song choices. LEE is the best on AI this year. His vocals and stage presence and talent has continued to grow. Lee, keep up the good work!
I think Aaron should sing “My Wish”. I think he could have his WOW moment with that song. His voice would fit it perfectly and it is not one of the more “sleepy” songs on the list.
I’d choose these:
Siobhan – We Are The Champions – she is really good at the drama.
Casey – Bridge Over Troubled Water – singer/songwriter type right up his alley.
Lee – Better Days – His throaty voice would be perfect for this one.
Mike – I Believe I Can Fly – right in his wheelhouse with the R&B.
Crystal – I’ll Stand By You – something a little slower to change things up for her and maybe without the guitar.
Tim and Aaron – who cares, they both are terrible.
I love lee!! he should totally sing creed or it’s my life… he has a voice that could pull either off… hope teflon tim falls out!
Mamasox ~ Holding Out for a Hero or I’ll Stand By You
Lee ~ Higher by Creed
Tim ~ (not that I really care) I think he could pull off Rascal Flatts
Big Mike ~ will probably go with his comfort zone with R. Kelly, but could also do a good job with People Get Ready… cliched, yeah… but that’s what he does.
Casey ~ I think he’d do a good job with Better Days or Calling All Angels.
Aaron should go for it and attempt Josh Groban.
Oh, and Siobhan should totally go for Reflection by Christina. She could pull it off!
AARON KELLY IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!! i dont care what he sings, he will b great no matter what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We want siodhan should sing my immortal by evanessance.. she would do that awesome
Lee can sing more than words… It’s a great song!
Lee can sing more than words… It’s a great song! Or amyba he can sing dance with my father by luther vandross…