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.
Central POP 