'American Idol': Why is the winner's first single always SO bad?
Kara DioGuardi might be a good songwriter most of the time, but the winner's single that she co-wrote for American Idol, "No Boundaries," is truly bad. But this is hardly the worst of them. Every season, the winner of American Idol is saddled with some supposedly meaningful song that references they fact that they just won, and it's SO cheeseball. If Idol is supposed to be about finding a modern, relevant artist, why is the first song always so terrible? Why don't they hire someone who does interesting music to come up with something? Weigh in on what single was the worst (and if you need your memory refreshed, you can see all the lyrics from the previous singles after the jump.
Season 8: Kris Allen, "No Boundaries"
Seconds hours so many days
You know what you want but how long can you wait
Every moment lasts forever if you feel you’ve lost your way
What if your chances are already gone
Started believing that I could be wrong
But you give me one good reason
to fight and never walk away
Coz hear I am — still holding on!
Every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe
You’ll make it through the pain
Weather the hurricane
To get to that one thing
When you think the road is going nowhere
Just when you’ve almost gave up on your dreams
Then take it by the hand and show you that you can
You can go higher
You can go deeper
There are no boundaries
Above and beneath you
Break every rule coz there’s nothing between you
and your dreams
Every step you climb another mountain
Every breath it's harder to believe
Here's a look at some of the lyrics from the past Idol winners' first songs:
Season 7: David Cook, "The Time of My Life":
I’ve been waiting for my dreams Season 6: Jordin Sparks, "This is My Now": There was a time I packed my dreams away. Season 5: Taylor Hicks, "Do I Make You Proud" I've never been This is what we dream about I guess I’ve learned Season 4: Carrie Underwood, "Inside Your Heaven" I've been down I wanna be inside your heaven When we touch, when we love And I wanna be inside your heaven Season 3: Fantasia, "I Believe" Have you ever reached a rainbow's end I can see it in the stars across the sky When you look out in the distance Season 2: Ruben Studdard, "Flying Without Wings" Everybody's looking for that something Season 1: Kelly Clarkson, "A Moment Like This" Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me Everything changes For a moment like this
To turn into something
I could believe in
And looking for that
Magic rainbow
On the horizon
I couldn’t see it
Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I’m coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin’ my world start to turn
And I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time
To be more than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life
Holding onto things that vanished
Into the air
Left me in pieces
But now I’m rising from the ashes
Finding my wings
And all that I needed
Was there all along
Within my reach
As close as the beat of my heart
and I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time ...
Living in a shell, hiding from myself
There was a time when I was so afraid
I thought I'd reached the end,
But baby that was then
I am made of more than my yesterdays
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
As I look around
I can't believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubt
That was then, this is my now
I have to decide,
Was I gonna play it safe.
Or look somewhere deep inside,
Try to turn the tide,
And find the strength to take that step of faith
This is my now, and I am breathing in the moment
As I look around
I can't believe the love I see
My fears behind me, gone are the shadows and doubt ...
The one to raise my hand
That was not me
And now that's who I am
Because of you
I am standing tall
My heart is full
Of endless gratitude
You were the one
The one to guide me through
Now I can see
And I believe
It's only just beginning
But the only question with me now
Is do I make you proud
Stronger than I've ever been now
Never been afraid of standing out
Do I make you proud
To question is to grow,
That you still have faith,
Is all I need to know,
I’ve learned to love,
Myself in spite of me,
And I’ve learned to
Walk on the road I believe. ...
Now I'm blessed
I felt a revelation coming around
I guess its right, it's so amazing
Every time I see you I'm alive
You're all I've got
You lift me up
The sun and the moonlight
All my dreams are in your eyes
Take me to the place you cry from
Where the storm blows your way
I wanna be the earth that holds you
Every bit of air you're breathin' in
A soothin' wind
I wanna be inside your heaven
The stars light up
The wrong becomes undone
Naturally, my soul surrenders
The sun and the moonlight
All my dreams are in your eyes
Take me to the place you cry from
Where the storm blows you away
And I wanna be the earth that holds you
Every bit of air you're breathing in
A soothing wind
I wanna be inside your heaven ...
And did you find your pot of gold
Ever catch a shooting star
And tell me how high did you soar
Ever felt like you were dreaming
Just to find that you're awake
And the magic that surrounds you
Can lift you up and guide you on your way
Dreamt a hundred thousand dreams before
Now I finally realize
You see I've waited all my life for this moment to arrive
And finally, I believe
You see it never was that far ...
One thing that makes it all complete
You'll find it in the strangest places
Places you never knew it could be
Some find it in the faces of their children
Some find it in their lover's eyes
Who can deny the joy it brings
When you find that special thing
You're flying without wings
Some find it sharing in every morning
Some in their solitary lives
You'll find it in the works of others
A simple line can make you laugh or cry
You'll find it in the deepest friendships
The kind you cherish all your lives
And when you know how much that means
You have found that special thing
You're flying without wings
So impossible as they may seem
You've got to fight for every dream
'Cuz who's to know which one you let go
Would have made you complete
...
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
But beauty remains
Something so tender
I can't explain
Well I maybe dreamin'
But 'till I awake
Can we make this dream last forever
And I'll cherish all the love we share
Some people wait a lifetime,
For a moment like this
Some people search forever,
For that one special kiss ...
Comments
The bikini was only the second-most embarassing thing that Kara had to worry about last night.
Posted by: Bucky | May 21, 2009 3:30 PM
99.9% of AI fans would be totally pumped to see this article.
I've been ranting about this forEVER.
Season 8 song is less cheesy than the past ones. I actually liked Season 8's song with David Cook--The Time of My Life.
On AI blogs this season, I was bemoaning the fact that Clive Davis (or whomever) always forces the finalists to sing the smarmiest songs. (subst. for cheesy). This year was no exception: while Kris could get away with those lyrics with his heart-warming sincerity, there was no way that ANY song of this ilk could be a fit for Adam. They are polar opposites--and I'm happy that Adam didn't have to record it. Hopefully, Kris will be able to re-mold the song into his personal style.
WARNING TO FUTURE Season 9 producers and beyond: Get a life AND some decent writers--at least don't put them in the box of the "Climb Every Mountain" (a la Sound of Music) genre of song that seems to be pulled out of the hat-trick each and every year. Your viewers deserve better and so do the finalists!!!!
SKK: I didn't hate Cook's single either, except for the part about rainbows.
Posted by: Jabev | May 24, 2009 1:42 AM