Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Comic-Con 2022: Stars strike a pose in EW's photo studio

      Comic-Con 2022: Stars strike a pose in EW's photo studio

      From the casts of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever  and The Walking Dead  to Chris Pine and Regé Jean-Page, see who dropped by EW's Comic-Con headquarters at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. Read More
    • Power players: Inside The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

      Power players: Inside The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

      Go behind the scenes of Amazon Prime Video’s ambitious fantasy epic, which hopes to introduce J.R.R. Tolkien to a new generation. Read More
    • Biggest bombshells in unsealed Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard court docs: Erectile dysfunction, nude photos, and Marilyn Manson

      Biggest bombshells in unsealed Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard court docs: Erectile dysfunction, nude photos, and Marilyn Manson

      Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be more to learn about the high-profile defamation trial, more than 6,000 pages of court docs were released over the weekend. Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Gallery
  3. 'American Idol': 12 Songs That Should Be Banned from the Show Forever!

'American Idol': 12 Songs That Should Be Banned from the Show Forever!

America's favorite singing competition features plenty of overdone tunes, but this dirty dozen represents the worst of ''Idol'''s serial offenders
By Michael Slezak Updated January 06, 2009 at 09:00 PM EST
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

1

American Idol, Carrie Underwood | ''Alone'' by Heart (1987), sung during Top 11 — Billboard Number Ones night Nobody figured the corn-fed country girl could rock out, but when Carrie…
Credit: Fox

''Alone,'' Heart
It would require great hubris, or complete ignorance of Idol history, for a contestant to cover the one song that's indelibly linked to the success of the insanely popular Underwood. And yet that's exactly what season 6's Gina Glocksen and season 7's Ramiele Malubay did in selecting ''Alone,'' the soaring Heart number that catapulted Carrie Underwood from reality show hopeful to musical superstar. Hey, maybe for an encore, Gina or Ramiele could rip the mic out of Aretha's hands midway through a rendition of ''Respect''? (Okay, okay, Allison Iraheta provided the exception to the rule in the season 8 semifinals, but The Rocker doesn't follow the EW playbook, she rewrites it!)

Click here to watch Carrie Underwood's version.

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

2

Sanjaya Malakar, American Idol | Anything from the Stevie Wonder songbook Over the past nine seasons of Idol , close to 40 atrocities have been committed against the music of…
Credit: Frank Micelotta/Fox

Anything from the Stevie Wonder songbook
Over the past nine seasons of Idol, close to 40 atrocities have been committed against the music of Stevie Wonder — and we're not even counting the audition rounds. There was A.J. Gil bludgeoning ''My Cherie Amour'' with a vibrato baton in season 1. There was Camile Velasco smothering ''For Once in My Life'' with her nasal whine in season 3. And let us not even speak of the crime perpetrated against ''Knocks Me Off My Feet'' by season 6's Sanjaya Malakar (pictured). In light of the evidence, it's a wonder that Wonder hasn't sought a restraining order.

Click here if you're brave enough to watch the aforementioned Sanjaya performance.

2 of 12

3 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

3

Ramiele Malubay | ''Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)," Phil Collins Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting…
Credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

''Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)," Phil Collins
Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Which is why we question what was going through the damn minds of Corey Clark, George Huff, Jessica Sierra, Scott Savol, Katharine McPhee, Ramiele Malubay (pictured), and most recently Paige Miles when they each offered a lackluster rendition of the same overwrought Collins ballad, now the No. 1 most-covered song in Idol semifinals/finals history. Hey, kids, if you like the Genesis frontman so much, might we suggest ''Sussudio''?

Click here to experience the agony of Ramiele Malubay's version.

3 of 12

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

4

Scott Savol | ''I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),'' The Four Tops Idol loves the Motown sound, and who are we to argue? But let's be…
Credit: Fox

''I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),'' The Four Tops
Idol loves the Motown sound, and who are we to argue? But let's be honest: the phrase ''sugar pie honey bunch'' should be reserved for cereal commercials and golden oldies stations. Just ask R.J. Helton, Clay Aiken, and Scott Savol (pictured), none of whom benefited from attempting this woefully dated number.

Click here to watch Scott Savol's rendition — if you dare!

4 of 12

Advertisement

5 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

5

Trenyce | ''I Have Nothing,'' Whitney Houston Every diva-in-waiting wants to prove she can tackle the greatest balladeer of all — regardless of Simon's words of warning…
Credit: Fox

''I Have Nothing,'' Whitney Houston
Every diva-in-waiting wants to prove she can tackle the greatest balladeer of all — regardless of Simon's words of warning about Whitney's untouchable status. Fair enough. But how come Trenyce (pictured), Jennifer Hudson, Leah Labelle, Vonzell Solomon, Katharine McPhee, and LaKisha Jones all settled on the same exact track, when Ms. Houston's Greatest Hits compilation is a two-disc set? Is ''I Have Nothing'' really that incredible, or do Idol's producers need to invest a little more time (and money) clearing tracks for use on the show?

Click here to check out Trenyce's take on ''I Have Nothing.''

5 of 12

6 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

6

David Archuleta | ''Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,'' Elton John Here's a curious Idol factoid: Over the course of eight seasons, Elton John's 1974 ballad…
Credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

''Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,'' Elton John
Here's a curious Idol factoid: Over the course of eight seasons, Elton John's 1974 ballad has not only reared its overdone head six separate times, but on three of those occasions it was foisted on contestants via ''Clive Davis's choice'' (for Bo Bice and David Archuleta) or judges' choice (Justin Guarini). (The other three finalists who chose to cover the song were Jorge Nuñez, Clay Aiken and Jasmine Trias.) Note to Mr. Davis: You may have signed everyone from Janis Joplin to Aerosmith to Billy Joel, but your skills in the Idol song-selection department are just ai'ight for us, dawg.

Click here to see David Archuleta's performance of ''Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.''

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

7

Mikalah Gordon | ''Son of a Preacher Man,'' Dusty Springfield Hey, here's an idea! Let's have a moratorium on teenage female contestants — in the tradition of season…
Credit: Fox

''Son of a Preacher Man,'' Dusty Springfield
Hey, here's an idea! Let's have a moratorium on teenage female contestants — in the tradition of season 3's Camile Velasco and season 4's Mikalah Gordon (pictured) — singing about their sexual awakening at the hands of the offspring of their family's religious adviser! Actually, given the way 23-year-old Julia DeMato manhandled the number in season 2, perhaps it's best to outlaw it from Idol altogether.

Click here to see Mikalah Gordon sully the cherished Dusty Springfield classic.

7 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

8

LaKisha Jones | ''I Believe,'' Fantasia Barrino Everyone knows Idol coronation songs are nothing but sentimental dreck. So why in the name of all that's holy have two…
Credit: Frank Micelotta/Fox

''I Believe,'' Fantasia Barrino
Everyone knows Idol coronation songs are nothing but sentimental dreck. So why in the name of all that's holy have two separate seasons featured deluded songbirds (LaKisha Jones, pictured and Syesha Mercado) volunteering for a mission that only Fantasia Barrino and a full gospel chorus could successfully complete?

Click here to see LaKisha Jones wrestle with ''I Believe.''

8 of 12

Advertisement

9 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

9

Elliott Yamin
Credit: Fox

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

10

American Idol, Jasmine Trias | ''It's Raining Men,'' The Weather Girls Note to future contestants: If you're flirting with the idea of covering a novelty disco hit, please reconsider —…
Credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

''It's Raining Men,'' The Weather Girls
Note to future contestants: If you're flirting with the idea of covering a novelty disco hit, please reconsider — especially if said song features an exceedingly difficult vocal line that nearly felled big-voiced Kelly Clarkson and Kimberly Locke, and left poor Jasmine Trias (pictured) gasping like an asthma sufferer in a pollen factory.

Warning: Shield your ears if you plan to click here for Jasmine Trias' cover of ''It's Raining Men.''

10 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

11

Jordin Sparks | ''Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,'' Gloria Estefan Let's be honest: The entire Gloria Estefan oeuvre should be strictly verboten for all future editions of Idol…
Credit: Frank Micelotta/American Idol/Getty Images

''Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,'' Gloria Estefan
Let's be honest: The entire Gloria Estefan oeuvre should be strictly verboten for all future editions of Idol. But as season 3 star LaToya London and season 6 champ Jordin Sparks (pictured) will tell you, it's especially hard to sound cool when you're paired with a lyric about hiding beneath a blanket to escape the relentless pursuit of...the rhythm.

Click here to see the rhythm get Jordin Sparks.

11 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 12

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

12

John Stevens | ''My Girl,'' The Temptations Unless you're at a Temptations' reunion concert, ''My Girl'' is best relegated to karaoke bars and wedding receptions. And yes, that…
Credit: Fox

''My Girl,'' The Temptations
Unless you're at a Temptations' reunion concert, ''My Girl'' is best relegated to karaoke bars and wedding receptions. And yes, that is meant as an insult to Aaron Kelly (season 9), John Stevens (season 3, pictured), EJay Day (season 1), and Mark Scott (season 1 seminfinalist). Not to worry, I forgot that last dude, too.

Witness Mark Scott's crimes against music and fashion!

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Michael Slezak

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 12 1
    2 of 12 2
    3 of 12 3
    4 of 12 4
    5 of 12 5
    6 of 12 6
    7 of 12 7
    8 of 12 8
    9 of 12 9
    10 of 12 10
    11 of 12 11
    12 of 12 12

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    'American Idol': 12 Songs That Should Be Banned from the Show Forever!
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.