American Idol Performances Mini Rankdown

[Alex95]

5. Mandisa "I Don't Hurt Anymore"

8.6/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0RHTfu-M94

 

@*Lily - 1/20

@~Tom~ - 1/20

@FrogLenzen - 2/20

@#jeah - 2/20

@*Chris - 3/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 5/20

@Crisis - 5/20

@*Wallace - 5/20

@Alex95 - 7/20

@NGM - 7/20

@taylorkat - 8/20

@Steven_ - 9/20

@sublymonal - 12/20

@JC - 12/20

@Elliott - 13/20

@1234567890 - 14/20

@goofycilla90 - 14/20

@*Amanda - 15/20

@*Diana - 18/20

@Solaris - 19/20

 

Lily

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I'm glad that if we were only to get one song performed by the late, great Dinah Washington, it was done by someone like Mandisa who just commanded it. What a (Grammy-winning!) star!

 

Tom

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I've always loved this one so much and I love it even more upon each rewatch. The arrangement was mostly Mandisa's work also. 

 

Derek

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Grammy-winner Mandisa slayed. Absolutely robbed on the show. Maybe this will be our winner since I can't imagine anyone tanking it. BUT THEN AGAIN this is IDF

 

Andy

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She turned this into a whole ass bop and sang the absolute sh*t out of this. Definitely one of my favorite AI performances ever, too bad she was let loose before her time.

 

Chris

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Mandisa is incredibly underrated as we saw during the rankdown - she's one of the most succesful Idol contestants from her season. Anyway, this performance was near perfection - she delivered the vocals, gave us personality, and looked great.  And honestly, she made me enjoyed this unknown song from the 1950s #MandisasPower.

 

Kevin

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Whomever cut "I'm Every Woman" should feel terrible because it's insane to me that Mandisa only has one performance in this top 20. She was super robbed on Idol and super robbed in this game, as well. This was an incredible performance, classy and sexy, and she earned that "Mandiva" title. Fantastic!

 

Crisis

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First of all, Mandisa looked absolutely stunning (then again, I always thought she was beautiful). The performance itself was just as stunning. One of the main criticisms of Mandisa was she didn’t sound as good in the lower parts of her voice as she did belting. She put that to rest here. The opening verse was really soft and pretty. However, the performance went to the next level when she sang:

 

No need to deny I wanted to die

The day you said we were through

Here she gradually displayed the signature belting she was known for. From there, she took the rest of the performance home and the final time she belts I don’t hurt anymore gives me chills to this day. It was between this and Kat’s Come Rain Or Come Shine as far as my favorite performance of the night; however, I’m giving I Don't Hurt Anymore the edge. On a night full of strong performances, Mandisa’s was the best, and it was a spectacular way to open the show!

 

Honorable Mentions

Mandisa - Never

 

Here, I’m highlighting my favorite Mandisa performances along with I Don’t Hurt Anymore. The first is her first performance as well as the first performance of the season. Mandisa was this Christian Contemporary/Gospel singer, so I expected her to sing a song in that vein; instead, she came out with this Heart classic. I’m usually of the mindset that contestants should start with songs that are in their lane and establish themselves as the artists they want to be, so this was a surprise. With that said, I knew if anyone had the voice to do Heart and Ann Wilson justice, it was definitely Mandisa. Ann Wilson is a vocal beast; however, Mandisa made it look really easy. She sang the song as if she’s done it for years. The funniest thing, however, was them using the K-Lo Burger King Flame background during the performance. Regardless, Mandisa established herself as a potential contender with this number.

 

Mandisa - I'm Every Woman

 

Ugh, losing this one really hurt. I was disappointed to see this one cut when Cry and Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing were ripe for the plucking (), but it is what it is. Anyway, after showing some versatility by singing rock and country songs the first two weeks, she took on this soul classic from one of the greatest soul singers in Chaka Khan. Needless to say, she completely hit this out of the park. I always felt Mandisa had one of the most powerful Idol voices, and she definitely showed it in this performance. My favorite parts were the bridge and the ending. In addition to the singing, she had great energy and stage presence, and I couldn’t help but smile through the whole thing. With all this said, the absolute best part was one of the guys bowing in the end; unfortunately I couldn’t see who it was.  All in all, Mandisa topped everyone this night with this performance, and it’s one of my overall S5 favorites.

 

Wally

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I think Mandisa’s "I Don't Hurt Anymore" was her best performance of her run so I am very glad that Tom & Lily advanced this through into the finals. I really do wish her “I’m Every Woman” was in the finals too but at least this performance made it through as it deserves to. This was one of those many songs I never heard before but Mandisa made me love this and made me associate this song with her. 

 

Everything about this performance - from her vocals, connection, performing was all so epic and amazing! I love how Mandisa got to be sultry and flirty but still strong, powerful & confident performing this song. That 1950s Night had some iconic performances but I do think Mandisa had the performance of the night with this one! Mandisa’s vocal delivery throughout this performance is flawless and out of this world. Right from her first I. Don’t. Hurt. Anymore. gives me chills! I love the first half of this performance but the second half is EVERYTHING. Mandisa seriously slays it and really takes it to another level. Some of my very favorite parts that she sings:

 

No use to deny I wanted to die

 

But now that I find you're out of my mind

I can't believe that it's true

I've forgotten somehow

That I cared so before

 

And it's wonderful now

That I don't hurt anymore

 

Yesss it's wonderful now

Hey hey heyy that I don't hurt anymore

 

INCREDIBLE! There’s not much more I have to say but just Mandisa tore this up!

 

Alex

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I mean...wow. Mandisa's voice is something else. Possibly unpopular opinion, but she at least deserves to be in the conversation amongst some of the strongest voices we've ever heard on the show. This was Mandisa's shining moment and she really shined brightly here. I can't believe America needed another week of Bucky Covington over Mandisa (but also I can 100% believe it)

 

Nico

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Love this for her, easily her best moment on the show (even if I think the ending goes a bit off the rails)

 

Steven

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This was a great performance from Mandisa! She showcased a lot of charm and delivered standout vocals.

 

Andrew

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Mandisa’s probably a Republican too.

 

JC

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She's a great singer, but I found her music a bit boring for me, like it made me feel like it was music appropriate for my grandma. But girl can def bring the gospel and sang, although as Simon would say, she's a bit over indulgent.

 

Elliott

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I really enjoyed this, but I haven't rewatched it much over the years.

 

 

 

 

4. Katharine McPhee "Black Horse And The Cherry Tree"

8.5/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Jk3ZbkfsU

 

@taylorkat - 3/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 3/20

@*Amanda - 3/20

@JC - 4/20

@Crisis - 4/20

@Solaris - 5/20

@1234567890 - 5/20

@goofycilla90 - 5/20

@*Chris - 6/20

@*Diana - 7/20

@*Wallace - 8/20

@Alex95 - 8/20

@~Tom~ - 8/20

@FrogLenzen - 8/20

@#jeah - 9/20

@Steven_ - 12/20

@sublymonal - 15/20

@*Lily - 18/20

@Elliott - 19/20

@NGM - 19/20

 

Kevin

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See? I'm not TOTALLY biased against Katharine. I think she's overrated as f*ck lmao but I have always loved this performance. I had never heard the song before and I felt like she made it her own. Kudos to her for introducing me to KT Tunstall.

 

JC

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UNF LOVED THIS. Girl slayed  Why does she have to be a dumb Republican.

 

Crisis

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After a disappointing performance of Against All Odds earlier in the evening, Katharine needed to come out with a strong second showing. When I learned she was going to sing Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, I found it to be an interesting choice. I’ve heard the song before, so I was interested to see what Kat would do with it. The answer: she pretty much knocked it out of the park. The performance had this nice bluesy vibe to it, and it was easy to see she was having fun during it; I especially enjoyed the shoulder shake dancing. I loved the part when she sang:

 

But I cut some cord, and I shouldn't have done it,

And it won't forgive me after all these years

 

I’ve loved the growl she added to the “all these years” part. Finally, I loved how strongly she ended the song on the last chorus. With that said, she did mess up a lyric during the “and my heart hit a problem in the early hours” part. She sang “morning” instead of hours. In addition, I don’t think she planned on being on the floor the entire performance. I think she wanted to stand up during the first chorus but felt it was better to stay on the floor.  Despite these minor details, it was a fun and infectious performance that always puts a smile on my face, and this song and KT Tunstall in particular received more recognition thanks to it.

 

Solaris

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Iconic floor grinding

 

Chris

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Not only was this performance one of her best performance, it was also one of her performance that felt the most current - I would even go as far as to say that this was one of the most current performance of the season.  And in this moment, we thought we were destined to a Daughtry/McPhee F2 where Idol will find another star - little did we know that they will be two of the most successful contestants of their season despite not winning. Anyway, Kat absolutely slayed this performance & it was refreshing to see that she can deliver strong performance vocally while also having energy and owning the stage. 

 

Wally

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There were a number of performances Victoria and I were thinking of pushing through to the finals but ultimately so glad we chose Katharine’s "Black Horse And The Cherry Tree," especially as this is one of my favorite performances of hers. Ooh Katharine’s Top 5 night was such an interesting night as she delivered both my least favorite performance (“Against All Odds”) and then my favorite performance on the same night, which was this one. I thought this was such a cool and funky performance that showcased her as the potential modern day pop star  she could be and she nailed this performance. I loved the arrangement, the staging with her sitting and doing that knee choreography and how she sang the song making it her own. I would be lying if i didn’t say this was a really hot performance too.

 

But yes, Katharine slayed this song as she sang & performed this with so much fun. I love the attitude and flirty vibe she had while singing this song. The chorus she sang was so fun and catchy!

 

I really love how she sang the opening of second verse where she sang:

 

And my heart hit a problem in the early hours.

So, I stopped it dead for a beat or two.

 

But my very favorite part of this performance is how she sings the second chorus section  and belts it out:

 

But I said, "No, no, NO! You're not the one for me.

No, no, no, you're not the one for me."

MY HEART! My heart's forsaken me.

Black horse and a cherry tree.

You're not the one for me.

 

That section is sooo good!   I’m glad to have been a part of bringing this into the Top 20 and fingers crossed hoping it ranks well. Katharine also performed this on I Can See Your Voice at the end of last year (nearly 15 years after doing it on Idol). It was great seeing her singing this song again in a more recent time so I’ll post that below.

 

 

 

Alex

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Katharine has complete permission to hatecrime my gay ass after this performance. I was LIVING for it! One of the most inspired song choices in Idol history (after the least inspired song choice in Idol history lol). The way she crawled around the stage, the way she sang it just well enough so it wasn't a trainwreck, the way she flirted with the camera. This was a Moment in herstory. The best performances for me are the ones that verge on disaster and that's exactly what this was.

 

Derek

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idk if this is the best performance but it is extremely memorable. I think her sitting on the ground and jamming with the drums and randomly growling was an interesting combination of daring and cringy.

 

Andy

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Not the absolute best vocal but the performance itself was really inventive and Kat is super fun to watch here, so it’s definitely fantastic overall

 

Steven

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This was a fun one from Katharine! She showed off her personality while delivering great vocals.

 

Andrew

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I love KT Tunstall, I loved this performance when it aired, so if a Katharine performance has to win, I guess let it be this one.

 

Lily

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Maybe it's because I heard this song everywhere for a hot minute, maybe it's because I wish someone just gave her a chair so she wasn't just kinda shuffling around the stage. I don't know, but for some reason I've never completely loved this rendition. It's fun, and she sounds great as usual, but I think I just preferred Katharine on her slower numbers where her vocals really shined for me.

 

Elliott

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Still waiting on her to apologize to the gay community for using us to further her career while donating all that money to Tr*mp and other Republican politicians.

 

Nico

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The only time she didn’t sound like a cabaret singer to me, and easily her best and most current performance. But I don’t want her to win under any circumstances so tank it is

 

 

 

 

3. Chris Daughtry "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)"

8.1/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NaYROxllpQ

 

@sublymonal - 1/20

@Alex95 - 1/20

@NGM - 1/20

@Elliott - 2/20

@Crisis - 3/20

@*Wallace - 3/20

@Steven_ - 3/20

@#jeah - 3/20

@*Chris - 4/20

@~Tom~ - 5/20

@Solaris - 6/20

@*Amanda - 6/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 7/20

@*Lily - 8/20

@goofycilla90 - 16/20

@*Diana - 17/20

@1234567890 - 17/20

@taylorkat - 18/20

@JC - 20/20

@FrogLenzen - 20/20

 

Andrew

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A game changer. I don’t even think we realized what we were watching when this happened but this was when we realized a rocker could actually win Idol.

 

Alex

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Still potentially my favorite performance in Idol history. Idk I can never decide on one, there's a few in the conversation. This one is definitely one of them. This is how a true rocker rocks the Idol stage. Chris killed this performance and proved that not only was he a contender to win, he would easily have a great career after the show. I'm sad it couldn't win, but not surprised (oh god I just realized "Alone" might be the only "rock" performance to win this game...brb vomiting)

 

Nico

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Performance of the season, full stop.

 

Elliott

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Iconic. Imagine being a semi-finalist on Idol and getting the offer to sing for a famous rock band. King sh*t.

 

Crisis

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While Chris gave his fair share of strong performances during the season, his strongest is perhaps his second semi-finals performance of the Fuel hit Hemorrhage (In My Hands). He started calmly enough during the first two lines of the first verse; however, when he got to the part where he sang:

 

What did you expect to find

Was there something you left behind 

 

the intensity increased tenfold. However, he managed to take it even higher when he sang anything I said when I said, especially with the jaw-clinching, and the performance exploded when he got to the chorus. I would have to say my favorite part was the octave jump when he started the final chorus. Aside from the singing, he had a strong stage presence and looked like he got completely lost in the song. All in all, for the second week in a row Chris gave the strongest performance of the night (although Elliott's Moody Mood For Love was not too far behind), one of my absolute S5 favorite performances, and by many Idol fans this is considered to be his signature performance. I wonder if this was the performance that caused Fuel to reach out to him and offer him the lead singer role. 

 

Wally

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Chris Daughtry’s "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" is really such an iconic performance and truly deserving of making it to the Top 20. This is also my very favorite performance of Chris’ which I will rank at #3. When I saw Alex & Elliott paired together I was predicting and hoping they would advance this through and I’m super glad they did. Not sure if anyone else makes this comparison but I think of this performance as the Season 5 version of Bo Bice’s “Whipping Post” - as they were both showstopping iconic rock performances that closed the Guys Week 2 semi-finals episode. The only difference is that I do really love and consider this one of my favorite performances of the season. I also think this was THE defining performance of the semi-finals in Season 5 too! As a Katharine & Elliott stan, I do feel a lot threatened by this performance and can see it winning…. and I do think it can pull off the win. But I do proper rankings in this game and love this too much to tank it so I won’t be mad if this wins. Although maybe there will be some people to rank this low… and maybe some Kat fans may try to tank this (as I see Chris & Kat fans tanking the others performances) but we’ll see. 

 

I also know and remember this song when it came out but I never really cared for it but Chris’ version made me really appreciate and love the song. I thought he made a great song choice picking a modern day rock song and showcasing him as a music artist when he would launch his career (which he was successful in achieving). I remember Fuel really loving Chris’ version of this song and wanting Chris to sing it with him. I don’t think he was able to as he was still in the competition but eventually he did (not sure when). So that is really amazing in itself.

 

But really what is there to say about this performance that I haven’t said already? It’s truly showstopping from start to finish. Chris’ vocal and the way he emotes and connects to the lyrics of the song is outstanding. I love how Chris starts off the first verse in a soft and subdued way….. and it brings attention to what he is singing there. He gradually builds up this performance so well. I love how he sings and powers through the chorus. But then it gets to another level of epic once he gets into the bridge and final chorus of the song where he sings:

 

And leave love bleeding in my hands, in my hands 

Love lies bleeding 

 

And I watched as you turned away 

You don't remember, but I do 

You never even tried 

 

Don't fall away and leave love bleeding in my hands, in my hands again 

 

(And then all of his closing belting ad-libs at the end)

 

 

This is truly an iconic performance. I love Randy’s comments of how this was the right song for Chris and how you could hear hi on the radio with this kind of song (which is so true and did end up happening).

 

Steven

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This performance was so strong that it made all the other guys that night look weak in comparison. It was almost jarring how all the other guys looked like complete wannabes after Chris closed the night with this performance. The song suited Chris perfectly, he delivered it flawlessly, and he proved he was already good enough to make it in the real world. This was definitely one of the best performances of the season.

 

Andy

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Omg he was 26 on Idol? He’s f*cking younger than me and his kids are so old. Anyways this was amazing

 

Chris

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This performance certainly in my favourite Chris performances of all-time. The fact that he was able to deliver this calibre during the semi-finale is truly impressive - in my opinion, he hit a home run when it came to the semi-finals performances, with this one certainly being one of the highlight of his Idol journey.

 

Tom

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Widely considered Chris's most iconic performance in season 5 and it made me love Fuel back in 2006 also!

 

Kevin

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A really important performance in hindsight. Bo brought "rock and roll" to American Idol, but Chris is really the one who started the whole "hey, we can compete on American Idol by proving we can be modern artists" train. He also gets snaps for making that mean more than playing an acoustic version of a super popular pop song. Anyway, this was great, I've always loved it.

 

Lily

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I mean, when the band of the song offers you to be their new lead singer, you know you killed it. Obviously an excellent performance (which I'm gonna rank a little lower but I'm sure it'll do a great job).

 

JC

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This was a good performance I am expecting to rate highly.

 

 

 

 

2. Katharine McPhee "Over The Rainbow"

6.4/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVDzDk-l-pU

 

@taylorkat - 1/20

@Solaris - 1/20

@JC - 1/20

@*Diana - 1/20

@1234567890 - 1/20

@*Wallace - 1/20

@*Amanda - 1/20

@FrogLenzen - 1/20

@*Chris - 1/20

@goofycilla90 - 2/20

@Steven_ - 2/20

@*Lily - 3/20

@~Tom~ - 4/20

@#jeah - 4/20

@Crisis - 7/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 17/20

@sublymonal - 20/20

@Alex95 - 20/20

@Elliott - 20/20

@NGM - 20/20

 

Solaris

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probably my favorite performance in Idol history

 

JC

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Her politics may make her controversial, but I am so gay that I just cannot get over her performance here. It is just a moment in Idol history that will NEVER be forgotten. This performance forever lives in my mind rent free, I always think of it when I think all time best performances on Idol. It's just that perfect. Honestly, if we were being objective, there should be NO question that this performance should win. Thank the LORD Chris was eliminated at top four because we NEEDED this performance, otherwise Idol history would have suffered.

 

Wally

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Katharine’s "Over The Rainbow" is one of the most magical and stunning performances on American Idol history, and also one of my all-time favorite performances on this series.  A big thank you to JC bringing this to Round 4 and Amanda bringing this into the finals! I do think “Over the Rainbow” stands a good shot at being a strong contender in this game but  I don’t think it can pull off the win as I can see some people, maybe some Chris’ fans, ranking this low or tanking this for being a threat (and I can see it the other way around too with some Kat stans ranking Chris performances low). I would be delighted to be proven wrong if this can win but I am doubtful. We’ll see.

 

Simon chose this for Katharine on the Judges Choice round and wow I think this may have been the best and most genus song choice a judge made for the contestant. I know this song from the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, but I love how Katharie made this her own. This is a song that has been done so much throughout the course of American Idol, and there’s been many great versions but none really compares to Katharine’s. Her version has and will likely always remain my favorite version of this song! I loveee that opening a cappella open in got the song. She sounds so  truly gorgeous on that part (as she does throughout the performance). I really love how she sings:

 

Leading from your window pane

To a place behind the sun

Just a step beyond the rain

 

 

I just love how Katharine really emotes to each line and lyric she’s singing and how she takes her time with it all. Then I love how she sings this part of the song:

 

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where troubles melt like lemon drops

Away above the chimney tops

That's where you'll find me

 

 

I really love how she sings and belts that SOMEEEWHERREEE after this part where she sings “somewhere over the rainbow.” Lastly I really love how she closes  this performance where she sings (and belts out that last part):

 

If happy little bluebirds fly

Beyond the rainbow

Why, oh, why can't IIIIIIIIIII

 

 

So yeah this performance IS everything! Such an amazing performance + moment for  Katharine. And I am really hoping this ranks really high as it deserves to.  Katharine got to reprise this performance 10 years later on the FOX’s Farewell season of American Idol (Season 15). She proved she’s still owns this song  and sang it so flawlessly!

 

 

 

Derek

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FAR AND AWAY the best performance of the season and one of the best of all time easily. This performance slapped me in the face and called me ugly and then voted for Trump. Doesn't matter. The best. I'm sure there will be a huge target on this one, let's find out what happens.

 

Chris

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I expect some people will be tanking this performance due to various reasons but there's simply no denying that this performance was a MOMENT & one of the best performance in Idol history. And not only was it a moment for McPhee, it was also her best performance especially vocally speaking - we don't see performances like this on the Idol stage nowadays. 

 

Steven

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This is one of the most memorable Idol moments throughout the show's history. Everything about Katharine's "Over The Rainbow" was gorgeous. There was such a magical quality about it that made it such a standout performance. If this performance wins this round, then it would be well-deserved.

 

Lily

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Truly stunning! Lovely and heartfelt, combines both the light elegance and the true power of her voice together to really make her shine, my favorite of her performances.

 

Tom

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Shocker? Tom does not hate Over the Rainbow. I used to not care for it back in my Season 5 watching days, but it grew on me a lot when I watched season 5 more recently. I figured if people thought I was after it, they would rank it higher in their final rankings than they otherwise would have despite the recent...revelations about Kat! So hopefully it ins over A Song for You! And if not, I still go the Alone win which is all I really cared about in this rankdown! 

 

Andy

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If this does end up winning, I won’t be mad, it’s truly gorgeous. I don’t know how she didn’t win after singing this tbh

 

Crisis

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This placement may or may not come as a shock. Truth be told, as much acclaim this performance has received (and rightfully so), this is my fourth favorite Katharine performance. With that said, I have some interesting thoughts about this performance. At first, while great I thought it was a bit overrated because I felt Kat had better performances during the season. Rewatching it over the years, however, I’ve really come to appreciate this performance more. The a cappella intro was nothing short of lovely, and I loved how she removed her malfunctioning earpiece while not missing a beat when the band kicked in. The soft, dulcet, and restrained tones in her verses really captured the wistful nature of the song, followed by the buildup when she sang that’s where you’ll find me leading to her belting out somewhere over the rainbow before returning to the beautiful soft tones from earlier. The way she ended the song was nothing short of genius with her singing why should I a little louder without going too big. Lastly, I’ll say I was happy Simon picked this song for her because it was one in which she could really shine, especially after Clive had her sing that piece of crap I Believe I Can Fly earlier that night (between that and giving Elliott Open Arms, to say I wasn’t pleased with Clive would be a great understatement. Taylor’s choice wasn’t much better, but at least his song suited him better than Elliott’s and Katharine’s). All in all, this was a beautiful performance from Katharine, and it’s understood why it’s considered to be her signature performance and one of Idol's most all-time legendary performances.

 

Kevin

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People would probably see this and think I'm purposely tanking it, but no, I'm honestly going with my true feelings 100% (as I have done and will continue to do so in this game). I'm not saying this was bad but it was sort of just musical wallpaper for me? A pretty girl singing a pretty version of SOTR and I'm just like, yeah, good for you I guess. I only really like a few Kat performances and this isn't one of them.

 

Andrew

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Probably has the best chance of winning so I’m bussing it because no way in h*ll am I letting Notable Republican Katharine McPhee win this rank down.

 

Alex

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So the first time I saw this live I was like "Wow that was really good, Kat may have just saved herself a spot in the finale". Then after the show I realized it was like the biggest deal in Idol history. I never saw this as an Idol Moment. I thought it was a great performance from a strong vocalist. As far as performances go, I'd take her "Black Horse" over this and as far as vocals go, I'd take "Someone to Watch" over this. I did tank this out of fear of winning, but if I ranked it honestly it would still just be around the 13-14 range.

 

Elliott

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Still waiting on her to apologize to the gay community for using us to further her career while donating all that money to Tr*mp and other Republican politicians.

 

Nico

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Kat: F*CK I forgot to do my homework, can I copy yours?
Fantasia: Yeah, sure, just change it up a bit so it’s not too obvious
Kat: Yeah, no problem.

 

 

 

 

1. Elliott Yamin "A Song For You"

6.1/20

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yKG0M4Gx64

 

@goofycilla90 - 1/20

@#jeah - 1/20

@sublymonal - 2/20

@JC - 2/20

@Crisis - 2/20

@1234567890 - 2/20

@*Wallace - 2/20

@Solaris - 3/20

@Alex95 - 3/20

@NGM - 4/20

@*Lily - 5/20

@*Amanda - 5/20

@Weedy_Speedy - 6/20

@Elliott - 7/20

@FrogLenzen - 7/20

@*Diana - 8/20

@taylorkat - 10/20

@Steven_ - 15/20

@*Chris - 17/20

@~Tom~ - 19/20

 

Andy

Quote

Nothing will top this for me on Season 5. This is vocally sublime and heartfelt and I adore this, I always have.

 

Andrew

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Elliott’s best performance, my favourite performance of his and the best version of this song that has been sung on the show, bar none.

 

JC

Quote

KING, STUNNING, WERK!!! Elliott was someone who grew on me as the competition went along. And by the time we got to the end, I became a HUGE fan  

 

Crisis

Quote

Ever had some songs that take you to a special place? Well, Elliott’s A Song For You is definitely one of those songs for me. I bet Elliott was chomping at the bits to sing this song when the Love Songs theme was announced; he even mentioned as much during his pre-performance interview with Ryan. It was obvious he sang this song multiple times before because this was the most assured he looked on stage. Singing wise, he straight up put on a clinic. From the notes to the emotional connection, everything fell into place. My favorite parts were when he sang:

 

But now I'm so much better

And if my words don't come together

Listen to the melody

'Cause my love is in there hiding

 

and:

 

And when my life is over

Remember when we were together

 

With that said, the main criticism of this performance was the arrangement being lackluster. I personally saw no problem with it; however, Elliott’s vocals were great enough to overcome any arrangement issues. This is Elliott’s signature Idol performance and one of my all-time favorite overall Idol performances.

 

Wally

Quote

Elliott delivered such a showstopping performance of "A Song For You.” This performance is truly a vocal masterclass and a true Idol moment! This is a song that has been sung a lot on the show and many versions I do like and enjoy but Elliott owns this song and no other version comes close to his. This is my favorite performance of Elliott’s and truly my 2nd favorite performance of the season, so I am truly hoping this can at least finish in the Top 5 as I feel it truly deserves. Don’t let me down, IDF! I would even love for this to be a surprise winner but I am not sure if this performance has that much support to pull that feat off.

 

This song is such a perfect song for Elliott here. He sang it on the auditions round and would later get to record it for his album. He delivered an amazing vocal performance but also brought so much emotion & soul to the song. He truly connected to the song so well. This performance really moved me and gave me chills! I love the entire performance but he starts this off so beautifully where he sings:

 

I've been so many places in my life and time

I've sung a lot of songs

I've made some bad rhymes

I've acted out my life on stages

With ten thousand people watching

But we're alone now and I'm singing this song to you

 

SO good!

 

He builds this performance up so beautifully. I really love the latter half of the performance (which is my favorite part) where he sings:

 

But now I'm so much better

And if my words don't come together

Listen to the melody

'Cause my love is in there hiding

 

Said I love you in a place where there's no space or time

Said I love you for my life

You're a friend of mine

And when my life is over

Remember when we were together

We were alone and I was singing this song to you

We were alone and I was singing this song

Singing this song to you

 

SO AMAZING!

 

Uhh what the heck at Randy hating the arrangement of this performance? I did not get that. But at least he gave Elliott praise on his vocal here. And awww at how emotional Paula got with her crying after this. This was truly a moving and magical performance. I also think it was this performance (either right when it happened or after some more listens) where I decided that Elliott was my favorite male contestant ever on American Idol and it has stayed that way for 15 years!

 

Solaris

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Swoon

 

Alex

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A vocal masterclass as Simon says. I remember when I saw such a Chris Stan back in the day and I refused to acknowledge anyone else was good. Then Elliott did this and I had to eat my words and give him the credit he deserved . I figured this would be the winner from the start, and it got close, but I'm so happy my prediction ended up coming true.

 

Nico

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This song is a cliché at this point, but it fits his voice like a glove, and he just killed it.

 

Lily

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I'll never tire of this song, although it really takes a powerhouse to nail it and Elliott did an excellent job with it, my favorite performance of his, glad to see it here.

 

Kevin

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A little old-fashioned, but there was no denying the vocal chops on this performance. Fantastic.

 

Elliott

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 didn't really have a strong attachment to Elliott's Idol run, but this is a fantastic performance and he didn't make repeated donations to the Tr*mp campaign so I'm placing him here. 

 

Derek

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I think he also recorded a version of this for his first album, I think. Very good

 

Steven

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This was arguably Elliott's best performance of the competition, and it's worthy of being here in the Top 20. His vocals were excellent from beginning to end. However, I do like a lot of other performances in this Top 20 better, so it ranks low for me here.

 

Chris

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Vocally speaking, this performance was excellent & one of his best one. But in term of my personal taste, I never cared for it especially as I don't care for the song - I probably would have had it a bit higher than this, overall, but I think its a threat to win it all & I rather have a Chris or Katharine performance take it all. 

 

Tom

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Vastly overrated. Boring song and overly slow arrangement.

 

[Solaris]

my streak is broken!

 

down to 2 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 3  

 

 

A Song for You is amazing though  

[#jeah]

Yassss we got the correct winner!!

 

hoping to have things sorted out in time to play for S7, I’ll keep you posted @Alex95 

[QueenKalie]

Well at least some Elliott won something. 

[#jeah]

Why are we ranking people’s performances low because of their political views? Is this Twitter?

[JC]

LOL omgosh, the top 2 were PERFECT results! I could not bring myself to rank SOTR anywhere but first because honestly it's my favorite performance ever on Idol even though Kat is not my favorite idol ever. However, I was hoping that Elliott would sneak in for the win since Kat should be punished for her homophobic donations.

 

So in my mind justice was served! I adore both Elliott and Kat (musically) so very happy with these results  

 

KING ELLIOTT YAMIN I HEART YOU

 

KING   

[*Chris]

My worst showing yet.  

[Steven_]

I was expecting Chris or Katharine to win, but congrats to the Elliott fans. 
 

This is my least favorite winning performance so far though.

[*Chris]

Just now, Steven_ said:

I was expecting Chris or Katharine to win, but congrats to the Elliott fans. 
 

This is my least favorite winning performance so far though.

Same here, but not surprise with all the bussing that happened.

 

And agree with the performance too.

[Elliott]

Finally a winning performance I can support

[FrogLenzen]

Elliott Yamin to me right now:

[FrogLenzen]

Taylor Hicks to all of us right now:

[sublymonal]

Elliott deserves!

[Elliott]

me hacking into an admin’s account to ban anyone who tries to come for Melinda Doolittle

[Elliott]

Just now, sublymonal said:

Elliott deserves!

I tell you this every time you tell me to stop ordering things online

[sublymonal]

1 minute ago, Elliott said:

I tell you this every time you tell me to stop ordering things online

[FrogLenzen]

Natural Woman, Summertime, and Over the Rainbow all ranking #2... 

 

[sublymonal]

3 minutes ago, FrogLenzen said:

Natural Woman, Summertime, and Over the Rainbow all ranking #2... 

 

One of these things doesn’t belong...

[taylorkat]

[JC]

So far, the winners of each season have followed the gender of the winners of the actual season. If this pattern continues, then Season 6 will have a female winner, but then we'll get a whole boatload of male winners in a row  

[Alex95]

Front page is updated with the season six performances! This is your last chance to sign up if you haven't, otherwise we're getting started tomorrow!

[*Wallace]

Very happy for Mandisa’s IDHA defying major odds and cracking  the Top 5! She was so under represented in the finals but glad this got to a great and respectable spot. Lots of great rankings for this one with 12 Top 10 rankings. Lmao I love Andy’s first sentence on this so much. Love seeing Crisis giving props to “Never” and the disgustingly robbed “I’m Every Woman” as both of those were such fantastic performances.

 

Even though I only had Kat’s BHATCT at #8 and this is much higher than Id have it,  I do still really love this and am happy to see this crack the Top 5. I love how much Kevin loves this and rank this high despite not caring for her. Lmaooo I’m so confused by Alex’s comments but it had me cracking up here. And lol no #20 rankings… meaning I am certain I am right on the 4 #1 performances lol.

 

Ooooh omg wow I was so certain Chris’ Hemmorhage was going to win this round pretty much this last whole week or so. I have this ranked at #3 so yeah I am pleased with it coming in 3rd. But wow it’s crazy seeing all of these super high rankings - 3 #1 rankings and 14 Top 10 rankings! But wow those 6 lower rankings did hurt it more than I was expecting despite only two #20 rankings. But yeah I do agree with the positive/strong love of comments on this performance. Its an undeniably amazing performance.

 

Omgggg my Top 2 is the actual Top 2 here.

 

Oooh I was totally expecting Katharine’s Over the Rainbow to not win at all. I had a total Fantasia Summertime feeling here….. so at least I wasn’t expecting a win to be let down.  Sad it couldn’t win but I was expecting it. But wow a 6.4 average is super impressive. WOW at all of these #1 rankings - 9 out of 20 #1 rankings? Danggg that is truly something special. But was also expecting those 4 #20 rankings to come in and figured this would be Kevin’s #17 ranking. And wow how this still nearly could have won with those low rankings. BUT two rankings I’m surprised about here are Tom’s #4 (was expecting him to put this in his Bottom 3…. lmao his mind games here) and Crisis’ #7 ranking (expected him to put this in his Top 3). Obviously without her controversial political views I am certain this would have ran away with the win as Elliott and Andrew would have ranked this higher…. than #20. I am just glad the politics didn’t hurt her in this game even more as I was fearing though. So I will gladly take a #2 ranking which I wasn’t even expecting. Love and agree with the majority of rankers comments on this though!

 

Omg I am CRYING that underdog king Elliott Yamin pulled out the win with “A Song for You.” I was certainly not expecting it but this performance is truly amazing and truly deserves it! So thank you Chris + Kat fans tanking each other to allow a win for Elliott….. I cant complain as I love Elliott and he’s my favorite male Idol. SLAYYY @ 17 out of 20 Top 10 rankings + 12 Top 5 rankings… truly incredible stats! OMG I didn’t realize i mentioned loving this being a surprise winner. That was a passing comment as I did not see that happening. Everyone’s comments said it all so perfectly here. omg Alex’s comments has me cracking yup (as always). But yah I am truly happy with this being #1.

 

Wow this was all so truly fun to follow and read through! Pleased with most of these results (especially the ending)!

[*Wallace]

2 hours ago, #jeah said:

Why are we ranking people’s performances low because of their political views? Is this Twitter?

Yeah I'm not really a fan of politics/political views or other outside stuff being affecting performances into rankings and such but it is what it is.... I knew it was going to happen.  

[*Wallace]

2 hours ago, JC said:

LOL omgosh, the top 2 were PERFECT results! I could not bring myself to rank SOTR anywhere but first because honestly it's my favorite performance ever on Idol even though Kat is not my favorite idol ever. However, I was hoping that Elliott would sneak in for the win since Kat should be punished for her homophobic donations.

 

So in my mind justice was served! I adore both Elliott and Kat (musically) so very happy with these results  

 

KING ELLIOTT YAMIN I HEART YOU

 

KING   

Yessss..... SO happy for him pulling out the win!  

 

Love your tribute post of him and all of these songs!  Although where is "Wait for You"?   

[Crisis]

14 hours ago, Alex95 said:

Crisis was really kicking my ass having to copy and paste his writeups a la Wally 

 

Heh, sorry about that.  S5 is my favorite season, and I have such fond memories of both the contestants and performances. There were so many performances I loved that I wanted to talk about the ones that didn't make the cut. It probably won't be this bad for any future seasons.

 

11 hours ago, *Wallace said:

I am being outdone and I'M NOT HAPPY about it.  

 

 

 

 

Lol kidding. I'm loving reading his write-ups.  

 

Well, seeing your tribute write-ups about Vonzell in S4 inspired me to do something similar.  I'm happy to see someone enjoy my write-ups. I tried to make them as fun as possible, especially Katharine's.

 

As for the rest:

Wow at Chris having four of his performances appearing in one set. I was kind of surprised to see Wanted Dead Or Alive as his lowest ranked performance.

 

Wally ranking Paris' These Foolish Things at #20 was definitely an eyebrow raiser.

 

I was hoping Someone To Watch Over Me would at least finish in the Top 5. At least it made the Top 10.

 

Reading some of the rankings and write-ups were disappointing but unfortunately not surprising. Although Katharine is my favorite Idol contestant and Chris is in my overall Top 20, I'm fine with neither of their performances winning because of all the tanking and pettiness between the two fanbases. I'm also happy to see Elliott top the list if Katharine couldn't. Throughout the game I've tried to be as objective as possible; however, I may have a little fun of my own. For starters, I have the sudden urge to want to play S9....

 

I'm both sad and relieved S5 is over. It was so much fun rewatching all of the performances and re-living the season, as it was the season that really got me into Idol. However, it was the most stressful season for me. Despite that, it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be.

 

I'm looking forward to S6, for it's another one of my favorite seasons. In fact, I think it's the most underrated one.