American Idol: Top 10 Theme Revealed (UPDATE)

Credit: FOX

UPDATE: TVLine.com’s resident Idol expert Michael Slezak tweeted this clarification:

Next week’s #Idol Top 10 theme: Songs covered by former winners during their Idol seasons & songs released by winners in post-show careers.

— Michael Slezak (@MichaelSlezakTV) March 8, 2013

That’s the official word I got from Fox, bee tee dubs.

— Michael Slezak (@MichaelSlezakTV) March 8, 2013

So it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw far more post-Idol winner’s songs than songs from their run on the series. (Please, someone do a Kris Allen song. That debut album was criminally underrated)

Color me excited about this!

-Nick

The theme has been revealed for the first live, Top 10 performance show of American Idol Season 12, and it’s a theme that pays homage to the show’s eleven-year history.

The theme?

Songs Performed by Past Winners

To clarify, this does not mean songs that the Idols have released after winning the show. It’s songs they performed while on the show. In addition, this excludes coronation songs, so no “A Moment Like This”, “I Believe” or “Home.” But hey, no one in their right mind would ever sing “Inside Your Heaven” anyway, unless forced to at gunpoint.

The theme is…well, it’s interesting, to say the least. I’m not sure it’s the best theme they could have done, but it’s certainly a change of pace from your standard Stevie Wonder Night (not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with Stevie Wonder Night). And hey, you could probably make a decent theme night with just the songs Kris Allen chose during his run through the competition.

For reference, here is a list of the songs each winner performed throughout their time in the competition:

Kelly Clarkson (American Idol 2002)
“Respect”
“You’re All I Need to Get By”
“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”
“Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)”
“Stuff Like That There”
“Walk On By”
“It’s Raining Men”
“I Surrender”
“Think Twice”
“Without You”
“A Moment Like This”
“Respect”
“Before Your Love”

Ruben Studdard (American Idol 2003)
“Superstar”
“Baby I Need Your Loving”
“A Whole New World”
“Sweet Home Alabama”
“Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe”
“Kiss and Say Goodbye”
“Just the Way You Are”
“Music of My Heart”
“Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”
“Breaking Up is Hard to Do”
“Nights on Broadway”
“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”
“Smile”
“If Ever You’re in My Arms Again”
“A House is Not a Home”
“Imagine”
“Flying Without Wings”

Fantasia Barrino (American Idol 2004)
“Something to Talk About”
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”
“Always on My Mind”
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine”
“Something About the Way You Look Tonight”
“Summertime”
“It’s a Miracle”
“Get on Your Feet”
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
“What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?”
“Knock on Wood”
“Holding Out for a Hero”
“Chain of Fools”
“A Fool in Love”
“Greatest Love of All”
“All My Life”
“Summertime”
“I Believe”

Carrie Underwood (American Idol 2005)
“Could’ve Been”
“Piece of My Heart”
“Because You Love Me”
“When Will I Be Loved”
“Alone”
“Independence Day”
“Hello, Young Lovers”
“Love Is a Battlefield”
“MacArthur Park”
“When God-Fearin’ Women Get the Blues”
“Trouble”
“Bless the Broken Road”
“Sin Wagon”
“If You Don’t Know Me by Now”
“Crying”
“Making Love Out of Nothing at All”
“Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”
“Inside Your Heaven”
“Independence Day”
“Angels Brought Me Here”

Taylor Hicks (American Idol 2006)
“Levon”
“Easy”
“Takin’ It to the Streets”
“Living for the City”
“Not Fade Away”
“Trouble”
“Take Me Home, Country Roads”
“Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
“You Send Me”
“Just Once”
“Play That Funky Music”
“Something”
“Jailhouse Rock”
“In the Ghetto”
“Dancing in the Dark”
“You Are So Beautiful”
“Try a Little Tenderness”
“Living for the City”
“Levon”
“Do I Make You Proud?”

Jordin Sparks (American Idol 2007)
“Give Me One Reason”
“Reflection”
“Heartbreaker”
“If We Hold On Together”
“I (Who Have Nothing)”
“Hey Baby”
“On a Clear Day”
“Rhythm Is Gonna Get You”
“A Broken Wing”
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”
“Livin’ on a Prayer”
“To Love Somebody”
“Woman in Love”
“Wishing on a Star”
“She Works Hard for the Money”
“I (Who Have Nothing)”
“Fighter”
“A Broken Wing”
“This Is My Now”

David Cook (American Idol 2008)
“Happy Together”
“All Right Now”
“Hello”
“Eleanor Rigby”
“Day Tripper”
“Billie Jean”
“Little Sparrow”
“Innocent”
“Always Be My Baby”
“The Music of the Night”
“I’m Alive”
“All I Really Need Is You”
“Hungry Like the Wolf”
“Baba O’Riley”
“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
“Dare You to Move”
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
“Dream Big”
“The World I Know”
“The Time of My Life”

Kris Allen (American Idol 2009)
“Man in the Mirror”
“Remember the Time”
“Make You Feel My Love”
“How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)”
“Ain’t No Sunshine”
“All She Wants to Do Is Dance”
“Falling Slowly”
“She Works Hard for the Money”
“The Way You Look Tonight”
“Come Together”
“Apologize”
“Heartless”
“Ain’t No Sunshine”
“What’s Going On”
“No Boundaries”

Lee DeWyze (American Idol 2010)
“Chasing Cars”
“Lips of an Angel”
“Fireflies”
“Beast of Burden”
“The Letter”
“Treat Her Like a Lady”
“Hey Jude”
“A Little Less Conversation”
“The Boxer”
“You’re Still the One”
“That’s Life”
“Kiss from a Rose”
“Simple Man”
“Hallelujah”
“The Boxer”
“Everybody Hurts”
“Beautiful Day”

Scotty McCreery (American Idol 2011)
“Letters from Home”
“The River”
“Can I Trust You with My Heart”
“For Once in My Life”
“Country Comfort”
“That’s All Right”
“I Cross My Heart”
“Swingin’”
“You’ve Got a Friend”
“Gone”
“Always on My Mind”
“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”
“Young Blood”
“Amazed”
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not”
“She Believes in Me”
“Gone”
“Check Yes or No”
“I Love You This Big”

Phillip Phillips (American Idol 2012)
“In the Air Tonight”
“Superstition”
“Hard to Handle”
“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”
“Still Rainin’”
“That’s All”
“Give a Little More”
“U Got It Bad”
“In the Midnight Hour”
“Fat Bottomed Girls”
“The Stone”
“The Letter”
“Time of the Season”
“Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
“Volcano”
“Beggin’”
“Disease”
“We’ve Got Tonight”
“Stand by Me”
“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”
“Home”

Via: The Idol Pad