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Idol: And who picked that single?

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As another year of Australian Idol draws to a close both Matt Corby and Natalie Gauci tonight unveiled their potential debut single.

“Here I Am” is written by one-time Backstreet Boys writers Lindy Robbins and Tom Leonard. And boy does it show. It sounds like a Backsteet B side reject, a dreary piece of soppy with banal lyrics about “now I found a place to live… here I am…waiting for you.”

No wonder both reportedly panned the song to the Herald-Sun.

“Look, it’s an Idol song — it’s kind of not something I’d choose to release,” Corby said. “I’m being diplomatic. This competition has made me look like I’m into pop, but I’m not.”

Quizzed on tonight’s show both singers claim they were misquoted. Both of them? If I was the journo, Kate Adamson, I’d be checking my notes.

Christine Sams in the Sydney Morning Herald must have also had her wax full of ears. She quotes Corby as saying, “It really sucks, because if I win, I don’t want to release something like it … it’s quite worrying actually.”

Seriously, in all the years of Idol have we ever had such dross? Oh wait, yes we have.

Casey Donovan, winner of 2004, was lumbered with “Listen With Your Heart” penned by Dianne Warren. Idol tried to pass it off as being written exclusively for the winner but it was later found to be recorded as a gospel song by Ce Ce Winans.

In 2005 Kate DeArugo released “Maybe Tonight” as her winning song. Try humming a few bars of that.

Even the evergreen Damien Leith’s “Night of my Life” from 2006 is hard to remember.

Only Guy Sebastian’s 2003 “Angels Brought Me Here” was truly deserving as a song worthy of launching a career. Fittingly it sold 128,000 copies in its first week well ahead of Donovan (35,000), DeArugo (20,000) and Leith (16,000).

No doubt whoever comes second will take comfort from the fact that second placegetters Shannon Noll and Anthony Callea have forged a career with music that reflects their true style and time to record a decent album.

“Here I Am” is turgid.

Sources: Herald-Sun, Sydney Morning Herald, Wikipedia

7 Responses

  1. In reply to Reality Raver, the reason for Guy not performing at the finale is surprising since he has performed in every final so far, and has done excellent performances as he reminded us on a recent Monday results night (when Marty left).

    Guy will be attending but his lack of performance may have something to do with a conflict as he is to be taping a performance special on November 29 for channel 7 to be aired December 4.

  4. “Night Of My Life” was actually in good song in Damien Leith’s hands. The alternate version as sung by Jessica Mauboy was, yep, a dreary turgid US radio ballad – which undoubtedly is how the songwriters envisioned it. But Leith took it into U2-lite territory and made it a bona fide hit.

    I wouldn’t call it “hard to remember”; it’s still getting radio play even now.

  5. Agree the show was Dicko said earlier this week “Bland and Boring”.

    I don’t really cares who wins. Maybe coming second is better, as Shannon Noll is getting a gig next week at the Opera House finale, and not Guy Sebastion.

    It must have nearly killed Mark Holden not being able to speak for a whole show.

    http://www.realityravings.blogspot.com

  6. i have never heard such crap in mu life!! i could tell the judges were hell dissapointed and wanted to put their word in but they couldnt. worst last 2 ever on the show!!!

  7. the runners up singles have been good, again as you said because they had the time to go away and record what they wanted to record. All the Idol singles have sucked. Although i must say that Maybe Tonight, for me, was the best, but Kates 2nd single (written by The Veronicas) Faded was great and should have been the first single.
    why do EVER YEAR they insist on releasing a dreary ballad as the winners single? why not give us somthing worth buying!

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