Trouble
[back to top] Performances & Results
| # | Season | Episode / Theme | Slot | Contestant | Approval Rating | σ | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Lieber & Stoller / This Week
|
5/10 |
| 20 |  |
||||
| 2 |
Elvis Presley
|
7/8 |
| 19 | |
||||
| 3 |
Inspirational Songs / Lieber & Stoller
|
7/8 |
| 20 | |
[back to top] Summary
Taken from Elvis Presley's 1958 movie King Creole, this old-school blues tune, with its iconic chorus of "I'm evil!", has been performed twice on Idol to positive reviews. Carrie Underwood did it first in AI4's Final 5 with a sassy country arrangement, punctuating her delivery at one point by kicking over the microphone stand (but gently, as you might expect.) A year later, Elliott Yamin produced a near-showstopper on Elvis Presley Night with a rawer, bluesier rendition, helped in part by a terrific backing effort from the house band.
Many reviewers observed that it took a serious suspension of disbelief to watch either of these two mild-mannered contestants sing this song. But show business is professional make-believe, and in the end, our Web critics liked what they saw, awarding Underwood and Yamin four and five stars, respectively.
What We Thought
We too preferred Yamin's superb version to Underwood's, but we think the latter was short-changed a bit by the Idolsphere. Even with the credibility issues - and yes, we agree she smiled too much for a song proclaiming one's innate evilness - we think the vocals elevated the performance to better than a 62.
After two fine renditions on Idol, there's little reason for future contestants to come calling here again. If you're looking for a similar number, the obvious choice is George Thorogood's 1982 classic "Bad To The Bone".
