American Idol Rocks The Rock

Tomorrow night's American Idol promises to be the rockiest rockfest rockstravaganza in American history. See, the four remaining contestants are choosing their songs from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." It's a great list -- it has more rap and hip-hop than I expected (of course I only expected one or two rap songs, so it was easy for the list to exceed my expectations), and the early days of rock, blues and R & B are well-represented.

Of course none of that is going to matter on American Idol. Taking a look at the list there are probably 200 songs you can eliminate immediately, and at least a hundred more that, for whatever reason, AI can't get the rights to. That leaves about 200 songs to choose from, and you can rest assured that the eight songs that get chosen from that list will fit firmly into one of two rock genres: either mid-60's Motown/Big-Chill-Soundtrack R&B, or radio-friendly 70s classic rock.

Still, scanning that list got me thinking about what each of these singers should sing. Every year there's a round where the judges pick a song that they thought suited each singer. That's actually happening next week, but this week Syesha, Jason and the Davids can come to me and I'll set them straight.

Here are my suggestions for what each of them should sing, as well as my guesses for what they'll probably end up singing:

David A

SHOULD SING: "A Teenager In Love," "ABC"

David has been flailing about recently, trying to cast himself as a crooner ("America," "Think of Me") and getting away from the lighter, poppy stuff that has made him so popular among the pre-teen set. He needs to get back to the up-temponess of "Shop Around" and "We Can Work It Out" and embrace the fact that he's, you know, 17. What better way than to sing two huge hits by teen singers? OK, Dion was 21 when he sang "A Teenager In Love," but still.

WILL SING: "Good Lovin'" or "Gimme Some Lovin'," "Stand By Me"

I think he will choose to go with a song made famous by a young singer, but he's much more likely to grab something from approved Big Chill/oldies canon. Either of the two "Lovin'" songs would actually be a good choice for him. For his second song, I'm afraid he'll decide to take on one of the hoariest chestnuts in rock history to show off his (to my mind) non-existent "soulful" side.

David C

SHOULD SING: "Jeremy," "Spoonful"

Not since Blake Lewis sang "Virtual Insanity " has there been a better singer-song matchup on AI than David putting his what-passes-for-originality spin on Pearl Jam's first platinum single. If he doesn't sing "Jeremy" then he is dead to me.

WILL SING: "Jeremy," "American Girl"

He should follow it up by grunging up somrthing obscure, like the old Howlin' Wolf classic, but it's much more likely he'll go with something way more middle-of-the-road.

Jason

SHOULD SING: "September Gurls," "Dixie Chicken"

I'm just making this one up. I'd wager Jason has no idea who Alex Chilton and Lowell George are, but both of these songs would be absolutely perfect for his stoner-at-the-beach vibe -- "Gurls is a laid-back love song that doesn't require a singer with much voice, and "Dixie" would get a little grease on Jason, something he desperately needs.

WILL SING: "Maggie May," "People Get Ready"

Unfortunately I see him going a completely different direction -- after scouring the list and being disappointed that "Bubbletoes" and "Mud Football" aren't on it, he'll settle on a comfortable acoustic-guitar-based midtempo rocker, as well as something a little inspirational that might make people remember that one time where he sang the hell out of "Hallelujah."

Syesha

SHOULD SING: "Many Rivers to Cross," "Legs"

"Many Rivers" has the potential to be a show-stopper for someone with the right voice, and I think Syesha has it. Such a deceptively simple, beautiful, powerful song. And what better to follow it up with than a loud, dumb, fun 80s rocker?

WILL SING: "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," "We Got the Beat"

I think she'll go for the same duality I suggested, but will fall back on Aretha (never a bad idea, unless you're trying to, you know, sing like her) and a much more user-friendly 80s hit that will showcase her emerging stage presence and personality.

[UPDATE 4/6 2:15 PM]: I've been told by someone with inside information that I got one right! I wasn't able to ask that person which one, but it's gotta be "Jeremy." We'll see tonight.