Inspirational Song Suggestions

Next week the top 8 will sing Inspirational Songs as part of the Idol Gives Back extravaganza. Performances will air live on Tues, pre-taped footage of the charity stuff will air Wed, and someone will go home live on Thurs.

Here are my song suggestions:

Carly: "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan - I'm not convinced she could do it justice, but she's the only remaining girl who stands a chance to. It might be interesting to see MJ or DC give it a shot though... As for why this song qualifies as "inspirational" I don't know, but I did find it on an Inspirational Song CD last year when looking for suggestions, and it's one of my fave songs so I will suggest it every chance I get.

Kristy: Any chance she won't do "Amazing Grace"? How about some "God Bless the Broken Road" or "I Hope You Dance" instead. Either way, her time is up.

Brooke: I say she do "I'll Stand By You" with the piano, although she won't be able to escape the Carrie comparisons. A fitting but less challenging and dynamic song choice for her would be "Hands" by Jewel.

Syesha: Normally I don't like to suggest diva songs but anything's preferable to Whitney at this point so it's "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera for her.

Archie: "You Raise Me Up" is an obvious choice, but I've also seen him do a killer version of Vanessa Carleton's "1000 Miles" with the piano.

Michael: Elvis' "If I Can Dream" or Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"

Jason: "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King or "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys

D-Cook: My most favorite song of all time... "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls. It didn't spring to mind as being inspirational but I've seen a lot of other people suggesting it so why not.

I would also be down to hear pretty much any U2 by the guys but am told that getting the rights is an issue even with Bono being part of IGB.

And just for fun, let's see what TMZ is cheekily suggesting the top 8 sing:

David Archuleta: "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna

Kristy Lee Cook: "Don't Speak" by No Doubt

Michael Johns: "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" by Rolf Harris

Brooke White: "Crybaby" by Mariah Carey

David Cook: "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion

Jason Castro: "I Am Not My Hair" by India.Arie

Carly Smithson: "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Frank Sinatra

Syesha Mercado: "Don't Forget About Us" by Mariah Carey