Kara DioGuardi Sings “No Boundaries”: Yep, it Still Sucks

Got a big chuckle. Over on ONTD_AI, they are all speculating it was witten for herself to sing. But the consensus is the Gokester. But I have to admit my favorite version is Adam’s, but Kris gives it all he’s got. It’s just too wordy and no hook. It was great that Kris was able to Deep 6 it from the tour. Maybe different time, different circumstances, it may have been okay, but it’s still craptastic.

This song is bad no matter who sings it! LOL I do think that Adam and Kris gave it a good try with their studio versions but it doesn’t take away the fact what a horrible song this is! I agree MJ. What was Kara thinking?!

The song is just so bland.

That was horrible. Kris’ version is much better.
Now we know why Kara had and lost more than one record deal.

Yikes!

Next year’s anthemic coronation song is “No Barbed Wire Fences”. In the verse, Ms. DioGuardi promises that even “high-topped strong convection cirrus cloud thunderstorms” won’t stop the lucky Idol from reaching his or her dreams! They might, however, die of lack of oxygen to the brain after trying to sing one of Ms. DioGuardi’s verses without takinga breath.

This woman really needs to take a break and go listen to some classic 60s AM hits. Learn about songs with melodies and beats and stuff. A little three-chord rock n’ roll would be like a breath of fresh air. Pack up all her anthemic [stuff] and ship it over to David Cook or something.

Of course, we are talking about the woman who penned “Open Toes” and “I Do Not Hook Up”.

I thought she did a good job singing it. It sounded a lot like Adam’s version. Kris wasn’t capable of singing such a difficult song and that made a bad song worse. That’s why it was dropped from the tour, imho.

My favorite version of this song is Adam ´s (studio recording). However, I have to admit Kara`s isn ´t too bad. Kris was wise to drop this song from his set. It is not for his vocal range, imho.

who made this video? ’cause one of the pictures showed not her face but her boobies.

(to be fair, kara had her head tilted, as if she was aware that whomever was taking the picture was trying to focus on a certain part of her anatomy, so she decided to try and insert her face in the frame, lol.)

Oh yeah, miss fancy pants, let me hear you sing your song LIVE !!!

The song blows PERIOD, no matter who sings it!

I couldn’t even listen to the whole thing, once she reached the high part of the chorus I cringed…………….big time!

I did manage to see her second pic (briefly) and really liked it though! :laugh_tb:

Oh good God. I especially love when you can hear her sucking for breath ….just imagine her trying it live. Yark.

All 3 of them are capable of singing this song when it is within their respective ranges. It’s a bad song and doesn’t fit either Kris or Adam. They both do their best to sell it, but I agree with the first poster…this would have probably fit Danny Gokey to a tee.

I’m just curious whether it was recorded pre-finale to demo the song to the producers and/or finalists, or whether it was recorded after it became a laughingstock in order to instruct us all on how it should’ve been sung, a la her lesson to Bikini Girl.

Did ya catch that, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert, you non-interpretive, no-talent hacks!!??!

Yep It still Sucks

Can’t improve on the above quote by MJ.

Ok. The song is not very good. Agreed. But I do think Kara can sing.

But I do wonder why she kept the “ies” in Boundaries so pinched and closed and never opened up her range. Hmm.

Anyway, Adam’s version was the best.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Kara can sing, but this song is a crappy song no matter who sings it.
Forget the lipstick, you can cover that pig, hoof to snout, in the royal jewels, and anoint it with holy water, and it would still OINK.

At least Adam’s version had that cheesy 80′s production that gave the song an aspect of a guilty pleasure, the “it’s so bad it’s good” touch. You can enjoy it, and laugh at yourself for it.
But both Kris’, and Kara’s, versions take the song far too seriously to make it play worthy imo.

I listened and Kris’s version is still by far my favorite. I actually think he was able to do a decent job with it! He makes it sound melodious, like a song. His acoustic version is the best. I’m so glad he’s not doing it on tour since it doesn’t fit his set, but w/o the “bad buzz” and with some promo I actually think it could have done better on the radio than it did. I guess that I’m one of the few that even liked Kris’s version much better than Adam’s the night of finale performances.

Kara sang it w/ some roughness in her voice, so I’m now starting to truly believe it was written for Danny, not Adam.

I’m sitting on pins and needles to see how they’ll handle the coronation song this year. Not.

it still a terrible song.

a little OT but Kelly never sang “A Moment Like This” on the Idol tour.

Kris wasn’t capable of singing such a difficult song and that made a bad song worse.

Let me do a first here and defend Kris. It isn’t that the song is difficult, it is that it sucks. I think both he and Adam did what they could with it. To me this song was like something a teenager would write while they were testing the song writing waters. Kara’s version leaves a whole lot to be desired. I’m not sure what Danny would have done with it but I doubt much – it is just such a lame song.

I hope AI brings back the song writing contest. I really like how they did it with the two Davids.

*holds nose*

Kara’s sounded a little more “countrified” to me. She sings well. Adam sings well. Kris sings well. It doesn’t matter, however, which of the three sings this particular song…it’s still awful.

The beginning of the song sounds good but then it all goes down hill after that. I agree, its wordy and tuneless. lol

Well Kara has a good voice and I’m not gonna hate on her for one bad song. She written good ones before…just not this.

It’s still a mess – lyric laden and as MJ says, “tuneless”. Kara reminds me of a mediocre back-up singer.

It was SO written for Danny. I am even more convinced of that now. They should give it to him as a “lovely parting gift” along with his plane ticket back to Wisconsin at the end of the tour. :cheese1_ee:

It reminds me of Slezak’s Idolatry with Kris when Slezak said “I was surprised to hear you on a country song.” Kris’ reply? “Me too!” Urban wasn’t scheduled in a week and he wasn’t scheduled for a duet with Kris. Gee, who was 19 pushing toward country? Again, it wasn’t Kris.

I will never get the hate for this song. Can you name a coronation song that was better? Certainly not Moment Like This, I Believe, or Inside My Heaven. The lyrics aren’t memorable, but melodically and in arrangement it’s really interesting.

Also, I love Kara singing it – I think it works better for a woman. I wonder if there’s an Allison demo out there somewhere.

It’s better than Kris’ version. He is just too weak of a vocalist.

not bad; she can sing. you’ll probabaly need O2 tank at hand everytime you sing this song. i, too have Gokey in mind when i heard this. although i must admit, i like Adam’s studio version; especially when used as background music to the montages.

It reminds me of Slezak’s Idolatry with Kris when Slezak said ‘I was surprised to see you doing a duet with Keith Urban.’  Kris’ reply? ‘Me too!’  Urban wasn’t scheduled in a week and he wasn’t scheduled for a duet with Kris. Gee, who was 19 pushing toward country? Again, it wasn’t Kris.

It turned out well, but it was a headscratcher. All season long, they were calling Kris, Jason Mraz, jr. Mraz was there, but he didn’t sing with Kris, for which I was grateful. That might be an interesting story, if it ever gets told.

I think this song could be ok as a country song??? I wonder if it was written for Danny Gokey to sing. I think he’s the only one who could have pulled off such cheese and gotten away with it. It didn’t fit at all with Adam and was a little too high for Kris. It was an unfortunate choice.

So Vada and leeaundra, do you think that there was a different Keith Urban song planned, because I could never, ever, picture Danny singing, “Kiss a Girl.”

In fact, I know a lot of Keith Urban’s music and can’t imagine him singing anything by Keith. Hmmmm, It’s a mystery to me…just strange.

The song still sucks not matter who sings it. AI should request a refund from Kara and her co-writers on what they produced. Just think, it took three people however many months, weeks, days or hours to write that song. It still sucked and didn’t do any favors for Adam or Kris on finale night. Most of the songs presented during the song writing contest were better than this. They both struggled. I suspect they were given the song days before the finale and only given a day to learn the song, a day to record and then perform. We are talking about two guys that had been great all season selecting great songs, re-interpreting them in their own styles and performing great. NB really put damper on the season finale by ending it on a really bad note.

It may have been written, with Danny in my mind, because of the lyrics. But, there is no way Danny would have been able to sing this song! No way at all!

Guilty as charged – I’ve never hated this song, either. I sing along with Adam’s version in the car… And I think Kara has a darned nice voice!

It may have been written, with Danny in my mind, because of the lyrics. But, there is no way Danny would have been able to sing this song! No way at all!

^^^^^ LOL, this … but I’d sure love to see him try :innocent1_tb:

It sounded a lot like Adam’s version.

That’s because he just copied Dioguardi’s demo. I don’t blame him, why would he want to put any effort into this song? It was probably written on a cocktail napkin at a bar.

But, there is no way Danny would have been able to sing this song! No way at all!

I’m not sure why you would think this, even Kris has said that Danny has a better range than he does, and Kris managed to get it out. I definitely think that Kara had Danny’s voice in her head when she wrote this song, and I don’t think he would find it too difficult to sing.

Kara does a nice job with it, she has a good voice. I’m not crazy about the song but I don’t hate it. I think its weakest point is the bridge, the “you can go higher, you can go deeper…” part, I don’t like that part at all.

Will this song not go away? Can’t imagine Kara wanting anyone to remember this bomb. Why would she (anyone) ever ever sing it if they didn’t have to? It is one of those things that should remain buried.

Awful. Musically in this song, the word “boundaries” is very unpleasant and jarring to the ears.

It kind of sounds like a country song when she sings it. I didn’t really care that much for it. I think she has a really nice voice thou. I must be about the only one that likes both Kris and Adam version’s. I do think the way Adam sings it ,I like just alittle bet more then Kris. I didn’t really like it at first when thry song it but it really grew on me.

I actually don’t mind “No Boundaries”, and all 3 recorded versions sound great to me. :smile2_tb:
I admit I detested it when I first heard Adam and Kris sing it during the finals. It just doesn’t go over well live because it’s so tricky to sing. Plus, I thought the lyrics were uber cheesy.
I still think it’s cheesy but it’s grown on me and I don’t mind listening to it. It’s just more of an album track than a single. :smiley2_tb:

She sings well. Adam sings well. Kris sings well. It doesn’t matter, however, which of the three sings this particular song’ ¦it’s still awful.

Yep. That about sums it up.

blech!

The song is pure dreck, but then, so is every other coronation anthem I’ve heard (maybe the ones I haven’t heard are gold).

But here’s what annoys me: being given a brand new song of their own is, potentially, one of the best prizes for the winner. Unlike the recording contracts, the new single only goes to the winner (and runner-up? sometimes? always?). It’s a chance to really get a presence while their name is still in the news.

And it’s the only musical part of the show that they have absolutely no say in. Unlike their weekly choices in the competition, which can sink them due to their own bad taste or incompetence, the choice of this song is left to the highly trained, highly paid and experienced professionals.

And yet, year after year, the songs are god awful. It throws into complete doubt every other piece of advice or criticism offered through out the competition. I don’t buy into the “it was written for so-and-so”. That shouldn’t matter. Either the singers are too narrow or the chosen songs are.

i dont know what ya’ll are talkin about.. i love the song.. i was pissed kris didn’t sing it at the concert.. and i think kara sounds great too

We forget so easily. Each one of you should go back and rewatch the top3 results night and take a critical look at Kara’s reaction to Danny’s elimination.
Though Ibelieve it was written for Danny, He cuoldn’t have pulled it off either. The song was just awfully written. Too many words and that makes it difficult to breathe. Danny was one person on the show who had that breathy between lines problem though he has a very powerful voice.
Both Kris and Adam did the best they could with it but I honestly think Kris’ version was more radio-friendly.
Ihave listened to Adam’s version and didn’t like it. The phrasing, not good, JMHO.

I guess I’ll always be the lone ranger that likes this song, lol. It’s okay. I think it’s catchy and not bad for a coronation song. I enjoyed Kris’ version of the song to both Adam and Kara’s though.

*hides*

I actually think it sounds really good. The song is still super cheesy but Kara has a really good voice. I think Allison could have done well with it if she made the finale. It was just way outside of Kris’s range.

I think bikini girl could have sang it better!

And I dont think it was fair to give to Kris or Adam as a single. The song is just really really terrible and hard to work with.

I hope they finally realize that the coronation song concept just doesn’t work. They have tried final 2 singing same song and different songs and song writting contests…songs are always horrible and difficult for some to sing. Why not just let them sing the song that was their highlight of the season (i.e. Adam-Mad World; Kris-Heartless). It is an emotional time for the winner and then they have to struggle through a song that they are not familiar with and they have no connection to.

Here’s another theory.

Kara writes for the whole stable of fairly interchangable teen girl pop–Miley, Demi Lovato, Hillary Duff (see wikipedia).

NoBo kind of sounds like the sort of stuff that fills out their albums . . . like a tune for a 3rd rate Disney movie, to go along with an earnest teen frowning over some meaningless teen adversity, just before she decides to go to the prom anyway, just to show those mean kids!

She coulda been hacky enough to just supply a song she had hanging around anyway and hadn’t sold.

I agree that the song is just terrible, But I have to be honest and admit that I actually kind of enjoy Kris’ studio version of it.

I like Adam’s version, I think he does a great job with the song.

Kris’s version is still by far my favorite. He makes that songs more melodic and is better to inject some emotions into it!

I guess I’ll always be the lone ranger that likes this song, lol. It’s okay. I think it’s catchy and not bad for a coronation song. I enjoyed Kris’ version of the song to both Adam and Kara’s though.

Don’t worry Matt, you’re not alone. I like No Boundaries a lot and I am not influenced by any disastrous reviews of the song.

I like Kris’ version first. And then Kara’s. With all honesty, I’m getting to like Kara more and more and I’m looking forward to seeing her on the next season.

She has a nice voice. I think I’m alone in that I kind of like this song. I’ve heard several Idol coronation songs and this isn’t the worst. I think the song wouldn’t be perceived as SO craptastic if it weren’t written by Kara, who has had so much backlash against her. There’s this mob mentality to hating this song, which by itself is just an okay song.

It’s a terrible song but Adam’s studio version sells it. Makes you believe he will be scaling Everest, traversing fjords, bridging deltas and slaying dragons before any giving up of dreams will take place. heh heh

Seriously, all versions of this song suck! Poor Kris forgot some of the words and was straining so badly to climb those Kilimanjaro-esque notes that I had second hand embarrassment for him on that final Tuesday night. Adam’s live performance was also no where near his usual standards.

That said, I actually listen to Adam’s studio version occasionally ONLY because the pretty voice cannot be denied – must. listen. to. the. pretty.

I’m not sure why you would think this, even [the kid who won] has said that Danny has a better range than he does,

A ham sandwich has better range than he does.

and [the kid who won] managed to get it out.

When? I think I’ve heard every time he tried to sing it — on the show (twice), on the meida tour vids, and at least one vid from the tour. He never came close to getting the second half of the song “out”. It looked like he was going to hurt himself trying.

I don’t hold it against him. Everyone who ever has or ever will try to sing that song live has coughed up a hairball. It’s a dreadful song.

The verse is terrible and very repetitative. It’s just not a song written with any feeling for singing. Good songs are nice to sing, they are comfortable to sing. I don’t know what she was thinking here. The lyrics are terrible and why so many words?

I think the idea that you can easily create a succesful artist by supplying a good singer with songs written by professionals is totally false. It’s apparently not easy to write good songs and it seems even harder to produce well. A mystery…

I LOVE Adam’s version.heh.

i was pissed [the kid] didn’t sing it at the concert..

Me, too. He won. Part of winning is having to sing the POS anthemic coronation song fifty nights in a row. I don’t think this year’s winner should be any different. People pay good money to see a bad coronation song. They got cheated.

I like kara’s version,she has a nice voice

But, there is no way Danny would have been able to sing this song! No way at all!

Donny would have given himself a sports hernia trying to sing that song (with or without twang).

yep.I was pissed too kris didn’t sing it;(

I’d like to see them go with a song that already exists that has the theme or idea they want to express, like, oh, “Love Lift Us Up” or that drekky Aerosmith thing from “Armageddon” that Allison and Cook sang during their respective shows. I suppose they don’t want to pay for the rights for somebody to actually record already existing songs like that, but surely some old, inspirational chestnut comes cheap. “Ode to Joy” must be out of copyright by now. But if they can have everybody on X Factor record Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” they can afford one person on the American one recording “Holding Out for a Hero” or something equally silly (but at least singable by someone other than a dolphin. Seriously. The only way I would listen to “NoBo” is if it’s sung by dolphins. Because at least that would be amusing.)

Or maybe they can do what they did on “Rockstar” and make them write their own songs. The Top 12 could be working on coronation songs all along, and then abandoning them as they left, or bequeathing their ideas to who’s left. Kara could pop in to work with one finalist, and Diane Warren could work with the other one. It would kind of favor the ones who write songs (as opposed to, say, “just” singers) but the songwriters will have an advantage when it comes to cd time, anyway. And it’s certainly a better way to see what the heck these people are gonna sound like when they’re not just doing covers, since presumably they’d write something that expresses their actual style as well as their beliefs and ideas.

I don’t know, but that idea works for me. It also puts more pressure on the contestants, which means Simon should like it. Songwriting Idols FTW!

I think the idea that you can easily create a succesful artist by supplying a good singer with songs written by professionals is totally false.

It worked OK for Elvis.

Of course, he had Chet Atlkins in the studio producing his sessions and helping him decide what worked and didn’t work. The idol wannabees aren’t working with producers the caliber of Chet Atkins.

She has a Faith Hill vibe to her voice…..song is not stellar, but ive heard worse. And most of it on today’s top 40 radio. yeah, NB is cheesy, yeah its tuneless, but doesnt that describe most popular music?

i gotta give it to Kris…sweet, polite, missionary kris had the balls to say no to a coronation song. simon should be proud.

btw, has kara, simon or randy given a statement/quote regarding NB being dropped out of the tour…and most likely the album?

Its not as bad as I thought. Still a sucky song, but Adam sings it the least sucky. Does that even make sense? Then I give the nod to Kara, then me, and Kris just barely behind me.

There’s this mob mentality to hating this song

That might be true, and I can only speak for myself, but I have tried to like this song. I have both Kris’ and Adam’s versions and I can never get through either. Both are sung well but the lack of melody and the forced “this is important, deep and inspirational” schlocky lyrics kill me. Sorry, I’m no hater but this song kills me.

And yes, kudos to Kris for taking a stand and not just going along with the status quo. I was thrilled when he dropped it from his set.

i gotta give it to Kris’ ¦sweet, polite, missionary kris had the balls to say no to a coronation song. simon should be proud.

I’m lovin this one………………………………………………………………….. :clap_tb:

i gotta give it to Kris’ ¦sweet, polite, missionary kris had the balls to say no to a coronation song. simon should be proud.

I thought Kris said in an interview that the producers came to him and said it was not working with his set and bringing down the energy of the crowd so they yanked it. I don’t think Kris made the first move.

Like that Kara was able to at least get her take on this out for people to hear. It came across to me as a lot better than either version performed by Kris or Adam, especially in the first half of the song. This is just too much song for Kris, and vibe of Adam’s didn’t really feel right.

The message aspect of the song would fit Danny, and he can handle a big vocal range. But still, the melody/lyrics of this are pretty ornate; songs with cleaner style work better for him (and for most of them–how many male singers really tend to take songs that are this fussy lyrically?). It would be interesting to hear what Danny did with it, but I doubt he’s regretting too much not having had the opportunity to sing it in public.

Liked this, some truth to it:
‘Part of winning is having to sing the POS anthemic coronation song fifty nights in a row. I don’t think this year’s winner should be any different. People pay good money to see a bad coronation song. They got cheated.’

SportyDD wrote:

I hope they finally realize that the coronation song concept just doesn’t work. They have tried final 2 singing same song and different songs and song writting contests’ ¦songs are always horrible and difficult for some to sing. Why not just let them sing the song that was their highlight of the season (i.e. Adam-Mad World; Kris-Heartless). It is an emotional time for the winner and then they have to struggle through a song that they are not familiar with and they have no connection to.

We WISH they would realize the coronation song concept doesn’t work. To hell with the idea that a coronation song has to be the winner’s first single. They all suck.

I still think the producers should tell the top 6 to choose whatever song they want to sing if they win, as long as it befits the occasion. They don’t have to record it, but let them enjoy singing something at that special moment!

I have always hated the “only give the top two one song choice for the finale – and it has to be one you’ve already sung” concept. Ramming the always crappy coronation song and producer’s/Clive’s choice down their throats with a repeat performance makes the finale performances suck. Especially this season. Ala Slezak again, when you have two finalists that showed great strength in song choice over the course of the season – it’s time for a format change that makes sense. Let them sing whatever the hell they want to!

Adam has excellent vocal training and he admits that NoBo was very difficult to sing live – it’s wordy and it’s hard to catch your breath. (And I hate the song).

Kris may have wanted to ditch the song from his tour set, but it was universally panned after the finale and during the beginning of the tour. I feel certain it was not entirely his idea to dump the song.

It was most certainly not written for Danny Gokey. LOL.

i gotta give it to Kris’ ¦sweet, polite, missionary kris had the balls to say no to a coronation song. simon should be proud.

In a fairytale world , yes….In reality the producers probably made the move to pull it, it was that bad. Its a horrible song all around, and let’s face it Kris isnt exactly strong in the vocal dept to carry such a wordy song, till the end.

They should have made him sing it the 50 times though….its his due . Its not much worse than half of the crap other idols have had to sing over the years.

I actually like the song. I don’t like that Kris dropped the song. He should have rearranged it a little or something. I think Adam would have never dropped this song. That is his magic he could probably sing the phone book.

I like her voice, but the only version of No Boundaries I can stand is Adam’s, and only BARELY that.

Oh, come on, guys. I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it is universally and critically acknowledged that this is just a BAD song. It is really indigestive, and what makes it even worth that in comparison to any other coronation song (where the standards are a-priori much lower) it hits the bottom like a coin thrown to a dried-out weld. IMO, Adam and Kris did the best they could with it, but the result is this song was their worst performance on Idol. It does not matter who did the “best” version of this crap. I’m sure both of them aren’t proud. And why anyone, including Kara, would want to re-sing this miserable excuse for a song? Just to prove ones again how bad it is? Well, I got it the first time! Hearing it again, caused the same reaction as the first time I heard it ‘“ like trying to swallow a huge boll of rotten cheese that stinks and gives me a stomach ache later. Having said all that, I think Kara is HOT. And she is a good judge.

I think I’m alone in that I kind of like this song. I’ve heard several Idol coronation songs and this isn’t the worst.

I also think this isn’t by any means the worst of the coronation songs. I certainly dislike David Cook’s Time Of My Life or Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment Like This much much more (I couldn’t believe it when they gave the same song to Leona Lewis as well, and her song sounded just as bad as Kelly Clarkson’s). Nothing wrong with the tune I think, the problem for me with this song would be the lyrics – I’m not a lyricist but I do think I can write better lyrics than that, it’s just so uninteresting and clich. Did Kara write the tune or the lyrics? If she wrote the lyrics then she deserves all the brickbats she gets, but not if she wrote the tune.

What we have to remember is that 19 Entertainment and the American Idol people CHOSE to use that song. We can’t put this all on Kara…she co-wrote the song and gave it to them as an option, but THEY chose the song, not her. Come on, give her a break mj.

I am totally diggin Kara’s version, she wrote the song, it has heart and she emotes more that Kris’ or Adam’s version. Basically I think the song rocks and is just getting dissed cause well not a lot of people like Kara therefore, they really don’t like the song, but hey, it just depends on the listener who likes what..but I like Kara’s version..and I am glad she’s back for another season….and as for the song being with “winner’s” song, it’s much better than Taylor’s coronation song, miles and miles better….than “Do I Make You Proud”….either way, it’s a hit for Kara and Kris’ no matter how many times the song get’s dissed….

There’s this mob mentality to hating this song

No, I pretty much hated it the moment I heard it. And I don’t hate Kara, and I think she’s written some good pop songs. This isn’t one of them.

Imo, “Time of My Life” was a better song–it at least had a pretty, lilting melody. And Fantasia sang the crap out of her coronation song, so I really can’t go hatin on it. I think the only coronation song that might rival “No Boundaries” is Carrie Underwoods “Inside Your Heaven” Yikes. That song is bad…

I actually like the song. I don’t like that Kris dropped the song. He should have rearranged it a little or something. I think Adam would have never dropped this song. That is his magic he could probably sing the phone book.

it would probably just because he has enough range to sing that song. If he had a chance, i would ditch the song too.

IMO if Adam or Danny had won, we’d still be hearing NB in the tour. Adam said he wished he’d had more time to work on his arrangement as they only got one day to work on the song. I read that the producers thought it was bringing Kris’s set down. I think since his set, as the winner’s just needed a little more pizazz. I don’t think it’s the worst winners song, I think Jordin’s or Carrie
s were worse. just to name a few. I really liked Cooks as did a lot of folks since it sold and sold and sold. Taylor was surprised when he went on Asian Idol that they all wanted to hear Do I Make You Proud. Yes, all Idols get stuck with coronation songs they don’t really want to sing, but it’s part of the winner’s package, so yeh, I think Kris should have had to do it on the tour

sounds the same to me. female voice but same song. does she want to get back to singing/recording.? I wonder.

Surprisingly, I liked Kara’s version. She’s pretty good singer and her voice fits to the song better than Kris’ or Adam’s. Not a fan of Kris, but Adam’s retro version is IMO by far the worst among these three.

I really like the way she does this song. She should release it as a single and see how it does. I really like Adam’s version too, but it doesn’t fit his personality or singing style. It’s just plain too high for Kris, even when sung in a lower key. I’m pretty sure she wrote this for Danny to scream.

She is all right I guess, but I still like Kris’s studio version the most out of all. The live version of both Kris and Adam were trainwrecks during the finale and Adam’s studio version is too Adam-esque for me. It works for some songs, but certainly not this one, imo. It would be interesting to hear Danny or Allison singing this though.

I always thought this song would sound better with a female voice. It doesn’t. Maybe AI should have a competition to see who can make the most of this song. Whoever wins gets a free pass to top 36. LOL. I think I’m one of the few who don’t think it’s such a bad song. Just the wrong singers so far.

” I think Adam would have never dropped this song. That is his magic he could probably sing the phone book.”

So what song would you have Adam take out of his set to add in NB if he had won? Since most of the bashing of the song has come from people outside of AI, I would imagine the result would have been the same. Nothing on AI happens by chance. Someone up high had already made the decision to remove NB and relayed the message down the chain. I could just imagine seeing Kris dance a jig when he was approached. This might have been the plan since finale night. They would let the winner sing the song a couple of dates on the tour and see how it goes and yank it if the reaction does not turn around.

The first time I heard the song, when Adam sang it Top 2 night, I hated the song. It was barely better when Kris sang it next, but I can’t say if it was because Kris sang it better, or if I just was more familiar with it the second time. I will say that I thought Kris did a marvelous job singing it acoustic when he was doing the winners press rounds. Great phrasing, and interpretive skill. Having said that, I still think it is a sucky song. Some small part of me thinks Kris should have to sing it, because all the other winners have had to sing their own coronation songs, but in the end am glad Kris doesn’t have to sing it all summer, if only because I like him so much, lol.

If tptb feel that they have to have a syrup-y coronation song, can’t they just have something for the winner to sing finale night, and then let them sift through a pile of already written songs, pick one they like, record it and release that for the first single? They have the month from the finale to the start of tour to record a different song, and at least it would have a better chance of being one that represented the artist better, because they would have had a hand in picking out the song. Grrrr. So unnecessary to saddle the winners with such schlock.

I think I’m one of the few who don’t think it’s such a bad song. Just the wrong singers so far.

I agree with you. I kind of like this song but it is not easy to sing.

Still don’t like the song.

I still think the best line about this song is somewhere a magic rainbow is laughing. :mrgreen_wp:

Looking back at a lot of the old winner’s singles….I think Kris and Adam would have sounded just as bad with I Believe, Inside Your Heaven, My Destiny, Do I Make You Proud, or This is my Now. There are certain contestants who just don’t sing the winner’s single very well (Bo, Blake….and for whatever reason Kris, and Adam to an extent fits into that category.)
Had Katharine been able to sing No Boundaries instead of My Destiny she may have won. Diana probably would have had a better shot with it too. Who knows… its not a great song but the lackluster performances by both Kris and Adam made it worse than it probably would have been if others had sung it, even though I liked Adam’s recorded. I think its more suited for a female voice.

I hated the song when Adam first sang it. I thought that the song was like an achilles heel to Adam’s Idol run.

Since then, Adam’s studio version has grown on me. The lyrics can be insipiring. I listen to this song when I have had a bad day.

Kara has a pretty good voice. But the song just takes the oxygen out of whoever is singing it. Adam, who most everyone says have the range for this song, was taking big breaths in between lines of the chorus when he sang it on the finale. The same thing goes for Kara. Kris, who most everyone says doesn’t have the range for it, didn’t sound as breathy,but he sounded as if he’d lose air anytime.

For me, the person who made most out of the crappy song is Kris. No Boundaries is a shout-fest, the song’s substitute for melody, so it doesn’t go well to the ears. Singing it with screeches makes it even harder to tolerate the song. Kris managed to ease the sharp stinging notes by using his inflections, e.g. bound-rays. So, it was more palatable for me.

I have always hated the ‘only give the top two one song choice for the finale – and it has to be one you’ve already sung’  concept. Ramming the always crappy coronation song and producer’s/Clive’s choice down their throats with a repeat performance makes the finale performances suck.

Me too. The songs in the finale should be new, and the contestants should get to choose them all. I mean, the whole show is building up to that final night, so that night should be special– the contestants should really go all out, which is hard when they’re saddled with a coronation song and a repeat. The coronation songs are never that good, and repeats don’t capture the magic of the first performance.

I don’t think they should have to write their own songs though. I think that might be a recipe for total disaster in most cases, especially for the contestants who haven’t written songs before. And it places such a huge emphasis on songwriting, in a show that’s meant to find a performer and a singer foremost. Besides, if the songs they’re writing are meant to be inspirational coronation songs, they probably wouldn’t end up all that great no matter how good of a songwriter the contestant was.

No Boundaries isn’t my favorite type of song, but the real problem is that it just wasn’t a song for any of the singers that were going to have to be performing it. You’d think at this level of exposure they would try harder to match and complement the winning singers with the song, but here they just forced the wrong song on them, making it bad for everyone. No Boundaries probably would have been a big hit for an artist like Faith Hill (think “Cry”), but not for any of this years Idol’s.

No Boundaries is a shout-fest, the song’s substitute for melody

A lot of Kara’s songs are like that. For instance, when I first listened to Christina Aguilera’s Understand, which was cowritten with Kara, it struck me how uncohesive the whole thing sounded. Kara just really likes to build and build, without having a central melody to build on. Not a lot of singers can make that kind of song work. And her penchant for cliche doesn’t help either. But that’s just how she rolls–she strikes me as a really earnest, passionate person, someone who could *feel* a cliched song and mean it.

First impression: I said OMG! and had to shut it off. Sorry.

Oh and I decided that this song was written for Allison, not Gokey. Allison is the type of singer Kara would normally be writing for anyway.

They should have made him sing it the 50 times though’ ¦.its his due . Its not much worse than half of the crap other idols have had to sing over the years.

Lol – 19E needs Kris to make money for them after all is said and done – he will never get good recognition singing such an awful song.

For me, the person who made most out of the crappy song is Kris. No Boundaries is a shout-fest, the song’s substitute for melody, so it doesn’t go well to the ears. Singing it with screeches makes it even harder to tolerate the song. Kris managed to ease the sharp stinging notes by using his inflections, e.g. bound-rays. So, it was more palatable for me.

This – completely this – when Adam sang it the choices he made with it just made it harder for me to listen. But in truth NB was Adam and Kis’s worst performances of the season after they had both done so consistently well, which definitely speaks volumes on how awful the song is.

Oh and I decided that this song was written for Allison. Allison is the type of singer Kara would normally be writing for anyway.

I don’t think this was written for Allison either – I don’t think she has the type of voice for it with that raspy quality she has. I don’t think it was the right song for any of the top 5 (I can’t imagine Matt singing this either.)

I must be one of the very few people around who actually like this song, heh. I really like Kris’ studio version of it, although he doesn’t sound very good on it live.

I’ve always thought it suited Danny the most out of everyone in the top 4, so it would definitely have been interesting to hear him sing it.

I actually love “No Boundaries”. I hate hate hated last year’s coronation song “Time of My LIfe” . That song should have been ditched too while on tour. I can’t believe Kris Allen ditched it. I think he sounded better than Adam singing it. I think the music this year has totally changed . Last year you could still get away with a sappy syrupy song, but this year, the whole genre has changed. That’s it!
Oh well.

I just totally disagree with MJ’s take on this song. It really sounds great with Kara singing it and Kris and Adam’s recorded version. Neither sound great singing it live and that is why Kris probably ditched it. He doesn’t do it well live.

This is the best version of the song, for sure.
It still sounds like The Climb, and I don’t say this as a negative thing, I don’t mind listening to that one on the radio.
NB It’s not a good song, but I don’t think it’s that bad. I can think of three coronation songs that were a lot worst.
Top 2 night the two boys did an awful job with it, and most people just never gave it a secong chance after that. Who would, anyway? They did really bad.
I think they wanted this to be a hit, why have Kara write it and stop the contest? But it failed big time. I wonder what they’ll do next year.

I still vote Dream Big for best coronation song.

I didn’t like Adam’s version when he sang the song on t.v. He really seemed nervous to me. But I love his studio version. It’s my ringtone because there is nothing else available!!!! grrr…..

I just totally disagree with MJ’s take on this song. It really sounds great with Kara singing it and Kris and Adam’s recorded version. Neither sound great singing it live and that is why Kris probably ditched it. He doesn’t do it well live.

I agree!

Neither sound great singing it live and that is why Kris probably ditched it. He doesn’t do it well live.

I doubt it. He does it well, live; if he was bad at it they would have ditched it in rehearsals.

The reason they got rid of it is probably the reason they gave.

BTW, I don’t know why it’s assumed the song was written for the finale, specifically. Songwriters have a lot of unused songs filed away. She could have written this song five years ago, we really don’t know. Maybe the producers came to her with a request for a song and she remembered she had this one. Or maybe she pitched it to them. It just doesn’t sound like a song she would write specifically as a coronation song, for some reason.

And, yep, it still sucks!

wow..
um dont kill me guys
but i liked this.. alot ahahah

Well Kara’s version sucked. Big Time. She might be a good song writer
but now I know why she was’t a pop singer.

I actually thought it sounded pretty good. I don’t know how she would have sounded singing it live. I give Kris and Adam a pass on the show because they didn’t have much time to work on it. I think their studio versions are good, although I prefer Adam’s.

I think Kara is a good singer.

Kara has a good voice but it is undistinctive.

I also think Kara has a good voice.

Its not the best pop song ever written, but I also thought this was a lot better with Kara singing it–its obviously meant to be sung by a voice like hers. Kris and Adam singing it was like Blake Lewis singing “This is my Now”—-it cant help but sound wrong. Maybe there are just songs that have to be sung by female pop singers, period.

It’s not the best song but it has grown on me. Kara actually sings it quite well. Adam’s and Kris’ studio versions are very good as well, though I have a slight preference for Kris’ rendition.

I will never get the hate for this song. Can you name a coronation song that was better? Certainly not Moment Like This, I Believe, or Inside My Heaven. The lyrics aren’t memorable, but melodically and in arrangement it’s really interesting.

A better coronation song? All of the AI coronation songs tend to have cheesy, cliched lyrics. IMO, the best Idol coronation songs have been in Canadian Idol – Alive, Meant To Fly and Sing.

I really don’t know why in AI, they insist on using formulaic songs about “the dream”, “the journey”, etc. Why not just songs about joy and happiness in general? No need to shoehorn the winner’s single into the “Idol journey”.

I will never get the hate for this song. Can you name a coronation song that was better? Certainly not Moment Like This, I Believe, or Inside My Heaven. The lyrics aren’t memorable, but melodically and in arrangement it’s really interesting.

Replace “lyrics aren’t memorable” with “lyrics are cheese” and I agree completely.

A better coronation song? All of the AI coronation songs tend to have cheesy, cliched lyrics. IMO, the best Idol coronation songs have been in Canadian Idol – Alive, Meant To Fly and Sing.

This is so true.

Can you name a coronation song that was better? Certainly not Moment Like This, I Believe, or Inside My Heaven. The lyrics aren’t memorable, but melodically and in arrangement it’s really interesting.

To me “A Moment Like This” is the best. It was a very emotional culmination of Kelly’s Journey. “Flying Without Wings” and “This Is The Night” were good too. Then they lost me.

To me ‘A Moment Like This’  is the best. It was a very emotional culmination of Kelly’s Journey.

I think so too. Prior to season 7, the only song from an American Idol contestant that I had ever purchased was Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This”. I don’t think that A Moment Like This and Time of My Life did well on radio because of luck. Kelly had a good song to begin with, and made the most of it with her vocals. Cook had an average song with crappy lyrics but somehow managed to connect reallly well with it vocally, even though it didn’t fit his style. As cheesy as both of those songs are, I think they serve as very good “moment” songs. The others, not so much.

1. Kara can sing, but she’s not at all unique…and if that’s how she envisioned it being sung, yikes. Not any better than the boys’ attempts.

2. I still like Kris’s the best, ESPECIALLY the live acoustic he did during his press rounds. Honestly, I only listened to the 30 second preview of Adam’s and immediately disliked it. Bottom line, it’s not a good song, although I will say that the chorus is catchy, IMO. When it first came out I would find myself randomly singing it, haha.

3. Best coronation song is Kelly’s, probably because I was like 14-15 when it came out and they played it at school dances, but she also sounds really great on it. I’d like to throw in some love for “Inside Your Heaven”, haha. The title is asinine, but I like the verses.

4. Oh, I knew there was a 4th point, what was it? Ah, I also don’t know if this was written for anyone in particular, because we can’t be sure when she wrote it. I agree, it does have Danny’s sentiments written all over it, but he never would’ve been able to make it through, his voice is too breathy.

5. I want to reiterate, it’s not a matter of Kris sucking, not even Adam pulled off a decent live performance of it the first time through. Between the plethora of lyrics, the key and the odd phrasing Kara seems to favor, it is designed for failure. I’m sure Kris didn’t make the decision to cut the song, the producers did. However, I bet he had been thinking about it and danced in the aisles when the decision was made.

IMO, the best Idol coronation songs have been in Canadian Idol – Alive, Meant To Fly and Sing.

Awake In A Dream (coronation song of Kalan Porter, CI winner, 2004) spent 8 weeks at #1 in Canada, didn’t it? Not bad.

It’s OBVIOUS that this song is so bad that it does not deserve for ANYONE to sing it. :doh_tb: Kris was very smart in getting rid of it from his tour set. Thank you Kris! :smiley2_tb:

A better coronation song? All of the AI coronation songs tend to have cheesy, cliched lyrics. IMO, the best Idol coronation songs have been in Canadian Idol – Alive, Meant To Fly and Sing.

So right! All of the AI coronation songs ARE terrible. Not even ‘A Moment Like This’, holds up to par. :thumbdown_tb:

OH! My ears, my ears… :wallbash_tb:

One thing I have to say for this song: it sticks in your head. I listened to kara’s version yesterday, (she’s not bad!), and when I woke up this morning, the song was still running through my head. Sounded better than my alarm clock, at least. I don’t like the song, but it for some reason is catchy.

she sing quite well…
Ranking : 1 – Kris
2 – Kara
3 – Adam

Like so many others, song not a favorite of mine — the lyrics are awful — but, the melody line does have a few good hooks, c’mon you have to admit that. Kara has a good voice but can’t do the song justice. Didn’t like Kris or Adam’s live versions, and Kris’ studio version just ‘ok’ for me. On the other hand, I think Adam’s studio version is good, and after several listens it does grow on you — those hooks and his vocals. Again, I’m not giving the song overall any monumental props, but I’m just saying that, of anyone, Adam (and whomever his producer was for the recording — Kara?) did work it out so that it’s passable. Actually, I’m guessing that Adam felt his experience with the song was good enough to work with Kara on a track for his new album —- don’t forget that fact, kids.

Why is she competing with the young contestants? What is she trying to prove? Isn’t she supposed to be supporting their development? Is this show about KARA’s star power? She didn’t even bother to significantly change the arrangement and phrasing! First she competes with Paula, then the bikini contestant and NOW, the two winners. Her judgment and professionalism is suspect.

I didn’t like the song on finale 2 night. However, I thought Kris did a better job with it live. I didn’t listen to their studio version but neither Kris nor Adam seemed to make a mark with this song on iTunes. It was a bust for both of them.

I like to judge the song when it’s sung live and not doctored up in the studio version where the artist can keep trying till it sounds good.

“…Cook had an average song with crappy lyrics but somehow managed to connect reallly well with it vocally, even though it didn’t fit his style. ”

This definitely wasn’t a song Cook would have recorded if given a choice, nor would he have put it on his album if he had a choice; however he does connect well with it vocally & whenever I hear it on the radio & comment that I’m surprised they are still giving it radio play, people comment that they love that song. It’s not the lyrics, it’s what Cook did with it. It is the highest selling Idol Coronation song ever.

Not bad. She did a pretty good job with it.
It’s not a bad song, it’s just difficult to sing, specially at the bridge with all those high notes. And Kris couldn’t pull it off live, he had to strain his voice too much. I think if Adam had sung it at a lower key (e.g. Kris’), then it would’ve sound perfect, IMO.