{This conversation was overheard Thursday morning at American Idol Headquarters}
Anonymous Producer 1: “What a great finale. America loves us, and Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina did a great job. They are both great kids. It was fun seeing them sing with their idols, like McCreery singing with Tim McGraw on ‘Live Like You Were Dying,’ although I’m not sure I understand the meaning of the song.”
Anonymous Producer 2: “Yes they are sweet kids. But they are kids.”
AP1: “That’s great. It means we are hip and current. Look at the hip goodbye song we used this year of David Cook’s ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’. That reminds me that we have to pick a song for next year soon.”
AP2: “Um, that song was a cover of of Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ from The Breakfast Club in 1985.”
AP1: “Yeah, but kids love that movie. Do you have any suggestions for next year’s song?”
AP2: “There’s one superstar we have not been able to get who would bring in some older viewers: Bruce Springsteen. Earlier in the season, Twitter was buzzing when Springsteen visited the contestants, and there was speculation he might appear on the show.”
AP1: “What’s Twitter? Anyway, didn’t we have Springsteen’s band member Clarence Clemons at our final show playing saxophone while Madonna simulated sex on stage?”
AP2: “You mean Lady Gaga singing ‘Edge of Glory,’ a great song. Yeah, but I think we could get Springsteen on the show if we select one of his songs as the goodbye song we play over videos of departing contestants.”
AP1: “What song?”
AP2: “He has a great song from 1978 . . .”
AP1: “1978 is hip?”
AP2: “Well, he only recently released it, and it’s called ‘Ain’t Good Enough for You.’ It is on Springsteen’s most recent release, The Promise, a collection of outtakes from 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town. ‘Ain’t Good Enough For You’ would be an empowering exit song for the contestant voted off the show, saying, ‘Yeah no matter what I do, well you know it’s true / Ain’t good enough for you, hey!'”
AP1: “The song does not sound overwrought and sentimental enough for our kiss-off song.”
AP2: “A little humor would be a good change of pace, and we did use Daniel’s Powter’s ‘Bad Day’ in 2006, which was funny.”
AP1: “I don’t know. I think we should check with Jimmy.”
AP2: “But that’s the best part! In ‘Ain’t Good Enough For You,’ Springsteen describes our American Idol makeover of contestants and then he mentions American Idol coach Jimmy Iovine, who in 1978 was Springsteen’s recording engineer”:
I tried to change, I got a job in sales;
I bought a shirt uptown in Bloomingdales;
And babe I tried to make the latest scene,
Hitting cool just like Jimmy Iovine.
AP1: “Brilliant! This Springsteen guy is a genius if he wrote a song for American Idol in 1978. I can see him playing it on the 2012 finale show right now. Does Springsteen do simulated sex on stage?”
Bonus “Ain’t Good Enough For You” Version: Springsteen performed “Ain’t Good Enough for You” at a special New Jersey session with fans to promote the release of The Promise. He relies upon the audience to sing “Jimmy Iovine,” so you may not make out his name as well as in the 1978 version. What is great about both versions of the song, though, is that Springsteen appears to be having a blast.
What do you think? Would you like American Idol to feature Bruce Springsteen or one of his songs? Or should he avoid having any connection to the pop show? Leave a comment.
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