As Long As You Follow on American Idol
 

One of the contestants on the April 15 episode of American Idol, Laci Kaye Booth, sang As Long As You Follow.

First, I was shocked when the song began and I realized what song it was. Second, it was awful, as she incorporated what I can only describe as yodeling in the performance. I have no idea if it's on YouTube but nonetheless, it is worth checking out.

In respect to the contestant, it is a hard song to sing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDtc8m2AE9k


Thought it was okay. She has an interesting voice- though I want her to have a good cough. I don't think she's learnt to properly harness her unique singing voice yet.
Is ALAYF really difficult to sing????

Thanks for posting the link, FuzzyPlum.

I don't know that the song is complex, but it has a lot of harmony, which would certainly make it more challenging for one person to sing. Even though I didn't care for the performance, I was thrilled to see this gem get some airplay.

LMAO
You must have jumped out of your seat.

I don't think she did such a bad job. It was pretty good

I hope someone sent it to Christine

The performance is meh but I’m loving that this song is getting any notice after all of these years. Christine was absolutely on fire in the late 80’s.

Ditto to that. I love this song and always thought what it would have been if it was produced by Lindsey and was performed with the 5. With that said I love the 1988 version.

This was definitely Laci's weakest performance....and the arrangement just didn't work.
The original is the one great FM that got away.....should have been a HUGE hit in '88!

Just watched. I thought she did a fine job. I mean, NO ONE sounds like Christine, so you couldn't expect that.

I also missed Rick's guitar playing and solo.

That was a good performance. What a nice surprise on the song choice.

Happy to see ALAYF get some love here. It is definitely one of FM's underrated songs. And how nice to see Christine finally covered on one of these singing competition shows- Stevie and Lindsey have been covered several times (Landslide especially but Go Your Own Way, too), but poor Christine has been ignored. Everywhere, Little Lies, and Save Me would be great to hear someday.

Would never have known about this cover if it weren't for the Ledge boards, so thanks for posting. I think it was a really strong performance of the ALAYF. I love that song. For some reason I find it very comforting.

Not a terrible rendition of the song, IMHO. It is really one of my favourites and I am one who loved the Lindsey-less FM from that short era. The sound was richer and the layered harmonies gorgeous.

I thought she sounded good, and I always get excited when someone does a rendition of a FM song, but I didn't like the arrangement of this one.

You just reminded me of this ridiculous Save Me performance from this old show I stumbled upon a few months ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NIBgxD2ab4

Hey, they dance like me! :laugh:

Oh hell.. :eek:

OMG! I never saw this before.

It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. They did Seven Wonders, Go Your Own Way, Stand Back, and a few other Mac-related songs on that show apparently.

honestly, not surprised. American Idol is an institution designed and run by the record industry. They have a vested interest in spoon feeding people the entertrainment they SHOULD buy and artists they SHOULD listen to. That includes plugging old songs that were hits before. Why reinvent the wheel or be original when there are decades of old songs to mine. Save the "good" original songs for when the Idol "wins" and they need an album of original material to sell to the brainless masses that thing winning a talent show is in any way shape or form close to the years of work bands used to have to do perfecting their unique sound and style. Why bother when you can have a half wit "judge" tell you what you should do and copy someone else.

American Idol and the PreFab Boy Group/ Girl Solo act/AMerican Idol was the end of the Music Industry, NOT Napster or iTunes.

Wellllllll. Ummmmm. Sorry, but being technical that's not really true. American Idol wasn't really created by the record industry per se. It has a long drawn out history...

TV talent shows go back a long way.

But in modern times...

• In the late 90's a TV show called 'Popstars' launched in New Zealand.
• Popstars was later brought to the UK; TV crews follow a group of judges as they whittle down auditionees for a new manufactured pop group (which, in the UK ends in the band Hearsay).
• The following year Popstars: The Rivals- the judges, headed by 'Nasty' Nigel Lithgoe (pre-cursor to Simon Cowell) select a girl band and a boy band to compete for the Christmas number one. Girl band 'Girls Aloud' beat the boy band 'One True Voice' to the Christmas number one spot (and go on to become one of the best selling girl groups ever in the UK).
• Simon Fuller (a manager in the music industry) copies the format and develops 'Pop Idol'. The first UK series is won by Will Young.
• One of the judges for the series- Simon Cowell launches his own format in the UK; The X Factor. This proves even more popular in the UK than Pop Idol.
• Simon Fuller then sells his show to international territories. However, due to a legal dispute with the New Zealand owners of the 'Popstars' franchise, he is unable to use the word 'Pop' within his international brand. Thus, international TV companies (Such as Fox) use the term '....Idol' such as 'American Idol'.
• American Idol (led by UK judge, Simon Cowell) becomes popular with US audiences.
• Simon Cowell tries to sell his brand 'X Factor' overseas, but this is met with a mixed response.
• X Factor USA runs for a few series but isn't as popular as American Idol.

Musical talent shows have gone back years and years (I remember a show in the UK when I was a kid in the 80's called 'New Faces'). I think they have their place. I think people nowadays know they its just throwaway TV. It got a bit annoying when the Christmas number one in the UK was always a manufactured TV artist. However (though I don't know what its like overseas), that fad seems to have passed in the UK. TV talent shows occasionally turn up a genuine talent, but more often than not those singers tend to end up singing in musicals after one or two decent songs. Thus, I'm not sure true talent and graft have really been compromised. Those who do well in the industry continue to be artists or bands with genuine talent who have worked their way up from the bottom.


Is it really the end of the music industry?....I'd personally say...no.
It has its place but doesn't replace true creativity which will always find its way to the top.
Genuinely good singers put themselves in the shop window and end up with a decent career in musical theatre.


PS: though playing 'old' songs will generate some income for those holding the publishing rights, this will mean relatively peanuts for the record labels themselves.

My girlfriend called me in from the kitchen as the same girl just performed Dreams tonight. From the bit I heard it sounded good, another very unique take. I'm not a fan of Idol, though, it especially annoys me how they only do less than half of the song. I know it's for time constraints but I could do with less/no Ryan Seacrest fakeness and more song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzvQQtQYtFA

smokey voice suits the song in a lounge singer way but the professional instrumentation elevates it beyond your same old stuff imo.