Scotty McCreery Songs - American Idol Season 10

A Profile of American Idol Winner Scotty McCreery with a Song Recap

Born: October 9, 1993

Musical Style: Country

Audition City: Milwaukee

Backstory: Scotty McCreery idolized Elvis Presley as a child, mimicing both his look and his sound whenever he had a chance.

Influences: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Hank Williams

01
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"Your Man" (Josh Turner)

Sometimes when an auditioner tries out, the judges want to hear a second song that shows another aspect of a singer's voice. While Travis Tritt's "Put Some Drive in Your Country" got Scotty McCreery a ticket to Hollywood, viewers will probably be more familiar with his first choice, "Your Man" by Josh Turner, which he performed both during his Milwaukee audition as well as during Hollywood week. Scotty McCreery is similar to Josh Turner in having a deeper voice that judge Randy Jackson referred to as a "throwback." "Your Man" marked two milestones in Josh Turner's career: his first Country number one and his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

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02
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"Letters From Home" (John Michael Montgomery)

Sometimes a great performance on American Idol comes down to simply singing a song the way it was written, and that is exactly what season 10 contestant Scotty McCreery did during his Top 24 performance of John Michael Montgomery’s 2004 Country hit “Letters From Home.” Perched on a stool, Scotty McCreery connected with the camera and the audience on a song that seemed tailor-made for his lower register and relaxed delivery, and he was rewarded with unanimous kudos from the judges. "Letters From Home" took John Michael Montgomery into the Country top 10 for the first time in four years, reaching #2 in 2004.

03
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"The River" (Garth Brooks)

Scotty McCreery had a great Top 13 night singing the Garth Brooks classic "The River," which received unanimous praise from the judges for remaining true to his sound and delivering the song in a way that connected with the audience. As with Jacob Lusk, the only thing that may hold Scotty McCreery back from winning will be theme weeks, where Scotty may be asked to perform songs and musical styles he is not as familiar with. "The River" came at the height of success for Garth Brooks, becoming his ninth number one Country hit in 1992.

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"Can I Trust You With My Heart" (Travis Tritt)

Scotty McCreery entered the auditions with a deep country voice that no one ever expected to come out of a young man of 16, but he used that voice to his advantage as he made his way through to the live rounds of American Idol season ten. While the judges had nothing but praise for his version of Travis Tritt's "Can I Trust You With My Heart" during Top 12 week, there was something missing in his voice, causing him to sound like several country singers that are already in the marketplace recording hits. "Can I Trust You With My Heart" became Travis Tritt's third of five number one country hits in 1993.

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05
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"For Once In My Life" (Stevie Wonder)

Country crooner Scotty McCreery was thought by many to face the biggest challenge in Motown week, but with his admiration of Elvis Presley, who blended country and R&B influences at several times in his career, those prognosticators should not have counted him out. While his take on "For Once In My Life" was not the strongest vocal among American Idol season 10's Motown week songs, Scotty McCreery held his own and survived a week that could have potentially hurt his streak of well-praised performances. Stevie Wonder's version of "For Once In My Life" charted at the same time Marvin Gaye released "I Hear It Through the Grapevine," causing "For Once In My Life" to stall at number two on both the pop and R&B charts.

06
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"Country Comfort" (Elton John)

Picking a country song for Scotty McCreery from Elton John's catalog probably wasn't too difficult, as some of Elton John's earlier music showed some American Country roots. "Country Comfort" was track three on Elton John's third album Tumbleweed Connection, which reached number five in the US despite never generating a Billboard Hot 100 single. When Scotty McCreery sang "Country Comfort" during Elton John week on American Idol season 10, he played guitar and made it sound like a song written just for him, and the judges rewarded him with high praise for the performance.

07
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"That’s All Right" (Elvis Presley)

One person's country is another person's rock, and that became apparent during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame week on American Idol season 10. While the judges all said they were seeing a different side of Scotty McCreery during his rendition of Elvis Presley's "That's All Right," it seemed like just a more lively performance of another country-tinged song. Surprisingly, "That's All Right" was never a nationwide hit, although it was a regional hit in the South back in 1954, a year before Elvis Presley had his first pop hit with "Heartbreak Hotel."

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08
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"I Cross My Heart" (George Strait)

Scotty McCreery was one of several contestants who changed their song during American Idol season 10's Songs from the Cinema week, much to the chagrin of mentor Jimmy Iovine. While Scotty McCreery's version of "Everybody's Talkin'" sounded like a great match for his voice, he changed his mind and went with a safer ballad instead. "I Cross My Heart" was the lead single from the Pure Country soundtrack in 1992, and spent two weeks at number one on the country chart for George Strait. The soundtrack, which consisted of all George Strait songs from the movie, became Strait's best-selling album with sales exceeding six million copies.

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09
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"Swingin'" (John Anderson)

One of the interesting things about themes on singing competitions is seeing how far the contestants can stretch the boundaries in order to fit their comfort zone. Viewers got to see a prime example during Top 7 week of season ten when Scotty McCreery chose to sing the country classic "Swingin'" as his 21st-century musical selection. While it's true that LeAnn Rimes recorded the song in 2010 and subsequently received a Grammy nomination for her rendition, the song rightfully belongs to John Anderson, who took it to number one on the Country chart in March of 1983. While Scotty McCreery did a good job with the song, the judges were all in agreement that there was nothing special about the performance.

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10
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"You’ve Got A Friend" (James Taylor)

Season 10 of American Idol had a lot of great performances, but no specific contestant had a performance that would rank with the top 10 greatest American Idol performances until Top 6 week. Scotty McCreery gave a stripped down performance of "You've Got a Friend" that showed a more tender side that may have surprised some viewers. While "You've Got a Friend" also appeared on Carole King's Tapestry, James Taylor also recorded the song and took it to number one in 1971.

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"Up on the Roof" (Drifters)

Duet number two during Top 6 week of American Idol season 10 came from Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina. While they did a decent job of singing "Up on the Roof," there was a spark missing from the song that caused it to be less than memorable. "Up on the Roof" hit the pop charts in two different forms during the sixties and the seventies. In 1962, doo-wop group The Drifters took a decidedly R&B version of "Up on the Roof" to number four on the Soul chart and number five on the Pop chart. Almost twenty years later, James Taylor covered the song in a more folk-pop arrangement and took the song to number 28.

12
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"Gone" (Montgomery Gentry)

There is a lot of love in the American Idol season 10 audiences for teenage country crooner Scotty McCreery, as evidenced by the extended cheers that he receives after every performance. Those cheers continued during Top 5 week, where Scotty McCreery chose "Gone" for his current selection to sing. Country duo Montgomery Gentry took "Gone" to number three on the Country chart in 2004. "Gone" became Montgomery Gentry's one and only Gold single after selling more than 500,000 copies.

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13
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"Always On My Mind" (Brenda Lee)

Scotty McCreery went two for two on American Idol season 10's Top 5 week with his classic song choice of "Always on My Mind." Even though it was not as good as his performance as "Gone," Scotty McCreery impressed the judges and ended up with having a good night. Originally recorded by Brenda Lee, the most popular version of "Always on My Mind" is credited to Willie Nelson, who took the song to number one on the Country chart and number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. Other artists to record the song include Elvis Presley, the Pet Shop Boys and Michael Buble.

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14
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"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)" (Alan Jackson)

Of all the inspirational songs performed on Top 4 week of American Idol season 10, none seemed more appropriate than Scotty McCreery's choice of "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)." Scotty McCreery turned in a subdued performance that helped demonstrate why many considered him a front-runner. Alan Jackson wrote "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)" in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and performed the song on the Country Music Association awards two months later. Country radio stations started playing the live version and the song went to number one in only six weeks, prompting the song to receive some Pop radio airplay and reach number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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15
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"Young Blood" (The Coasters)

Scotty McCreery reprised his wacky country singer persona from Top 5 week to help him get through what could have been an ill-fitting choice from the Leiber and Stoller songbook. While Scotty McCreery's performance of "Young Blood" was a bit of a carbon copy of his version of "Gone," the song was still enjoyable and most likely helped keep him safe from elimination, along with his interaction with Lady Gaga, who asked Scotty to make out with his microphone. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, along with Doc Pomus, wrote "Young Blood" for the Coasters. The song went to number eight on the Pop chart in 1957.

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16
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"Amazed" (Lonestar)

Scotty McCreery swung between tender ballads and quirky upbeat tracks during American Idol season 10, but he found a middle ground by singing "Amazed" as his first song during Top 3 week. His solid but not stellar performance earned Scotty McCreery some rare criticism from judge Randy Jackson. "Amazed" set several records for Lonestar during its two runs on the charts. On its trip up the Country chart in 1999, Lonestar spent eight weeks at number one, which was a record for the 90s. The song was re-released to Pop radio at the end of 1999 with a slightly different mix and spent two weeks at number one on the Pop chart in 2000, becoming the first number one for a Country act in almost 20 years.

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17
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"Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" (Thompson Square)

Scotty McCreery's strongest performance on Top 3 Week of American Idol season 10 was his second song where he picked up a guitar and made "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" his own in two short minutes. Jimmy Iovine's song choice could not be any more relevant than "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not," the major label debut single for married duo Thompson Square. "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" spent a week at number one on the Country chart just a month prior to Scotty McCreery performing the song on American Idol.

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18
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"She Believes In Me" (Kenny Rogers)

Round one of Top 3 week on American Idol season 10 was the contestants' choices, round two was Jimmy Iovine's choices, and round three was left to the judges. Sadly, they saddled Scotty McCreery with "She Believes In Me," which did neither his voice nor his performance style any favors. While Scotty McCreery sounded great on the chorus, there was no power behind the end of the song, but the judges didn't seem to care. Kenny Rogers picked up his fifth number one Country hit in 1979 with "She Believes In Me," which also became his second top five Pop hit by reaching number five that same year. "She Believes In Me" came from his now-iconic The Gambler album.

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19
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"Gone" (Montgomery Gentry)

Scotty McCreery reprised one of his best performances of season 10 during Top 2 week by singing "Gone." While the original version from Top 5 week was lively and full of personality, Scotty McCreery upped the energy on "Gone" and showed how much he had grown as a performer from when he first auditioned for American Idol almost a year prior.

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20
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"Check Yes or No" (George Strait)

The second round of American Idol season 10's Top 2 was songs chosen by each contestant's own idol, and Scotty McCreery went with country legend George Strait. In selecting "Check Yes or No" for Scotty McCreery, George Strait continued a trend of selecting songs for Scotty that may not have been the most age-appropriate material. Although the song is about a couple that has been together for many years, Scotty McCreery did a solid job singing the song, giving another indication of the types of songs he would most likely record. "Check Yes or No" appeared on George Strait's 1995 Strait Out of the Box boxed set and went straight to number one on the Country chart.

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21
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"Love You This Big" (Original)

Round three of American Idol season 10's Top 2 consisted of songs chosen by Jimmy Iovine that the contestants would release as their first single should they win. Scotty McCreery's song was a standard country ballad called "I Love You This Big" that didn't sound too country, probably appealing to a wider audience than something more authentically country. While the judges were glad to see him stretch vocally, "I Love You This Big" did not do Scotty McCreery any favors, leaving viewers with a less than stellar final impression.

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Other Songs

"Get Ready" - The Temptations (Hollywood Groups)

"I Hope You Dance" - Lee Ann Womack (Final Hollywood Week Solo)

"Hello, Goodbye" - Beatles Week

"Long Black Train" - Josh Turner (Top 40)