Billboard Ranks American Idol’s Top 100 Singles, Further Proves Kelly Clarkson’s Dominance
Only three men appear in the top 10 highest-ranking singles from American Idol winners, and one of them is Chris Brown. Despite a woman not winning over American Idol‘s voting audience of boy-crazy teen girls since Jordin Sparks in 2007, they’ve come out well on top when it comes to chart performance.
With the 12th season of American Idol finally at the voting stage, Billboard.com has presented the top 100 highest-charting singles from Idol contestants. Kelly Clarkson straight dominates the Top 10, notching six slots, including the top two: “Since U Been Gone” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” She’s also holding down the fourth and fifth slots (“Behind These Hazel Eyes” and “Breakaway”). The only non-Clarkson entry in the top five is Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s duet, “No Air,” just sitting there at no. 3, daring you to admit that it’s a good enough song to override the inherent squickiness of enjoying a Chris Brown song.
The only Idol-winning single in the Top 10 is the most recent, Phillip Phillips’s “Home,” at no. 6. He’s joined by Chris Daughtry, no. 10 for “It’s Not Over,” as the only male Idol contestants at the top of the list. Daughtry is also the only non-winner in the Top 10. (Rounding out the top of the list: Kelly’s “Because of You” and “My Life Would Suck Without You” at nos. 7 and 8, and Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” at no. 9.)
Other oddities/notables in the rest of the Top 100:
- David Cook notches five songs on the list, while David Archuleta merely one, but Archuleta’s “Crush” charts higher than any one Cook song. The debate rages on!
- Carrie Underwood’s version of the Season 4–winning anthem, “Inside Your Heaven,” charts merely 23 slots higher than Bo Bice’s, despite it being easily 100 times better, if not more so. Also, “Inside Your Heaven” is the funniest metaphor this show ever produced.
- Mario Vazquez’s “Gallery” at no. 59 is the highest-charting song by a contestant who made the Top 12 and then subsequently left the show for vague and never-quite-explained reasons.
- Ruben Studdard’s “Sorry 2004” was ranked no. 15 on the list of Hot 100 singles, but no. 1 on the list of “most useful jokes to make about Ruben Studdard if you’re an American Idol recapper, let’s say.”
- Bucky Covington is no. 78 on this list. Bucky Covington is on this list.
Filed Under: American Idol, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Music, Phillip Phillips
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