American Idol 7 - Beatles Week - my childhood shattered

I grew up on the Beatles. My siblings were all older. Being that I was born in 1965, I was exposed early on to the British mop-tops. I've often heard it stated by a more youthful group that they don't 'get' why the Beatles were such a sensation. ::sigh:: It's only a huge phenomenon that you had to live to understand, I suspect. Were the musical geniuses when they first hopped across the pond? No, but they gave us what we needed at that time in history.

Now the producers and brain-trust of American Idol ask our 12 finalists to make new what is decades old. You know if some of the performers don't put a new twist on a song they'll be chastised and beaten down by the judges. It's hard to guess what songs the kids will pick. Afterall, there are over 300 songs to choose from. They need to be wise. They need to be creative. They must nail it.

• Amanda Overmyer: Drive My Car since I lost my license to a DUI. OR, Get by with a little help from my friends -- who bail me out of jail.


• Syesha Mercado: Strawberry Fields Forever -- why? Why not!


• Rumiele Malubay: Help! because she needs it


• Brooke White: Eleanor Rigby


• Kristy Lee Cook: Here, There, and Everywhere-- a personal account of where her brain is.


• Carly Smithson: My Life -- she'll make it her own


• David Archuleta: Blackbird -- he needs to turn it up a notch and heed Simon's warning of being too despressing.


• David Cook: Back in the U.S.S.R. -- he's gotta rock! taking a ballad and making it a raunchy guitar wailing version was done last week.


• David Hernandez: Paperback Writer -- I have no reason. That just popped in my head


• Jason Castro: I'll Follow the Sun -- I read it somewhere and I think it suits him.


• Chikezie: Sgt. Pepper ala Billy Preston. He'll win me over if he does it.


• Michael Johns: Revolution. He has to pull out the stops and trick this song out Aussie style.