"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained, hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers in 1965. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of "Unchained Melody" have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages.
"Beverly Hills" is a song by American rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe. "Beverly Hills" was released to US radio on March 28, 2005. The song features Stephanie Eitel of Agent Sparks on the chorus on backup vocals, performing the "gimme, gimme" hook.
"A Moment Like This" is the debut single by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid and produced by Stephen Ferrera and Steve Mac. It was released as a double A-side with "Before Your Love" as her coronation single after winning the first season of American Idol. The song was later included on her debut studio album, Thankful (2003). "A Moment Like This" was a huge hit in North America, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Singles Chart.
"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was written by Twain and her then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It was released on February 9, 2004, as the eighth and final single from her fourth studio album Up!. Disparate to the remainder of Up!, "It Only Hurts when I'm Breathing" is a ballad that Twain labeled to be the sole heartbreak song on the album. Musically, it lies within the country pop genre while its lyrics speak of misery. The song was not included in any of Twain's tours, but she performed the song for the Up! Live in Chicago video special in 2003. The performance was also used as a promotional music video for the single.
American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson has released nine studio albums, six extended plays, one compilation album, one remix album, and 48 singles. In 2002, she won the inaugural season of the television competition American Idol and was immediately signed to a recording deal with 19 Recordings, S Records, and RCA Records. She made her chart debut in September 2002 with the double A-side single "Before Your Love"/"A Moment Like This", latter of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually became the year's best-selling single in the United States. Her debut album, Thankful, was released in April 2003 and entered the US Billboard 200 chart at number one. Thankful produced the hit lead single "Miss Independent" and was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Efraym Elliott Yamin is an American singer known for his hit single "Wait for You" and for placing third on the fifth season of American Idol.
Mandisa Lynn Hundley, known professionally as Mandisa, is an American gospel and contemporary Christian recording artist. Her career began as a contestant in the fifth season of American Idol, in which she finished in ninth place. She is the fifth American Idol alumna to win a Grammy Award, for her album Overcomer in the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category.
"Bad Day" is a pop song from Canadian singer Daniel Powter's self-titled second studio album (2005). It was written by Powter and produced by Jeff Dawson and Mitchell Froom. Powter and Dawson recorded the song in 2002, but were initially unable to find a record label to release it. The song was first used in a French Coca-Cola television advertisement in Christmas 2004 before its official release. Tom Whalley, Warner Bros. Records' chairman and CEO, offered Powter a contract after hearing a demo tape of it. This track ended up being released as the aforementioned album's lead single in Europe in early 2005.
"Ridin' " is a song by American rapper Chamillionaire featuring fellow American rapper Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, released on November 12, 2005, as the second single from his debut studio album The Sound of Revenge (2005). Produced by hip hop producer Play-N-Skillz, the song's lyrics discuss racial profiling and police brutality, in addition to the stereotyping of African-Americans driving a vehicle with drugs or other contraband on the inside.
The studio albums in the American Idol compilation series are compilations of songs by American Idol contestants normally released every year towards the end of the season or after the season has ended. For the first five seasons, the albums consist of cover songs from all the finalists of the season, and is released as CDs before the last episode by RCA Records. After season 5, such compilations were released only sporadically. Compilations for individual contestants were released digitally starting season 6. No compilations were released in season 7.
"Show Stopper" is the debut single by American girl group Danity Kane from their 2006 self-titled debut album. The song was written by Angela Hunte, Krystal Oliver, Calvin Puckett, Frank Romano, and James Scheffer. It features guest vocals by rapper Yung Joc and was produced by Jim Jonsin. The song was released as the album's lead single on August 4, 2006 in the United States and on October 20, 2006 in Europe. While "Show Stopper" peaked at number 8 on the official Billboard Hot 100 chart, it managed to enter the top 30 in Germany. The single also charted in the top 20 on the Pop 100 chart, and earned top five status on the Digital Songs and Dance Club Play charts.
Straight Outta Lynwood is the twelfth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on September 26, 2006, the title drawing inspiration from hip hop group N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton. It was the sixth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-2000s. The album's lead single, "White & Nerdy", is a parody of Chamillionaire's hit single "Ridin'". The single debuted at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #9 the following week; "Canadian Idiot", a parody of Green Day's "American Idiot", also charted, peaking at #82.
"White & Nerdy" is the second single from "Weird Al" Yankovic's album Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released on September 26, 2006. It parodies the song "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. The song both satirizes and celebrates nerd culture, as recited by the subject, who cannot "roll with the gangstas" because he is "just too white and nerdy". It includes many references to activities stereotypically associated with nerds and white people, such as collecting comic books and action figures, playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), going to Renaissance Fairs, playing Minesweeper, riding a Segway, programming computers, writing his name on his underwear, unnecessarily wearing braces, using an ergonomic keyboard, reading Stephen Hawking, memorizing pi, editing Wikipedia, owning a fanny pack, watching Happy Days and Star Trek, making a “web page for his dog”, and eating "sandwiches with mayonnaise".
"Swear It Again" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released on 19 April 1999 in the United Kingdom and on 25 February 2000 in the United States as the first and only single from their self-titled debut album Westlife (1999). The song peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks, giving Westlife their first of 14 UK number-one singles. "Swear It Again" is Westlife's only single to have charted in the US, peaking at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ranking number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart in 2000.
The discography of American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, actor and parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic consists of fourteen studio albums, nine compilation albums, eleven video albums, two extended plays, two box sets, forty-six singles and fifty-four music videos. Since the debut of his first comedy song in 1976, he has sold more than 12 million albums—more than any other comedy act in history—recorded more than 150 parody and original songs, and performed more than 1,000 live shows. His works have earned him five Grammy Awards among sixteen nominations, along with several gold and platinum record certifications in the United States. Yankovic's first single, "My Bologna", was released in 1979, and he made his chart debut two years later with his second single, "Another One Rides the Bus", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. His self-titled debut studio album was released on Scotti Brothers Records in April 1983, peaking at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 and being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Ricky", the album's third single, became his first single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 64.
"Celebrity" is a song written and performed by American country music singer Brad Paisley. It was released in March 2003 as the first single from his album, Mud on the Tires. The song reached the top five of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number three. It also peaked at number 31 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
"Whatever You Like" is a song by the American rapper T.I., released as the lead single from his sixth studio album, Paper Trail (2008). The song was written by T.I. and David Siegel, alongside the song's producer Jim Jonsin. "Whatever You Like" served as the third single from Paper Trail in the United Kingdom with a release date of June 1, 2009.
"No Boundaries" is the 2009 winner's single of season 8 of the reality television show American Idol. It was co-written by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, along with Cathy Dennis, and Mitch Allan. It is the first single for winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert.
"Make Me Proud" is a hip hop song by Canadian recording artist Drake, released as the third single from his second studio album, Take Care, featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released as a digital download on October 16, 2011 and impacted rhythmic radio on October 25, 2011 in the U.S.
