It was Lennon-McCartney Songbook night at American Idol 9, and I groaned inwardly at the thought of what this unlikely crop of contestants might choose. I'm making a list of Lennon-McCartney songs that should never be performed on American Idol again - either because they're overperformed in the first place, or because an earlier contestant did them so well they shouldn't be touched again. A few choice examples:

"Yesterday". It's overdone. Also, I downloaded Syesha Mercado's version from Season 7, because she breathed new life into it, a miracle I doubt could be accomplished twice by American Idol contestants.

"Michelle". Argh. Overdone. Every elevator and dentist's office in the world is playing it, along with "Yesterday".

"Imagine". Again argh, overdone, but also, who could come close to David Archuleta's version during Season 7?

"Hey, Jude." Argh. Overdone.

"Let It Be." I downloaded Brooke White's version during Season 7. It still holds up. Let it be, already.

I'll add onto this list as other ideas come to mind.

Could the nine contestants actually come up with something original, or at least something that hasn't been done to death? Well, yes and no. Here's how it went:

Aaron Kelly picked "The Long and Winding Road." I had to sing this once in a community chorus, and it didn't leave me especially fond of it. It's slow and plodding, anyway, and Aaron brought nothing new to it. His voice lacked confidence, although it was adequate and usually on key. I think he should have given a lot more of himself to the song. Competence isn't enough at this level of the competition. Randy didn't love the arrangement, and the song was so sleepy. He thought it needed to be changed up a little. Ellen thought it was a big song to take on; she thought it felt like a long and winding song. Kara said he hasn't reached the great level yet. Simon asked why he chose the song. Aaron said the whole journey has been a long and winding road, and he didn't change the arrangement because it was a Beatles song and he didn't want to change such a great song. Simon thought he was very old-fashioned and very boring; he thought Aaron should become young and relevant.

Katie Stevens, being completely unoriginal, of course chose one from my Banned Songbook, "Let It Be," and while she didn't do anything new with it, she gave a surprisingly good performance. She looked very professional in a neatly tailored pink knee-length dress and silver jewelry, with her hair pulled sleekly back into a ponytail. The song is old-fashioned, so it's no surprise she'd be drawn to it. She sang with more emotion than she ever has on the show before. Randy thought it was her best performance ever. Ellen thought she changed it just enough to make it her own. She thought it was amazing. Kara thought it was a great vocal and Katie shows confidence even after two weeks in the bottom 3. Simon said that last night she got it right. He was convinced that it was because he had told her to go more "country", although how he could think that her performance of the song was in any way "country" is beyond me. It was beyond Randy and Kara, too, who retorted that it was more R&B (also wrong, as far as I'm concerned). In any case, Katie will probably not be in the Bottom 3 tonight.

The same might not be true of Andrew Garcia. He gave a bluesy performance of "Can't Buy Me Love" that was lukewarm and not very exciting. His voice just isn't that good, and there were notes that didn't ring true. Randy thought it was a solid performance, a little corny at times, but okay. Ellen thought it was a perfect song choice for him and she loved it. Kara wants to love it, but she didn't think she'd seen anything new from him. Simon thought the band overpowered the guitar, which made it corny, old-fashioned and irrelevant.

Michael Lynche has such a wonderful, rich voice that he can sing the most boring song and make it sound good. He said his family used to sing together (Did he really say they performed as the "Lynche Mob"?!), and "Eleanor Rigby" was one of the songs they did. So that's what he performed last night. I am sick to death of this song, and even Big Mike pouring his heart into "All the lonely people" didn't help much. Oh, well. Randy loved seeing the artist in him blossom. Ellen loved it. She also said he changed it. Kara thought it was fire. The vocals were amazing. He made the song commercial today, relevant. Simon didn't love it as much as the other judges. He thought it was the sort of thing you see and hear in musicals. He didn't think it made him contemporary at all.

I had a fantasy of Crystal Bowersox performing John Lennon's folksy "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" (from the movie Help!), one of my favorite songs and one I perform myself. But no, she chose the funky "Come Together", which Carly Smithson did so well during Season 7. I downloaded Carly's version, and couldn't imagine that even Crystal could stand up to it. Of course, I was wrong. Crystal did a wonderful job with the song. For one thing, she brought in a didgeridoo, played by a guy named Ernie. Yes, a didgeridoo. It's amazing how well it worked. Crystal had a cold, but still managed to sing creditably, even though she was weaker on the verses, and I'd swear she messed up the words once. Randy said it was another solid performance. Not her best, maybe, but still good. Ellen loved the didgeridoo. She loved the song. Kara thought it was one of her favorite of Crystal's performances. Slinky, sexy, playful. She felt Crystal was more accessible tonight. Simon thought it was a performance he could hear on the radio. It worked. She was true to herself.

Oops, now it's time for some more Urban blight...Tim Urban chose "All My Loving", a song I used to love when I was 13. I really had no desire to hear my old favorite tortured to death. He gave a kind of perfunctory accompaniment on an electric guitar. His performance was boring and bland, just like his smarmy smiles. How does this guy get voted in week after week?! But the judges didn't seem to notice how bad he was. Simon even said that he thought he did really well. No gimmicks, just the right thing to do. He thought it sounded very current. I feel as if the Tim Urban Mind Control Robot has taken control of their brains.

And now for the best performance of the evening, the only truly original song choice: Casey James chose a piece from John Lennon's solo album, "Jealous Man." I don't remember ever hearing this song before, and I loved it. He accompanied himself with an acoustic guitar, and the only other accompaniment was a cello (and background singers towards the end; I could have done without them). It was a great song choice for him; it suited his Texas twang well, and the bare-bones version was perfect. Randy loved the sensitive vibe, he was impressed by the kind of artistic leap Casey took. Ellen thought it was his best performance to date. So soulful. Kara thought he showed vulnerability. Very tasteful. It showed depth. Simon thought it was the best performance of the night so far. I agree.

Our Cape Cod girl, Siobhan Magnus, sang "Across the Universe", which kind of fits with the hippie lifestyle in which I think her father may have raised her. It was a very stripped-down performance, just her and a piano accompaniment. It wasn't her strongest performance, but it was moving anyway, and a lot of it was excellent. She didn't scream out any notes, either. Randy thought her outfit was "wild." She was wearing a floor-length ruffled skirt that looked like she'd taken it from my grandmother's vanity table, and a kind of halter-topped gray leatherlike vest. He thought the song was a little sleepy for him, but he liked that she showed her tender side. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara thought it was very restrained and very polite. She thinks Siobhan connected very personally to the song. Simon asked Siobhan what she connected to in the song. She spoke of her younger sisters; said they're her whole world and nothing's going to change that. Simon admitted he liked the performance.

And finally, Lee DeWyze took one from my Banned list and sang a substandard version of "Hey, Jude." Sigh. He was off key from the very beginning; they might think he was changing up the melody, but I think he was just screwing up. Everything changed, however, when a bagpiper strolled down the neon staircase on the final chorus. Miraculously, the piper was on key as he played the melody, and it worked remarkably well. I've got to give Lee credit for his audacity. The first three judges praised him. Then there was Simon. He wouldn't have added the bagpiper. “It was like he turned up on the wrong show.” Well, of course Simon wouldn't have. That's why he's not anybody's Idol. I'm pretty sure people will vote for Lee despite his poor vocal performance.

Best performance of the night was Casey James on "Jealous Man". Crystal Bowersox ran him a close second with "Come Together".

Worst performance of the night? Well, my choices for Bottom 3 are Aaron Kelly (which will never happen; the teenyboppers will continue to vote for him in force), Andrew Garcia, and Tim Urban Blight. My first choice for elimination would be Tim Urban, but I suspect it'll be Andrew Garcia who gets the fewest votes. We'll see.