Songs It is down to the last two contestants on the latest season of American Idol. Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze have made it into the Top Two for the Season 9 title. But I want to flash back to the Season 7 Final. It was May 20, 2008, and David Archuleta and David Cook were in the same place. That night was full of anticipation for both ‘the Davids,’ as well as the fans who had followed the show. I will never forget watching David Archuleta sing his first song of the evening. His performance was nothing short of amazing and he took my breath away. He gave it his all in that performance, prompting Simon Cowell to declare it Archuleta’s best performance on the show. Even now when I listen to a recording of the song from that evening two years ago, I still feel the excitement and energy in his voice.

The Song of the Week is…

“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”

“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” was written by British musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin in January 1974. It is the first single from Elton John’s album, Caribou. The song was released in the United Kingdom on May 20, 1974, and in the United States a month later. Coincidentally, May 20th was the day that David performed it on American Idol, 34 years after its release!

“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” is a powerful song about helping someone out, only to be rejected later. The song starts off slowly and builds to an emotional crescendo. The words are heartfelt, as the listener feels the anguish in the singer’s voice, pleading “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me.” The chorus of the song is supported by a horn arrangement and features backing vocals from the Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson and Bruce Johnston, as well as famous 1970’s singer, Toni Tennille.

Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” with lyrics provided:

Even though the song was popular in the 1970s, it became an even bigger hit when George Michael sang it as a duet with Elton John for the Live Aid concert in 1985. The duo then recorded it during a ‘live’ concert performance in 1991. The duet and video were released later that year and reached number one on the UK singles chart for two weeks in December 1991. It was also number one for a single week on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1992. It has been reported that proceeds from that ‘live’ single were divided among ten different charities for children, AIDS, and education.

Here is the 1991 video of George Michael singing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” with Elton John:

Finally, here is David Archuleta’s rendition of the song from American Idol Season 7, Top 2 show. I just wish he had been able to sing all the words because, in my humble opinion, he sings it with so much heart and soul that it is the best ‘live’ performance out of the three I have included here! 😉

I want to wish Crystal and Lee the best of luck in their quest for the title of “American Idol.” As we fans of David know, both Crystal and Lee are already winners, whether they come in first or second, and their future in music will be bright and full of opportunity! 😉

Take care all,
Katie

Listen to Song of Last Week.

David Archuleta, the Voice

DA week that was in the life of David Archuleta

Media   David’s World   Fandom

Follow links above to the relevant sections below.

Keeping up with the über-talented, awe-inspiring, world-travelling David Archuleta can be a full-time job. Even the most (D)avid fans among us don’t always have time to follow David. Here are some of last week’s top stories about the awesome David Archuleta.

Media Headlines

News, Reviews, and Interviews

David Archuleta won Billboard Best Male American Idol!
by Billboard.com
22 May 2010

In the Billboard poll David handily beat second-place finisher Adam Lambert. The Best Female American Idol is Carrie Underwood who squeaked by Kelly Clarkson at the last minute. And now the final poll:

David Archuleta vs Carrie Underwood
Which one will become the Best American Idol Ever?

Only three more days to vote in Billboard’s poll! Billboard will announce the winner on 25 May! Ready, set, GO!!! Vote!!!

David Archuleta at Apple Computer
Cupertino, CA
21 May 2010

David Archuleta sang “Imagine” outdoors at Apple’s annual Apple Idol event. Watch and be inspired to vote on the Billboard poll!

“Crush” wins BMI Pop Songwriting award for David Hodges.
19 May 2010

Musician David Hodges attended the 58th Annual BMI Pop Awards held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on May 18, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California, and took home the award for “Crush,” the hit song he wrote for David Archuleta. Emmanuel Kiriakou and Jess Cates also co-wrote “Crush.” Hodges also won for “What About Now,” a song he co-wrote for Chris Daughtry. (Last February David Archuleta sang “Crush” at The Mint in Los Angeles with all three songwriters.)

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed. In 2009, BMI collected over US$905 million in licensing fees and distributed US$788 million in royalties.

Source: David Hodges’ BMI Pop Awards Award-Winning Songs

David’s World

Blogs, Tweets, Appearances

Blogs and Vlogs

DA Official Blog
21 May 2010

David has posted a new blog. Here’s an excerpt, but you can read the rest on his official website and send a comment.

“Hey everyone! I thought I’d leave a note to let you guys know about what’s been up with me lately. This last weekend was a really great one! I got to spend time with some friends, which included some who drove down from Utah, and we all went to the Santa Monica Pier and rode the ferris wheel haha. We also walked around 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica and had a great time walking around and seeing the street performers. It’s really neat watching a bunch of those street performers….”

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Appearances – Recent & Future

• 21 May 2010: Apple Computers’ annual Apple Idol for employees, Cupertino, CA
• 2 June 2010: AOL TV’s Something Pitchy
• No further publicly-announced appearances, except for Book Signing Events in June (See next item.)

Chords of Strength Book Signing Tour

According to Archuleta Fan Scene, some fans in Japan and the Philippines have already received David’s memoir. And they say we can look forward to 245 pages, including several full-page photos. Chords of Strength will be available online and in bookstores on 1 June 2010. You can pre-order your copy for $11.69 today on Amazon.com. On Barnes and Noble, David’s memoir is currently at number 9 in the Top 100 books.

Book tour dates
David will perform one song!


Book tour dates:
  1 June – Bookends, Ridgewood, NJ
  2 June – Borders, Manhattan, NY
  3 June – Barnes & Noble, Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, NY
  5 June – Barnes & Noble, Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
  7 June – Deseret Books, Salt Lake City, UT
  8 June – Deseret Books, Orem, UT
17 June – Deseret Books, Rexburg, ID

DavidArchie on Twitter

Monday, 17 May

BubbleTweet, a Twitter video: songwriters Emanuel Kiriakou (Eman) and David Hodges are having fun with David Archuleta’s fans, giving us a tiny clip of a new song by the incomparable David Archuleta! Ah, the voice that soothes a teething baby and calms the savage beast seems to turn Eman into a ghoulish monster! “Hahahhhha!”

> I couldn’t sleep too well last night for some reason. But had a really great weekend! It’s so good to have great friends.
> Just had another nice phone interview! Now going to figure out some technical issues with the phone with a specialist lol.
> @xsillygirl6 I’m not sure! Maybe I’m meant to so I can learn more about technical stuff.

Tuesday, 18 May

> I love it when there’s an actual piano around to practice on.
> Babies are so cute. It’s hard to calm them down sometimes when they’re tired and hungry though lol.

Wednesday, 19 May

> So these little girls are saying you can make music using food.
> Playing percussion with fruit lol. http://twitpic.com/1p5ral
> RT @hodgesmusic: @EmanuelKiriakou & @ClaudeKelly, I agree w/ all 3 songs. Hold on @DavidArchie fans cause you’re gonna get all sorts of …
> @LadyVmusic Really?? That’s great! I’m sure it had a lot to do with the writers too haha. And yeah I’ve practiced on that piano a bit too
> @hodgesmusic Hey congrats on the BMI award man!

Thursday, 20 May

> Wow, the sky is so blue today! I can tell already that this day is going to be a good day.
> Wow I don’t realize how cheesy I sound sometimes. I just like looking at the sky though haha. It’s constantly changing and cool.
> @travisrclark Haha! Well hey it’s no crime to enjoy the weather and nature! I’m glad I’m not alone though!
> Had a nice meeting, now to work on some songs and recording today.
> I fail at uploading blogs. I tried getting one up earlier today and I wasn’t able to. I’ll try another time though!

Friday, 21 May

> Posted a new blog! Check it out on my website http://www.davidarchuleta.com/
> Had a fun time in Cupertino at Apple! Really really nice people there!
> Sorry I’m going to bring this up again… But I have to say the clouds here… Lol. So huge and just their dynamics are awesome

Saturday, 22 May

> Late for a recording session…. Just waiting in the car with my aunt’s dog still…
> So when I woke up this morning I somehow managed to wrap myself up like a mummy in my blanket. It was pretty comfy.
> All right, finishing up some more songs! Gonna see Georgy the dog today! So my aunt’s dog Duke and Georgy can hang.
> It’s been too long. I need to get some of the hair trimmed. So I am doing that now :).

Follow David Archuleta on Twitter. He is fast approaching 376,000 followers, but who’s counting? —I am!!! During the past six weeks, David has averaged 3,430 new followers each week.

Fandom

Blogs, Stories, Charities

Stories

Project Bearing Kindness

Project Bearing Kindness has teamed up with Rising Star Outreach to raise money for the Rising Star schools in India. With a $12 donation, your name will be added to a beautiful Angel Bear which will be given to a deserving child at the dedication on 10 July of the new Rising Star school. And you’ll receive a complimentary “David Inspires Us” bumper sticker.

Read more about how you can help the children of India.

Japanese fan makes David Dolls
13 May 2010

David Dolls made by Hiromi, a huge David Archuleta fan living in Japan! They are very small, less than 2 inches in height:). Venga T-shirt was a present from our lovely friends, Mayumi and hiro, and Big Heart T-shirt was a present from us, All About Archuleta!

SOURCE: Tiny David Archuleta Dolls

Did you miss last week’s Weekly Wrap? If you’ve fallen far behind, you should seriously search the Archhives! It’s not too late to reclaim your status as a David Archuleta fanatic fan!

DA Weekly Buzz about David Archuleta!

In Memory

Like David Archuleta, many of his fans love dogs. As we love and care for them, they become an endearing and enduring part of our lives with family and friends. Even when we must say good-bye, we will always hold them dear to our hearts. This week our Honeybee 3cota, who usually writes the Photo of the Week, had to say good-bye to her beloved Cauley, a chocolate long-haired Dachshund who has been in the family for thirteen years. Cauley Girl died peacefully after a long illness. Wearing her David Archuleta Honeybees sweater, Cauley has been featured on this blog. We send 3cota our deepest heart-felt condolences at this sad, reflective time.

Photo of this week is…!

Besides music and food, a favorite subject for David Archuleta is the family pets. The Archuleta household has many of them. Recently, a furry friend joined David in the recording studio and took over the microphone. The photo of the week is an adorable family picture of David with his own canine companion. It was taken a few years ago before David’s American Idol experience.

• Photo Credit: David Archuleta

Did you miss last week’s Photo of the Week?

David Archuleta, a Photographer’s Dream