Clay Aiken Sings From 500 Greatest Songs of All Time!

During a conversation with some friends on Saturday night, the topic of the Beatles was brought to the table.  Most of the conversation was remembrances of the excitement the Beatles brought to the world of music.  Most of our group remembered the enormous popularity of the Beatles and someone even brought up the term, “Beatlemania.”

Formed in Liverpool, England, in 1960, the Beatles were one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.

Saturday was John Lennon’s birthday.  He would have been 70 on Oct. 9 had he not been killed in 1980 by a deranged fan at the age of 40.

Of course, talk about music with my friends means that Clay Aiken and his amazing musicianship will be a part of the conversation.  After some discussion, we decided that Clay had performed three Beatles songs and one song from the pen of John Lennon.

As a contestant on American Idol in 2003, Clay sang Here, There and Everywhere. According to Wikipedia:

Here, There and Everywhere” is a song written primarily by Paul McCartney, recorded for the Beatles 1966 album Revolver.  In his biography Many Years From Now, McCartney said the song is one of his favorites. Beatles’ producer George Martin has also mentioned it as one of his favorite McCartney songs. John Lennon reportedly told McCartney it was “the best tune on the album” and said in his 1980 Playboy interview it was “one of my favorite songs of the Beatles.” Mojo ranked it the 4th greatest song of all time in 2000.


Clay included Can’t Buy Me Love as a part of the Jukebox Tour.  As part of the 60’s medley, the song was a great hit.

According to Songfacts.com this was one of the first Pop songs to start with the chorus rather than a verse. That was producer George Martin’s idea.

When pressed by American journalists in 1966 to reveal the song’s “true” meaning, McCartney denied that “Can’t Buy Me Love” was about prostitution, stating that, although it was open to interpretation, that suggestion was going too far, saying: “The idea behind it was that all these material possessions are all very well, but they won’t buy me what I really want. ” Although he was to later comment: “It should have been ‘Can Buy Me Love’ ” when reflecting on the perks that money and fame had brought him

Can’t Buy Me Love” was recorded on 29 January 1964 in Paris, France.

In March, 2010, Clay sang a touching performance of In My Life.  During the recording of his PBS Special, Clay introduced his former teachers and asked his 6th grade teacher to take a special bow.  He told the audience that this special lady was the reason he made it through 6th grade.  He then sang an amazing rendition of In My Life.

John Lennon wrote the original song, but McCartney contributed a great deal to the final version.  The song was released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul.  The song is ranked #5 on the list of the Beatles 100 Greatest Songs.  It is also ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In 1971, John Lennon released an album titled Imagine.  The title song was released as a single in the United States and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.  Lennon always said that Imagine was as good as anything he had ever written with the Beatles.  Rolling Stone also made the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time at #3

Clay sang Imagine as part of the finale of “Bringing Broadway Home”, a wonderful benefit concert for the North Carolina Theatre.  Clay was joined by Lauren Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, Terrence Mann, and Quiana Parler to close the exciting concert held on June 21, 2010.

Each of these performances by Clay Aiken is amazing.  Which one is your favorite?  Did I leave out any songs?  A big “thank-you” to LovesClaysVoice for her help in finding the videos for this article.

Clay Aiken News Network is an unofficial fansite. We are not affiliated in any way with Clay Aiken or his management. This website was made by fans for fans and makes no impression or impersonation of the official site, which can be found under the domain clayaiken.com.

11 thoughts on “Clay Aiken Sings From 500 Greatest Songs of All Time!

  1. I love the Beatles – especially their songwriting abilities. Lennon/McCartney penned some of the most amazing songs in their short time together. George Harrison also wrote one of my all time favorites "Something" (which has gone on to become the most recorded songs ever). Clay does a wonderful job on the songs, especially Here, There and Everywhere and In My Life. Both songs are melodically stunning and allow him to sink his teeth into the interpretation.

    Thanks!

  2. Musicfan,

    What a great way to remember John Lennon of the Beatles and enjoy Clay Aiken's versions of his songs. I especially love "In My Life" and "Here, There, and Everywhere" by Clay.

    Have a wonderful week!

    Caro

  3. I didn't appreciate the Beatles until much later, after they had broken up as a group. I realize now what beautiful and powerful songwriters they were. I love Something, Imagine, and In My Life. Their songs are classics, recorded by many, many singers. They were still so young when they broke up; imagine how many more beautiful songs they could have produced.

    Many of their songs are perfect for Clay. I hope someday he's able to record more of them.

  4. Such a great blog. I love all of the songs listed above and Clay does a wonderful job with them.
    So sad that John Lennon's life ended in such a tragic way.
    That is very interesting about the interpretation of "Can't Buy Me Love".
    Clay singing "In My Life" is so touching, especially knowing he was saying "Thank You" to his teachers during his PBS Special.

    Keep up the good work.

  5. I was a big Beatles fan back in the day…and still listen to their songs. Clay did a remarkable job on all their songs. It's Clay…he can sing anything…. I do love "In My Life" though…but after listening to "Imagine"…his harmonizing is impeccable….he makes it look so easy. I would love to hear Clay sing more Beatles songs. As long as I can hear Clay sing…I'm happy…

  6. Thank you so much for a really great blog. Clay's beautiful voice singing some of the Beatles most beautifully witten songs….amazing. My favorite Beatles song is Here, There and Everywhere so of course that has to be my favorite, but they are all wonderful. 🙂

  7. Amazing the number of performances of so many different songs that Clay has given us. He has a real gift for interpretation and can sing just about anything better than anyone else.

  8. I love all of these songs…but, right now, I would have to say.."In My Life" is my favorite. What a perfect tribute to his School Teacher. Every time I watch it..it brings a tear to my eye..and when he says "I love them all." Just so beautiful!

  9. I love the Beatles, Clay Aiken's interpretation of "In My Life" is absolutely gorgeous (even better than the original).

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