Country music fans and TV lovers get ready because two of your favorites Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood have been making headlines. These American Idol judges are not just critiquing talent they are showing off their own musical know-how in some pretty fun ways. From a heated game show battle to a nostalgic look back at Idol beginnings there is plenty to talk about.
Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie Sweat It Out Against Carrie Underwood in Hilarious "Name That Song" Challenge on Fallon!
Ever wonder how well Luke Bryan Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie actually know their music? Well wonder no more! These American Idol judges recently went head-to-head in a super competitive round of " Name That Song " on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. And let me tell you things got intense fast!
Luke Bryan teamed up with Lionel Richie to take on Carrie Underwood and Jimmy Fallon himself. The Roots the amazing Tonight Show band were pumping out the tunes and the teams had to buzz in and guess the song first. At first it looked like Fallon and Underwood had it in the bag with Fallon nailing the first song "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". But Bryan and Richie quickly caught up guessing "ABC" by The Jackson 5.
The game went back and forth with hits like Billie Eilish's "Birds of a Feather" and "The Power of Love" being correctly identified. Lionel Richie really brought his A-game stealing a round with Heart's "Barracuda". Jimmy Fallon even declared "This is the closest game we've ever played!" Lionel Richie was so into it he jokingly said "I'm sweating! I've never worked this hard!" whipping out a handkerchief to prove it.
The tension was high especially when Carrie Underwood guessed "Walkin' on Sunshine" instead of "On the Road Again". It all came down to the wire but in the end Lionel Richie clinched the win for his team by instantly recognizing one of his own classics "All Night Long (All Night)". Of course being Lionel Richie he couldn't just guess the song he had to lead everyone in a sing-along right there on The Tonight Show stage. Forget "Dancing on the Ceiling" this game had Richie dancing all over the place!
Here are some of the songs they had to guess in the challenge:
- "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
- "ABC" by The Jackson 5
- "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish
- "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
- "Barracuda" by Heart
- "On the Road Again" (artist not explicitly mentioned in article but implied to be Willie Nelson based on the incorrect guess)
- "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie
Carrie Underwood Cringes and Laughs at Her Own American Idol Audition: Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie Joke About Her Jukebox Brain
While Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood were showing off their music knowledge on Fallon Carrie also took a trip down memory lane. She recently watched a video of her own American Idol audition from way back in Season 4 and her reactions are priceless.
Can you believe it was over 20 years ago in 2004 when a young Carrie Underwood walked into that audition room in St. Louis Missouri? She was only 21 years old with curly hair and a dream. She sang "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt for the original judges Simon Cowell Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. And it's pretty funny because Simon Cowell actually stopped her mid-song!
Now Simon was known for being abrupt but in this case it was actually a compliment. He cut her off to say "Okay that was very good." Randy Jackson asked about her favorite singer and Carrie said Martina McBride a country legend. Simon then surprised her by saying he was wondering why they hadn't found a good country singer yet and that he thought Carrie was "very good". Talk about a relief! Carrie admitted she had heard Simon wasn't a fan of country music and even picked her song partly to try and bridge that gap.
Carrie appreciated that Simon didn't dismiss her for being a country artist and actually saw the value in her genre. She even read from an old journal from that time getting emotional looking back at her younger self. She was amazed at her own confidence back then saying "I have no idea how that 21-year-old Carrie was able to muster up enough guts to walk into a room and audition".
Back on The Tonight Show Lionel Richie even jokingly called Carrie Underwood "a jukebox" because she knows every song the contestants sing on American Idol. He said it's almost unfair because she starts singing along with them! Luke Bryan chimed in too highlighting how Carrie's own Idol experience gives her a unique perspective as a judge.
American Idol Judges are Ready to Find the Next Star: Season 23 Premieres Soon!
All this fun and nostalgia is building up to something big. Carrie Underwood is making her debut as a judge on American Idol Season 23 joining veteran judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Season 23 premieres on Sunday March 9th on ABC.
It's going to be fascinating to see Carrie on the other side of the judging table after her own incredible Idol journey. And with Luke and Lionel by her side the judges panel is sure to be full of talent expertise and maybe even a little friendly competition just like their "Name That Song" showdown. Get ready for a new season of dreams drama and hopefully some amazing new musical stars to emerge!