This is a list of songs released for sale from the show American Idol, consisting of recordings of coronation songs by winners and runners-up of the show, live and studio recordings by contestants, songs from the American Idol CDs, as well as special singles released by the show such as those for Idol Gives Back and specially-recorded boot songs. Songs released by Idol alumni in post-Idol career are not included here. See American Idol alumni single sales for a list of some of those releases.
In the first few seasons, songs were released as physical CD single which may contain one cover song and one original song. However, after Season 5 physical singles were no longer released, and songs were available only as digital downloads starting Season 6. The digital downloads were only available initially via American Idol official website during the season towards the end of Season 5 and all the final rounds of Season 6, but were then made available from iTunes after the Season 6 ended. In all subsequent seasons all performances were made available in iTunes during the season and after the season has ended.
The digital songs sold during the season were not eligible to chart, and their sales figures were not released. Any number listed for those songs would be solely based on units sold after the finale.
The following Idol songs have charted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
| Entry date | Single | Artist | Peak | Sales | RIAA cert. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 21, 2002 | "A Moment Like This" (b/w "Before Your Love") |
Kelly Clarkson (Season 1, Winner) |
01[1] | 738,000 (Digital)[2] 627,000 (Physical)[3] |
1x Gold[4] |
| May 3, 2003 | "God Bless the USA" | American Idol Finalists (Season 2 Finalists) |
04[5] | 0,310,000 (Physical)[6] | 1x Gold[7] |
| June 28, 2003 | "Flying Without Wings" (b/w "Superstar") |
Ruben Studdard (Season 2, Winner) |
02[8] | 0,790,000 (Physical + Digital)[9] 737,000 (Physical)[3] |
1x Gold[10] |
| "This Is the Night" (b/w "Bridge over Troubled Water") |
Clay Aiken (Season 2, Runner-Up) |
01[11] | 0,960,000 (Physical)[3]
52,000 (Digital)[12] |
1x Platinum[13] | |
| July 10, 2004 | "I Believe" | Fantasia (Season 3, Winner) |
01[14] | 0,559,000 (Physical + Digital)[9] 406,000 (Physical)[3] |
|
| July 17, 2004 | "Dreams"
(b/w I Believe/Don't Cry Out Loud) |
Diana DeGarmo (Season 3, Runner-Up) |
14[15] | 0,202,000 (Physical)
23,000 (Digital)[3] |
|
| May 7, 2005 | "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" | American Idol Finalists (Season 4 Finalists) |
39[16] | 0,115,100 (Physical)[17] | |
| July 2, 2005 | "Inside Your Heaven" (b/w "Independence Day") |
Carrie Underwood (Season 4, Winner) |
01[18] | 0,880,000 (Physical + Digital)[9] 459,000 (Physical)[3] |
1x Gold[19] |
| July 9, 2005 | "Inside Your Heaven" (b/w "Vehicle" featuring Richie Sambora) |
Bo Bice (Season 4, Runner-Up) |
02[20] | 0,401,0000,349,000 (Physical)
52,000 (Digital)[3] |
1x Gold[21] |
| June 10, 2006 | "Wanted Dead or Alive" | Chris Daughtry (Season 5, 4th Place) |
43[22] | 0,103,000 (Digital)[23] | |
| "Takin' It to the Streets" | Taylor Hicks (Season 5, Winner) |
69[24] | 0,071,000 (Digital)[25] | ||
| July 1, 2006 | "Do I Make You Proud" | Taylor Hicks | 01[24] | 0,709,000 (Physical + Digital)[9] 464,000 (Physical)[3] |
|
| July 15, 2006 | "Over the Rainbow" | Katharine McPhee (Season 5, Runner-Up) |
12[26] | 0,131,000 (Digital)[27] | |
| "My Destiny" | Katharine McPhee | 60[26] | 0,169,000 (Physical)
98,000 (Digital)[3] |
||
| May 12, 2007 | "I'll Stand by You" | Carrie Underwood | 06[28] | 0,339,147[29] | |
| "Up to the Mountain" | Kelly Clarkson featuring Jeff Beck |
56[28] | 0,046,196[30] | ||
| June 9, 2007 | "This Is My Now" | Jordin Sparks (Season 6, Winner) |
15[31] | 0,334,000[9] | |
| "You Give Love a Bad Name" | Blake Lewis (Season 6, Runner-Up) |
18[32] | 0,192,000[33] | ||
| "A Broken Wing" | Jordin Sparks | 66[34] | 0,052,000 [33] | ||
| "I (Who Have Nothing)"" | Jordin Sparks | 80[35] | 0,044,000 [33] | ||
| "Time of the Season" | Blake Lewis | 99[36] | 0,039,000 [33] | ||
| April 26, 2008 | "Praying for Time" | Carrie Underwood | 27[37] | 0,087,286[38] | |
| "Shout to the Lord" | American Idol Finalists (Season 7 Top 8 Finalists) |
43[37] | 0,055,745[39] | ||
| "Many Rivers to Cross" | Annie Lennox | 80[37] | 0,029,159[39] | ||
| June 7, 2008 | "The Time of My Life" | David Cook (Season 7, Winner) |
03[40] | 1,482,000[41] | 1x Platinum[42] |
| "Dream Big" | David Cook | 15[43] | 0,145,000[44] | ||
| "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" | David Cook | 22[43] | 0,125,000[44] | ||
| "The World I Know" | David Cook | 28[43] | 0,096,000[44] | ||
| "Imagine" | David Archuleta (Season 7, Runner-Up) |
36[40] | 0,080,000[44] | ||
| "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | David Cook | 42[45] | 0,060,000[46] | ||
| "Billie Jean" | David Cook | 47[47] | 0,056,300[46] | ||
| "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" | David Archuleta | 58[48] | 0,061,000[44] | ||
| "In This Moment" | David Archuleta | 60[49] | 0,061,000[44] | ||
| "Always Be My Baby" | David Cook | 67[50] | 0,046,600[46] | ||
| "Hello" | David Cook | 73[51] | 0,042,300[46] | ||
| "The Music of the Night" | David Cook | 77[52] | 0,036,000[44] | ||
| "Eleanor Rigby" | David Cook | 92[53] | 0,028,000[44] | ||
| "I'm Alive" | David Cook | 99[54] | 0,025,000[44] | ||
| June 6, 2009 | "No Boundaries" | Kris Allen (Season 8, Winner) |
11[55] | 0,343,000[9] | |
| "Heartless" | Kris Allen | 16[55] | 0,412,000[56] | ||
| "Mad World" | Adam Lambert (Season 8, Runner-Up) |
19[57] | 0,256,000[58] | ||
| "Ain't No Sunshine" | Kris Allen | 37[55] | 0,125,000[56] | ||
| "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Adam Lambert | 56[57] | 0,063,000[59] | ||
| "Apologize" | Kris Allen | 66[55] | 0,059,000[59] | ||
| "No Boundaries" | Adam Lambert | 72[57] | 0,068,000 [60] | ||
| "One" | Adam Lambert | 82[57] | 0,046,000[59] | ||
| "Falling Slowly" | Kris Allen | 94[55] | 0,038,000[59] | ||
| March 13, 2010 | "Let It Be" | Kris Allen | 63 | 0,086,000[61] | |
| June 12, 2010 | "Beautiful Day" | Lee DeWyze (Season 9, Winner) |
24[62] | 0,186,000[9] | |
| "Hallelujah" | Lee DeWyze | 44[62] | 0,118,000 [63] | ||
| "Up to the Mountain" | Crystal Bowersox (Season 9, Runner-Up) |
57[62] | 0,063,000[64] | ||
| "Falling Slowly" | Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze |
66[62] | 0,085,000[65] | ||
| "The Boxer" | Lee DeWyze | 88[62] | 0,037,000 [64] | ||
| June 11, 2011 | "I Love You This Big" | Scotty McCreery (Season 10, Winner) |
11[66] | 0,915,000[67] | 1x Platinum[68] |
| "Like My Mother Does" | Lauren Alaina (Season 10, Runner-Up) |
20[66] | 0,398,000[69] | ||
| June 9, 2012 | "Home" | Phillip Phillips (Season 11, Winner) |
06[70] | 5,400,000[71] |
4× Platinum[72] |
| "We've Got Tonite" | Phillip Phillips | 97[70] | 0,058,000[73] | ||
| June 1, 2013 | "I Am Beautiful" | Candice Glover (Season 12, Winner) |
94[74] | 0,048,000[74] | |
| May 20, 2015 | "Beautiful Life" | Nick Fradiani (Season 14, Winner) |
93[75] | 0,050,000[75] |
The following songs failed to reach the Hot 100, but managed to make the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles charts.
| Entry Date | Single | Artist | Peak | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 5, 2003 | "Superstar" | Ruben Studdard | 12[76] | |
| June 10, 2006 | "Moody's Mood for Love" | Elliott Yamin (Season 5, 3rd Place) |
1[77] | 25,000[23] |
| "Think" | Katharine McPhee | 21[78] | 21,000[79] | |
| June 9, 2007 | "This Love" | Blake Lewis | 2[80] | 38,000 [33] |
| "When the Stars Go Blue" | Blake Lewis | 10[81] | 31,000 [33] | |
| "I Need to Know" | Blake Lewis | 19[82] | 23,000 [33] | |
| April 26, 2008 | "Don't Stop The Music" | American Idol Finalists | 23 | 14,040[39] |
| June 7, 2008 | "Little Sparrow" | David Cook | 1[83] | 24,000 [44] |
| "Hungry Like the Wolf" | David Cook | 3[84] | 23,000 [44] | |
| "Innocent" | David Cook | 4[85] | 23,000 [44] | |
| "Hallelujah" | Jason Castro (Season 7, 4th Place) |
13[86] | 19,000 [44] | |
| "Day Tripper" | David Cook | 14[87] | 19,000 [44] | |
| "Longer" | David Archuleta | 15[88] | 19,000 [44] | |
| "All Right Now" | David Cook | 18[89] | 18,000 [44] | |
| "Think of Me" | David Archuleta | 19[90] | 18,000 [44] | |
| "Angels" | David Archuleta | 24[91] | 17,000 [44] | |
| "Happy Together" | David Cook | 25[92] | 17,000 [44] | |
| June 6, 2009 | "Cryin'" | Adam Lambert | 2[93] | 35,000 [59] |
| "Slow Ride" | Allison Iraheta (Season 8, 4th Place) and Adam Lambert |
5[94] | 34,000 [59] | |
| "What's Going On" | Kris Allen | 7[95] | 21,000 [96] | |
| "To Make You Feel My Love" | Kris Allen | 13[95] | 26,000 [59] | |
| "The Tracks of My Tears" | Adam Lambert | 17[93] | 26,000 [59] | |
| "Feeling Good" | Adam Lambert | 21[93] | 25,000 [59] | |
| "You Are So Beautiful" | Danny Gokey (Season 8, 3rd Place) |
25[97] | 15,000 [96] | |
| June 12, 2010 | "Everybody Hurts" | Lee DeWyze | 4 | 22,000 [98] |
| "Black Velvet" | Crystal Bowersox | 24 | 15,000 [98] | |
| "Me and Bobby McGee" | Crystal Bowersox | 25[99] | 14,000 [98] | |
| June 9, 2012 | "Volcano" | Phillip Phillips | 9[100] | 49,000[73] |
| "Stand by Me" | Phillip Phillips | 24[100] | 24,000[101] | |
| April 30, 2015 | "Falling" | Trent Harmon (Season 15, Winner) |
16[102] | 52,000[103] |
The following songs ranked in the Year-End charts for the Billboard Hot 100.
| Year | Single | Artist | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "A Moment Like This" | Kelly Clarkson | 39[104] |
| 2003 | "This Is the Night" | Clay Aiken | 47[105] |
| "Flying Without Wings" | Ruben Studdard | 88[106] | |
| 2005 | "Inside Your Heaven" | Carrie Underwood | 71 |
| 2006 | "Do I Make You Proud" | Taylor Hicks | 99[107] |
| 2008 | "The Time of My Life" | David Cook | 69[108] |
| 2012 | "Home" | Phillip Phillips | 49[109] |
| 2013 | "Home" | Phillip Phillips | 46[110] |
Starting Season 5, when contestants in the final rounds are eliminated, a video of their journey through the contest was shown, accompanied by a song as a send-off. The song is also commonly called the "boot song".
| Season | Single | Artist | Peak | Sales | RIAA cert. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | "Bad Day" | Daniel Powter | 1[111] | 3,000,000[112] | 3× Platinum[113] |
| 6 | "Home" | Daughtry | 5[114] | 2,349,000[115] | Platinum[116] |
| 7 | "Celebrate Me Home" | Ruben Studdard | — | ||
| 7 | "Hollywood's Not America" | Ferras | 62[117] | ||
| 7 | "Best Days" | Graham Colton | — | ||
| 8 | "Home Sweet Home" | Carrie Underwood | 21[118] | 300,000[119] | |
| 9 | "Leave Right Now" | Will Young | 81[120] | 50,000[98] | |
| 10 | "Don't You (Forget About Me)" | David Cook | — | 33,000 | |
| 11 | "Please Remember Me" | Scotty McCreery | — | 58,000[121] | |
| 12 | "Gone Gone Gone" | Phillip Phillips | 24 | 2,000,000[122] | Platinum[72] |
| 13 | "Breakaway" | Eliminated contestant | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes the song did not chart in Hot 100. | |||||
|
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Finalists |
| ||||||
| Winners' singles |
| ||||||
| Concert tours |
| ||||||
| Related programming |
| ||||||
| Related articles |
| ||||||
