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It takes courage to change a song in front of the artist, but that’s exactly what Arthur Gunn did during Sunday’s “American Idol”.
Gunn belted out Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood to the Head single “In My Place” in front of mentor Chris Martin on the latest episode of the competition, and, as per usual, Gunn made the song his own.
“Funny enough, I always thought the melody was the best bit — and that’s the bit you’ve thrown away,” Martin quipped, according to Yahoo!
“Some people are very protective of the original. And I feel like, no, the nature of music is that it’s an ongoing conversation,” he added. “It’s water moving. I think what you’re doing is brave, and I’m all-in.”
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Judge Luke Bryan said after the performance, “To sit there and stick to your guns and change the melody to the song is pretty amazing. What is so cool about you is you walk to the beat of your own drum and you do things your way. Your vocals were great.”
Lionel Richie added, “Oh my God, Arthur, you are a cherished soul in my book, because anyone who can stand before the writer and say, ‘Eh, I’ll change the melody, and a few words too, and make it mine,’ it’s called an artist. And you’re dead on your artistry.”
However, Katy Perry had some constructive criticism.
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“One thing to know about artists, we’re very stubborn. I think Chris was saying it kindly — like, the best part of that song is the melody,” she told Gunn.
“But of course, you are Arthur Gunn, and you do you, you take a song and make it yours. I think you sounded good, it sounded like we were at your show. [But] sometimes it is about playing along just a little bit. Because I did want to sing along with you, Arthur, and I didn’t know that melody.”
Gunn also belted out Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” for his mom and all the moms out there on Mother’s Day.