Ryan Seacrest: (Introduction) Up next it's Taylor. Watch this...
Intro clip... Taylor: (Meeting David and Andrea for rehearsals) Hey how you doin'?
David Foster: Good to see you. (Shakes Taylor's hand)
Taylor: Good to see you.
Taylor: (To camera) I enjoyed meeting Andrea Bocelli and David Foster. Both very, very talented people in the music business.
Andrea: (To Taylor. Rehearsals) What will you sing for us.
Taylor: "Just Once".
David: Okay.
Taylor: ¯ I did my best ¯ But... ¯
Andrea : (To camera) Taylor is a good singer. He has a very beautiful instrument. He's very interesting.
Taylor: ¯ Just once... ¯
David: (To camera) I watched him for a little bit and I really kind of got drawn into the way he was performing the song... I think Taylor has the potential to really score big with this song because the song is a star.
David: (To Taylor) Sing the melody.
Taylor: ¯ ...why don't we get ourselves... ¯
David: (Cuts in) Yeah, right there.
Taylor: ¯ ...Why don't we get... ¯
David: Get the note right there.
Taylor: ¯ Why don't we get... ¯
David: Yeah.
Taylor: ¯ ourselves ¯
David: (To camera) I was pullin' for him, like "C'mon get to the note".
Taylor: (In rehearsals) ¯ Take the best and make it better ¯
David: (To Taylor) Yeah. Yeah. That was all.
Taylor: You could tell that they were just really listening and really trying to give us some good opinions and good advice on love songs that we were singin.
Andrea: (To camera, sitting with David) Taylor chose the most perfect song for him, for his voice.
David: I think Taylor potentially has the most charisma. Which is a very, very important part of being a star.
Taylor sings...
¯ I did my best ¯ But I guess my best wasn't good enough ¯ 'Cause here we are back where we were before ¯ Seems nothing ever changes ¯ We're back to being strangers ¯ Wondering if we ought to stay ¯ Or head on out the door ¯ Just once can't we find a way to finally make it right ¯ Make the magic last for more than just one night ¯ I know we could break through it ¯ If we could just get to it ¯ Just once I want to understand ¯ Why it always comes back to goodbye ¯ Why don't we give ourselves a hand ¯ Take the best and make it better ¯ Find a way to stay together ¯ (Just once) Can't we find a way to finally make it right ¯ Oh, make the magic last for more than just one night ¯ I know we could break through it ¯ If we could just get to it ¯ Just once ¯ (Just once) ¯ We can get to it ¯ Just Once ¯
(Cheers and applause)
Randy Jackson: Yo. Taylor man, I don't know what's goin' on man. I don't know if it's me tonight or whatever, but dude, that song was completely the wrong song for me, for you. (Groans) I didn't get it. It wasn't half as good as the original. (Continuing groans and boos) Felt like weird karaoke to me. I don't know what's happenin' man. I don't know what's goin' on here.
Paula Abdul: It wasn't my... you know... I love James Ingram, and I think that is a perfect love song. You know what Taylor, there are sensitive sides to you and there are playful sides... you... every cell in your body is born to be on that stage performing, there's no doubt about it.
Taylor: Thank you.
Paula Abdul: It wasn't my favorite songs... you look handsome as heck. (Smiles)
Taylor: Thank you.
Randy Jackson: Nice suit.
Taylor: Appreciate it.
Simon Cowell: Taylor, you looked uptight tonight. I'm gonna be honest with you. Taking that performance outside of American Idol. You hear that every night, every day of the week in hotel lounges, a performance like that.
Randy Jackson: He's right about that.
Simon Cowell: It was, and I'll tell you what, it was the phrasing, it was the performance per... as a whole, that's what it reminded me of. It was...
Paula Abdul: But the...
Simon Cowell: ...not a winning performance.
Paula Abdul: ...entire reason.
Simon Cowell: Paula, I'm... I'm the one who's talking.
Paula Abdul: (Simon thrusts a controlling arm into Paula's personal space, which she grabs and pushes away. She goes a bit wild as she points to Taylor and shouts supportively.) You are the next American Idol and we love you. We love you.
Randy Jackson: He rocks.
Taylor: Soul patrol.
Ryan Seacrest: ("Not much"?) ...time. We gotta make a decision tonight. (Gives out the voting numbers)
Taylor: Soul patrol. Soul patrol.