'American Idol': Katy Perry schools Arthur Gunn for changing melody and lyrics of Coldplay's 'In My Place'
Katy Perry subtly called out Arthur Gunn on Sunday (May 9) night's episode of 'American Idol'. Gunn is a Season 18 runner-up who beat nine other contestants to reenter the competition on the current season of the show. However, his recent performance in the Top 5 episode has received mixed reviews from fans and criticism from judge Katy Perry.
This was a Coldplay-themed episode and Chris Martin offered one-on-one mentoring to all contestants. Gunn had decided to sing 'In My Place' and while rehearsing with Martin, he chose to swap a few lyrics and changed the melody at certain points despite the rocker suggesting that the melody was an integral part of the song.
RELATED ARTICLES
Judge Luke Bryan addressed the changes Gunn made to the song. "You walk to the beat of your own drum," Bryan said and later pointed out to a multitude of fans that support him for his effortless singing. Lionel Richie too commended him for putting his own spin on the Coldplay classic, however, Perry disagreed with her co-judges.
The 'Roar' hitmaker told Gunn that she found it difficult to connect with the song even though she wanted to. She started off by congratulating him for the confidence he was exuding in the current season and how well he commanded the stage. She then schooled him for not paying heed to Martin's advice, "Sometimes it is good to play along," Perry said. She also told Gunn that she wanted to sing along with him and enjoy the performance but she couldn't because the melody was completely new.
Like Perry, fans of the show too weren't a fan of Gunn's version of 'In My Place'. "I never tweet. However. #AmericanIdol #arthurgunn WTF?! The whole point of a night featuring a specific artist’s songs is so the contestants' Sing. Their. Songs. What Arthur did was Not a #Coldplay song," a fan wrote pointing out the disrespect. "#AmericanIdol I get so tired of Arthur Gunn making great songs unrecognizable. It's disrespectful to the writers and the fans of the original song," said another Coldplay fan who was unhappy with the changes Gunn made to the song. "Can Arthur Gunn please go home? this dude stays giving the songwriters of the songs he chooses basically a middle finger. & it’s getting old. #AmericanIdol" another fan wrote. "Second week in a row that Arthur Gunn has basically given a metaphorical middle finger to songwriters. In this case, it was in person to the actual writer. #AmericanIdol #yikes" another tweet read.
I never tweet. However. #AmericanIdol #arthurgunn WTF?! The whole point of a night featuring a specific artist’s songs is so the contestants Sing. Their. Songs. What Arthur did was Not a #Coldplay song. #epicfail and #disrespectful
— Emily (@emberbee3) May 10, 2021
#AmericanIdol I get so tired of Arthur Gunn making great songs unrecognizable. It's disrespectful to the writers and the fans of the original song. 😞
— Elizabeth Banko (@Elizabe53056086) May 10, 2021
can arthur gunn please go home? this dude stays giving the songwriters of the songs he chooses basically a middle finger. & it’s getting old. #AmericanIdol
— Nicholas Liddle (@NLiddle16) May 10, 2021
Second week in a row that Arthur Gunn has basically given a metaphorical middle finger to songwriters. In this case, it was in person to the actual writer. #AmericanIdol #yikes
— Amanda Greever (@AGreever_Editor) May 10, 2021
Hunter Metts and Arthur Gunn were eliminated in the recent episode of 'American Idol'..
'American Idol' airs Sunday at 8 pm ET on ABC.
