6. Taylor Hicks, ''A Change Is Gonna Come''/''Swanee River Rock'' (season 5)
It was all right there from the beginning: The soulful rasp, the signature gray locks, the spastic dancing. Randy and Paula loved it; Simon loathed it. But whether you're in the former camp and cheered Taylor on to his season-five crown, or the latter (Simon voted against sending Taylor to Hollywood and insisted he ''should be singing backgrounds''), it's impossible to forget exactly how ''Soul Patrol'' became a part of the Idol lexicon.

Taylor Hicks' audition: Watch it on YouTube