David Archuleta Debuts First Single "Crush"

American Idol runner-up David Archuleta premiered his first single "Crush" this morning on New York pop radio station Z100. The track starts out sounding like Chris Brown singing a Max Martin-penned Backstreet ballad before blossoming into a lush chorus reminiscent of JoJo's "Too Little Too Late." Ten years ago, this song — which was co-written by onetime Evanescence member Dave Hodges — might have been a hit. Now, it's something you'd expect from an American Idol silver medalist. Your move, Cook. Archuleta's debut album is due out later this year on Jive Records. Listen to "Crush," which will be available as a digital download on September 2nd, here.

UPDATE: The digital release for Archuleta's single has been moved to August 12th.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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