I don't know if this has been debated before and in light of Jamie's song choice this week I have a noticed something.

When Danyl did the new Whitney song (correction he did not end up in the bottom 2 but was slated for the choice) and Lucie did the Camp rock song both songs no one in the UK had heard of or were really popular they ended up in the bottom two. I know Jamie with this song choice is doing a queen song which many may not know or remember as they have other songs they do but does this put him now in the bottom 2 no matter how well he performs it.

I am beginning to think the audience has very little knowledge of the music out there and are really only au fait with songs they know. It has happened in many competitions such as this. The only way it seemed to work in any artists favour was on Fame academy where they wrote their own material and it was new to everyone and they had to decide on the artist themselves.

My question is how much does knowing a song affect how well a contestant does in a competition like X-Factor....

Danyl was bottom 2 with Feeling Good not the Whitney song.

Plus Jamie's song is on Queen - Greatest Hits 2. One of the biggest selling albums in UK history.

I think having a lesser known song will have an effect if the contestant doesn't have a solid enough fan base but won't do any harm if they do (is that sitting on the fence a bit?)

Someone corrected me on that I'm sorry for that glaringly obvious mistake.

I know that song. It's really good!

There has definitely been a trend like this in the past OP.Singers perform relatively unknown songs and end up in the bottom 2 ; the public frequently treat it as a glorified karaoke contest and vote for their favourite songs as well as performers.

I'm very familiar with Queen's back catalogue but don't have their albums and I'd have to say I haven't heard Jamie's rumoured song choice too many times on radio or TV.

Nobody in Britain had heard Danyl's song in Diva week and he was safe that week.

Greatest Hits 1, an album that has sold 5 million in this country, the second highest ever.

I had heard the song months before Danyl sang it.

I think if it's an unkown song then the act may suffer equally to someone crucifying a very well known song.

I must admit I'm quite surprised not many people knew the Camp Rock song because anyone who has the Disney Channel will know how they advertise their films like Camp Rock and High School Musical during every advert about 6 months before the actors are even born

I agree,I'm not saying for a moment that Jamie will end up bottom 2 because of his song choice.His chances will depend primarily on the performance.

Erm, no it wasn't, but i know where you are mistaken. The song was on their biggest selling album.

It's well established amongst Queen fans that Queen 2 was substantially under-rated. Queen GREATEST HITS 2 was huge however, but it was a different album and that song was not on the album.

Innuendo sold double the amount that Queen 2 did in the UK.

A Kind Of Magic out-sold it 5 times over.

The TOP selling UK album of all-time IS Queen, but it's (unsurprisingly) Queen: Greatest Hits. Which DOES have Seven Seas of Rhye on the album....which is where i think your making the mistake.

PROVE IT!!! I hear you cry.....ok.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/no....lifeandhealth

But I still think that more people as a whole in Britain would have heard of 7 seas of Rhye over the Whitney song at the time.

I do think it's a factor, yes. Singing an unknown, or lesser-known, song is risky. I believe Simon is very happy to take such a risk with Jamie. I doubt that he will do so again with Olly or Danyl. I think we can be sure Olly will be singing something like Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Danyl, oh, I don't know, some typical overblown Queen song that everybody knows.

LOL

Seven seas is also one of the songs featured in the musical "We Will Rock You".

Olly did that Tina Turner song in Diva's week which wasn't well known, and did rather well...

Jamie's choice is much better known than that. As was the Camp Rock song if you are in the right age group.

Seven Seas is on lots of albums (compilations, live, greatest hits etc), and it's a rockin good song anyway which has an immediate appeal. Don't see any problem.

If I was watching XFactor and wasn't familiar with Queen songs, this would grab me quicker than something like Show Must Go On.

double post

I'm not even a Queen fan and i know this song. It's not that unknown at all.

He might be in the bottom 2, but it won't just be because of the song it will be be because he is not that popular.

Yes, that was a risk, but it was one that paid off (and it's the only one of Olly's performances that I have liked). I really don't think we will see Simon taking a risk like that with Olly now, though.

I'm not a huge Queen fan but I do know this song and it's a very good song.
I agree with the comments on Louis and his standard what he doesn't know of is cheating in his world.

Same here. Like Get It On, it's a classic and doesn't show its age.

I have another theory about why Danyl & Lucie didn't do so well with "lesser known" tracks.

Danyl's Whitney track "I didn't know my own strength" was a shameless hi-jacking of a very personal and meaningful song to Whitney herself. Simon claims to have got special permission for Danyl to perform it, playing on the supposed struggle & turmoil Danyl was going through following Danni's inappropriate remarks re his sexuality, etc. etc. Whitney was visibly disapproving of him trivialising it like that; she was singing about a lengthy & difficult battle, not a couple of weeks of tabloid gossip. So Danyl came accross as a bit up himself (thanks to Simon.)

Lucy performed "This is Me" (very well) but again seemed a bit full of herself, here I am everybody, aren't I wonderful? etc. etc.

I think both those choices were a bit too indulgent, trying to be personal, but came across as arrogant and inappropriate to some, hence their unpopularity. Might work on American idol, but the X Factor audience like their finalists a bit more humble!

So, not the fact that the songs were unknown, rather the sentiment they were trying to express was their downfall.