Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
If you are going to be a contestant on American Idol, doing something bold is not the worst strategy to get noticed. And breaking out a song made famous by one of the judges, as 26-year-old contestant Yani did this week when she sang Carrie Underwood’s “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” theme song, certainly qualifies as bold.
As every football fan knows, “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” is the theme song for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. It’s a very catchy tune, for sure, but no one, especially Carrie Underwood and her fellow American Idol judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan expected someone to choose it for their audition song.
“I will be singing a song that perhaps is familiar,” Yani from Tabernacle, New Jersey told the judges before she started singing. “It’s pretty deep. We’ll just see how you take it.”
They ended up taking it very well, bopping along with the beat and Carrie Underwood lip-syncing most of the lyrics along with Yani.
After Yani finished singing, Carrie Underwood and crew were impressed at Yani being so clever. “You were like, ‘what have they not heard yet? What would be very different?'” she said. “It’s iconic,” Yani interjected. “Yes,” Underwood agreed.
Unfortunately, Luke Bryan shot Yani down, giving her a “No. For American Idol.” Luckily for her, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie said yes. “I don’t know if you are right for the show. But I can’t say no to your voice,” Underwood told her.
So now, Yani, who is obviously legit when it comes to her love for the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles in particular (based on her Instagram), is “going to Hollywood.”
Many fans may not realize, or have forgotten, that “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” is based on the Joan Jett song “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” Another fact that may go overlooked these days is that Carrie Underwood is the third artist to sing the iconic theme song.
The song’s lyrics were actually written by its first performer, Pink, for the 2006 NFL season. Faith Hill then replaced Pink for the 2007 season with a new arrangement of the song. Underwood didn’t actually start performing the song until the 2013 season. She also has sung the songs “Oh Sunday Night” and “Game On” instead of “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” at various points between 2013 and today.