‘The X Factor’ UK semifinal song spoilers: Luke Friend, Sam Bailey, and questionable choices

Whoever decided that the “X Factor” UK semifinal needed to be all about the songbooks of Beyonce and Elton John needs to go cry in the corner. The last thing that would motivate us to watch this show are definitely not songs that have already been done to death on this and other singing show stages. What can we really get out of hearing another rendition of “If I Were a Boy,” a song that wasn’t even that big of a hit in the first place compared to some of her other songs? We’d much rather hear at least “Irreplaceable” or “Lose My Breath” over some of these songs.

Let’s not waste any time getting into these choices, mostly because we will otherwise spend our time just complaining about the fact that they are awful and mostly just one ballad after the next.

Luke Friend – “Best I Never Had” and “Something About the Way You Look Tonight.” Either Luke or Rough Copy is probably leaving this weekend, and producers screwed the former over with this theme. He’s not this sort of artist at all. Why are you even doing stupid themes in the semifinals? This is the time when you really want to see what sort of artist these people are?

Nicholas McDonald – “Halo” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me.” In no universe do we want to hear either one of these done again. “Halo” feels like a funeral song to us at this point, and the other one was not even our favorite Elton John song when he sang it. Nicholas has been to ballad city one too many times already, and with these songs, he’s building a condo there.

Sam Bailey – “If I Were a Boy” and “Candle in the Wind.” The first choice is as awful as they come, and we’re going to pretend it’s not on here. “Candle in the Wind” is a wonderful song that has not been overdone, but it’s an enormous risk. As important as this song is to many around the world, it’s even bigger in Britain. If she does this justice, it’s a ticket into the finale for sure.

Rough Copy – “Survivor” and “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” With all of the great Elton John songs, why no “Rocket Man”? Why not “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”? “Survivor” could be a cool performance, but the other song? It will take a Rough Copy home run to keep us awake and invested.

Click here if you want to take a look back at this past weekend’s show, and we will be back tomorrow with our full contestant rankings. Stay tuned for that, and for more “X Factor” news!

Photo: ITV