Early on Ryan Seacrest insisted that this batch of contestants was the best of any season in "American Idol" history. Turns out, maybe he was right. We took a look back at this season's standout performances and were immediately reminded that when these kids were on top of their game they weren’t just good, they were amazing. Click through this slideshow to see Yahoo! TV's picks for the 10 most memorable "Idol" performances of Season 7.Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

Following in the footsteps of Season 4's Constantine Maroulis and Season 5's Kellie Pickler, Michael Johns decided to put his own spin on the rock opera-esque "Bohemian Rhapsody." His soulful rendition of the Queen classic during Hollywood Week not only got him waved through to the next round of "American Idol", it got a compliment out of Simon, who declared the performance "the best audition of the day."FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

When young David Archuleta serenaded us with an amazing version of John Lennon’s "Imagine" during Top 20 week, everyone else could have just packed it all up and gone home. Expressive, daring, and utterly flawless, his performance was deemed one of the best EVER of any "American Idol" season, setting the bar pretty dang high for his fellow competitors.FOX/Michael Becker - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

When Simon moaned about the downward spiral of Jason Castro it had to be because he remembered Jason's cover of "Hallelujah" during Top 16 week of "American Idol." Castro's performance was so raw and vulnerable you absolutely ached for him -- in a good way. Following his performance, downloads of Jeff Buckley's cover of "Hallelujah" skyrocketed on iTunes, as did Jason's.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

While the other Season 7 girls struggled to find themselves, Brooke White stepped up to show us who she was almost immediately. Her cover of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" during Top 20 week was well played. But the following week when she tore into an acoustic version of Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield," Brooke forced us to recognize her as a serious contender for the "American Idol" title.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

During "Lennon/McCartney Songbook" week the cheesy Chikezie performed a wildly creative rendition of "She's a Woman." What started off bluegrass-style complete with back-up banjo, then morphed into a rocker, swapping the banjo for an electric guitar. The performance not only kept Chikezie out of the bottom three, it made us all think twice about what this kid could bring to the competition.FOX/Ray Mickshaw - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

David Cook became a strong contender for the "American Idol" title the moment he introduced America to a psycho-stalker named Billie Jean. Cook wisely went with Chris Cornell's haunting arrangement of Michael Jackson's 1983 pop hit during the "year you were born" theme week, and shot to the top of Yahoo's most-searched list.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

In what was possibly the smartest song choice of the season, beleaguered blonde Kristy Lee Cook belted out "God Bless the U.S.A." during the “year you were born” theme week. Not only did the U.S.A keep her safe for another week, KLC wasn't even in her usual spot in the Bottom 3. Yes, it was a great song selection, but she also performed it well, demonstrating some of the promise she showed early in the audition process and boosting her confidence for future performances.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

When it came time to choose a song for the "year you were born" theme week, Carly Smithson grabbed on to the '80s pop rock ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and used it to show the world just what kind of pipes she had. Although the judges weren’t all that impressed, the "American Idol" audience was blown away and so were we.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

David Archuleta maintained his standing as one of the most talented vocalists of the "American Idol" season with his emotion-filled performance of Robbie Williams' "Angels" during "Inspirational Music" week. Of course, “inspirational” is Archuleta’s bread and butter, and Randy called it his hottest moment of the season.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM

Who would have thought that the Mariah Carey-themed week on "American Idol" was going to produce one of David Cook's most amazing performances of the season? Cook's cover of "Always Be My Baby" was so pure and edgy it even brought Randy Jackson to his feet. And what made it even more amazing was that, unlike "Billie Jean" and "Day Tripper," his arrangement of "Always Be My Baby" was entirely original.FOX/Frank Micelotta - Monday, May, 12, 2008, 9:12 PM