David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado each sang three songs as they competed to make it to next week's finals.

"American Idol"'s final three sang three songs each on the FOX hit on Tuesday night, the first chosen by one of the judges, the second chosen by themselves, and the third chosen by the producers.

For DAVID ARCHULETA's first song, he sang, "And So it Goes" (BILLY JOEL), chosen for him by judge PAULA ABDUL. Judge RANDY JACKSON said, "You're in it to win it baby," while Paula called it "pure and stunning." Judge SIMON COWELL said, "It was very good. No surprises. [It was] a bit predictable, [which is] not really a criticism."

For SYESHA MERCADO's first song, Randy chose ALICIA KEYS' "If I Ain't Got You." Randy told her that she did an "amazing job" and added, "I'm so happy that you are peaking at the right time in this competition -- that's why you're standing there in number three." Paula also liked it, while Simon gave her a rare compliment: "You sang that very well, Syesha."

Simon made a surprising choice for rocker DAVID COOK's first song, giving him the romantic "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by ROBERTA FLACK. Randy wished he had rocked it more, while Paula said, "That is one of my favorite songs and now you're my second favorite person who sings it." Simon claimed victory, proclaiming: "Round one goes to Cook and Cowell," calling it one of Cook's "best performances."

For Syesha's second song, she chose PEGGY LEE's "Fever." None of the judges were particularly impressed by her song choice, though Randy said she "sang it amazingly well." Paula said, "I'm not sure that it shows me who Syesha is as an artist." Simon called it a "rather lame cabaret performance," and said she would "probably regret that decision tomorrow."

David Archuleta's second performance was CHRIS BROWN's "With You." Randy said, "I'm not sure that was the right song." Paula liked it, saying he did a "great job." Simon agree with Randy, saying, "It was a little bit like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger in so much as it's not really you. I thought it was all a bit awkward."

David Cook's third performance, of SWITCHFOOT's "Dare You to Move," didn't wow the judges either. Randy called it "a little pitchy" and Paula criticized his arrangement: "I feel like you just got to the beginning when it hit the end of the song and I wanted more." Simon said, "I don't think it's the best melodic song in the world. I think all three of you had an okay middle round; we have one more round to go."

The producers chose GIA FARRELL's "Hit Me Up" for Syesha's third song. None of the judges loved the performance. Randy said, "It was just okay for me." Paula said she "sang the song very well," but added, "[I] don't know if it's going to be good enough to get into the finals." Simon called the number "a little bit forgettable. It didn't give you the defining moment I would have liked at the end of this show."

The producers chose DAN FOGELBERG's "Longer" for David Archuleta's third song. Randy said, "It was another hot one from you!" Paula called it a "lovely performance." Simon said, "I think you sang the song very well, however I thought the song and the lyrics were absolutely horrible. … It was so gooey, it's something you choose for, like, a 90-year-old and you're 17 years old. Having said that, I do think you've done enough to get into the finals."

For David Cook's third song, the powers that be chose AEROSMITH's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." Randy said, "It was okay for me. Very predictable," but both Paula and Simon were excited about the performance. Paula crowed, "David, see ya in the finals, that's what I predict!" Simon proclaimed, "One of the great songs of all time, and I have to tell you, David Cook wins the night!"