Idol Chatter & Voice Views

“No Boundaries” didn’t exactly receive rave reviews as this year’s American Idol single, but apparently it’s going to be a hit for Kris Allen.

The song is number six among iTunes most downloaded singles, according to rankings released this morning.

And it debuted at number 11 on last week’s Billboard singles chart, the highest debut song among the Hot 100.

“No Boundaries” isn’t the only sign of Idol’s selling power on those charts.

Kris Allen’s studio version of “Heartless” is the ninth most downloaded iTunes single; Adam Lambert’s “Season 8 Favorite Performances” is the fourth most downloaded album.

On Billboard Hot 100 songs list, Allen’s “Heartless” is number 16; Lambert’s “Mad World” checks in at number 19.

Both Idol finalists struggled singing “No Boundaries” live during the final performance show of the season, and Simon Cowell took a swipe or two at the song during his critiques.

But Kris Allen defended the song, co-written by Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, in an interview with the media just days later.

As for the lyrics, he noted that the songwriters face stipulations for the Idol single. Translation: It had better be upbeat, even if that means writing about climbing mountains and weathering hurricanes and enduring pain to get to that one thing.

“That song is hard to sing,” he said. “I don’t think me or Adam were happy with our performances at all. I think both of us just got tired.

“The (studio) track sounds really good. To have your first single to be something you weren’t part of writing is a little weird, you know, but I can’t complain.”

At least not with Billboard and iTunes hit on his hands.