Don't look for the next Bruce Springsteen on the next American Idol. The Associated Press reports that Idol has banned certain songs, including ones by Springsteen, Mariah Carey, James Taylor and Carly Simon, from being performed during auditions or on the show.

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Generally, the bans result from concerns over the cost of securing rights for the song's use -- i.e., the composer simply wants too much money for use of the song -- or over the difficulty of getting the rights -- e.g., the composer doesn't want the song being butchered on the show or doesn't like the show. However, some songs, such as Alicia Keys' "Fallin'," have been banned for another reason: overuse. As Simon Cowell put it, the judges were sick of hearing the song.

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