Hey, just to answer the original poster's questions about the winning song. It will be on the album of the winner and will be released as the first single. Last year's song, as I recall from reading, hit #15 on the charts.

My song in the AI top 20 was a rewrite of another song I had written called "Dream Again." Somehow the original "Dream Again" song seems applicable to some who have posted in this thread. Hope you don't mind if I post the lyric:

Dream Again © 2008 Perry Smith

I know you’re not where you planned to be
Sometimes life has a way of crushing all our dreams
You can’t let it own you
You have to live again

(Chorus)
No matter what you’re feelin’ now, you can’t give in, don’t let it keep you down.
You gotta dream again.
Take the lessons learned and move ahead, let go of the past, forget regrets and dream again.

I don’t pretend to know just how you hurt
And what I say may sound like nothing but empty words
But I hate to see you broken
When you have so much to give

(Repeat Chorus)

(Bridge)
A part of you feels dead inside, can’t get out of bed, can’t stop the cryin’, you’re afraid the sun may never rise again

You’re not the only one to feel this way
Others have made it through and I know you’ll see the day
When the tears will disappear
And you will dream again

(Repeat Chorus)

Hope things get better.

Perry