For the finale of Season 8 of American Idol, producer Simon Fuller chose a song for each of the top two to sing. Adam Lambert’s was the Civil Rights anthem “A Change is Gonna Come,” by the great Sam Cooke. Lambert later said on tour that he had sung that song before at a performance at the Zodiac Show. He feels a connection to the song and the lyrics because the LGBTQ+ community is engaged in its own civil rights movement.