'Idol' alum's version of 'Home Sweet Home' to play for departing contestants.
By Gil Kaufman

Carrie Underwood
Photo: John Shearer/ WireImage

Carrie Underwood may have won "American Idol," and America's hearts, with her country twang, but the singer tapped into her rock side to record the show's new farewell theme. In keeping with the recent "home" theme of the tunes played as contestants are eliminated from "Idol," Underwood recently tracked a countrified cover of Mötley Crüe's bittersweet ballad "Home Sweet Home," which will make its debut on Wednesday night (March 11) when this season's first finalist is sent home.

The song will be available as a digital single exclusively on iTunes through March 16, after which it will be released on other online music retail sites. According to Underwood's official site, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of the United States.

"I've always loved this song," Underwood said in a statement. "And besides being very fitting for 'Idol,' to me, the title is also very fitting with animal rescue and finding animals their own homes."

Season-four winner Underwood joins a few other "Idol" alumni in providing the season's farewell theme, including Daughtry, whose "Home" played as season-six singers took their final bow. Ruben Studdard's cover of Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home" did the honors last year, and Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" turned into a huge digital hit in 2006, when it was picked as the season walk-off tune.

In other "Idol" news, for the first time this year, viewers will be able to get some exclusive coverage of the show sent directly to their iPhone and iPod Touch screens. The show's producers have hooked up with iTunes to offer "confessional" style videos of the final 13, as well as pictures, news, bios and behind-the-scenes content for a one-time $1.99 charge.

While the package does not include actual performance video — those can be bought separately with a one-click jump to the iTunes page — the new application will update weekly for the whole season, with 78 original videos between now and the finale. The app will also let fans play judge by predicting the order of the contestants' departure and tracking their time on the show.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Carrie Underwood
• Mötley Crüe