Whether onstage with Queen or singing his solo hits, Adam Lambert always delivers the goods live! One particularly special performance from the one-time American Idol star came when he sang “Whataya Want from Me” in a street performance in Melbourne, Australia. Lambert played the rock tune in an intimate piano ballad format, with just a lone pianist for accompaniment.
Although the rocking studio version was a hit for Lambert, listening to it in the piano arrangement makes it seem like it was meant to be that way all along. The stripped-back arrangement really highlights the beauty of Lambert’s voice, along with the emotion of the lyrics. Here, we always have time for Adam Lambert, and performances like this show exactly why!
YouTuber Rainscapes uploaded Lambert’s street performance of “Whataya Want from Me” on August 26, 2012, noting that it was for Channel V’s Guerilla Gig format. Lambert dropped “Whataya Want from Me” as a single back on November 20, 2009. The song peaked at number four in Australia, making it one of his biggest hits down under, so it was a natural choice for inclusion in his setlist.
“Whataya Want from Me” has become a live favorite for Lambert, and he also played it for his Live from YouTube Space performance in New York City. This time he was accompanied by a rocking three-piece band. Fans really enjoyed this performance and added comments such as “I love how he sounds just as good live as in the studio!” and “He’s a vocal beast! And this song never gets old.”
“Whataya Want from Me” was written by Max Martin, Pink (yes, that Pink!), and Karl Schuster. Pink co-wrote and recorded the song for her 2008 studio album Funhouse, but it was cut from the final tracklist. The rock number was later revamped as a Lambert song, and he released it in 2009 as the second single from his debut studio album For Your Entertainment. Readers may recall that For Your Entertainment was Lambert’s biggest album, and this was no doubt in part driven by the success of “Whataya Want from Me,” which was the biggest single from the album. Lambert has performed the song live in a number of formats over the years, including in an acoustic format for his first concert tour in 2010. “Whataya Want from Me” has remained a setlist staple for Lambert in the years since. He has performed the song live more than any other in his solo performances, with Setlist.fm reporting that he has played it live 287 times.
