Carrie Underwood photo by Matthew Rolston, courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

Thanks to its theme nights, “American Idol” requires its contestants to ricochet between a variety of styles, from Motown to alternative rock. And “Idol” graduate Carrie Underwood is definitely working a stylistic range as she introduces a new farewell song for the year on Wednesday’s competition.

Carrie’s already in country’s Top 15 with her remake of Randy Travis’ stone-cold country ballad “I Told You So.” Now she’s serving up a new version of hard-rock band Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home.” Just as Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” and Daughtry’s “Home” were used in seasons past to bid adieu to the participants that get voted off “Idol,” Carrie’s track will also be a send-off to vocalists as the show’s roster gets trimmed.

Carrie never experienced what it’s like to be canned; she did win the competition, after all. But she knows what it’s like to watch people get voted off of “Idol,” and it’s not a fun experience — especially because the “Idol” contestants are competing in Los Angeles, under enormous pressure, separated from the people they know.

“You move out away from your family, away from your friends and you have this tight little network of people,” she told MSNBC. “That’s all you know, so it really is difficult to see somebody go home.”

But the “Idol” experience is obviously worth it. Carrie used the show as a launching pad for superstardom. Her version of “Home Sweet Home” will be released on iTunes with a portion of the proceeds designated for the Humane Society.

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