The yowling rocker trumped the sensitive balladeer as this year's "American Idol."

Grunge-voiced David Cook took the prize over his twinkly-eyed rival, David Archuleta.

In a sense, his victory came as a significant surprise. Cook walked into Wednesday night's show with a major disadvantage. Rough judge Simon Cowell practically anointed Archuleta the winner at Tuesday night's final performances, saying his singing scored a "knockout" against Cook.

While bookies were split on which David would triumph, some observers speculated that the super-cute Archuleta had a leg up because his fan base skews heavily toward screamy teens, a segment especially savvy in the ways of phone voting.

Countertheories favored Cook, surmising that he draws from a wider demographic, embracing both young and old.

Either way, the battle between Archuleta and Cook represented one of the most stark contrasts in styles and sensibilities in the history of "American Idol."

Even that drama did little for ratings. Although "Idol" remains the the most-watched show in television by several million, average viewership was down from a peak of 26 million to about 21 million this year. Cowell himself has called this year's contestants "too safe." Certainly, he couldn't call the top candidates too similar.

The younger David specializes in soft songs of sentimentality. The elder favors bolder rock flourishes, especially as contained in hand-me-down grunge ballads. Archuleta stresses sincerity, Cook bravado.

The former epitomizes innocence, the latter, if not exactly experience, than at least a suggestion of adult awareness.