Glee was the show that forever changed the way people viewed a capella groups. It was never cool to be apart of a group where you sang other people’s songs in harmonization, but all of a sudden this show premieres and they are doing covers of songs that most would find corny, and making them likable. The success of the show has spawned number one albums and made stars out of some of the cast members. But we have to admit, not every cover was a lovable one. In fact, there were some that fans just downright hated. And then there were hits that fans blasted on rotation in their cars. What was your favorite/least favorite Glee cover? Is it on the list?
Best: Hate On Me - Mercedes Jones
Mercedes had finally had enough of people hating on here because of her weight and her personality. She was sick of being the girl who was always left out. So naturally, she decided to belt out a strong, matter-of-fact song by Jill Scott. She told the haters they can hate now or later, but she will continue to do whatever she wants. The whole scene was very powerful — a young woman finally able to break free and genuinely be happy in the skin she’s in.
Could Have Been Better: Jump - Glee Cast
The song “Jump” by Van Halen was already somewhat an annoying song, but when the cast of Glee decided to take it on, well, it was even more annoying. For some reason, they were in a mattress store jumping all over beds that we are sure someone would be buying afterward. You’ve got a pregnant Quinn bouncing off the beds like she isn’t at risk of losing that baby. The whole scene just didn’t make sense. The song is like nails on a chalkboard and it wasn’t something that could be turned into an enjoyable cover.
Best: Crush - Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry has always been ambitious; when she set her sights on something, she went for it. This time, it was her new crush — Will Schuester. Mr. Schue had the good sense to nip this in the bud. But while we’re glad things didn’t go further, we’re still totally here for the song itself. “Crush” was a hit when it came out in the 90s and Rachel’s rendition reignited interest in it.
Could Have Been Better: Landslide - Holly/Brittany/Santana
Glee chose to do a cover of a cover — meaning they did a cover of the Dixie Chicks’ version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” Are you still with us? The Glee version involved Gwyneth Paltrow’s character Holly backed up by Brittany and Santana. The song is beautiful, but we have to chalk fans’ lack of love up to Gwyneth Paltrow being involved. She wasn’t a fan favorite, yet she was on the show for an entire season. “Landslide” wasn’t as moving as they hoped it would be. Leave it for the Mac and the Chicks.
Best: Defying Gravity - Rachel Berry/Kurt Hummel
If you are not a fan of Broadway and musical theater, you may not understand the significance of how wonderful (and hard) this song is to sing. Rachel and Kurt both wanted the lead in the school’s musical production and had to battle out who could sing this song the best. Both renditions were beautiful and it was shot in a duet form so we got to experience both stellar voices at one time. “Defying Gravity” is such an emotional and beautiful song, and Kurt and Rachel killed it.
Could Have Been Better: Rumor Has It / Someone Like You - Glee Cast
The mashup episode was a hit, but we have to admit we didn’t love some of the songs they chose. That’s simply because some of them were already perfect the way they were. No one can take on Adele like Adele. “Someone Like You” was an anthem for so many people and here we have a couple of teenagers singing like they know real heartbreak. We also didn’t like how they mixed these two songs. “Rumor Has It” has a different melody, it’s not as emotional and the feel is just so far from “Someone Like You.” We could have done without this one.
Best: Gold Digger - Glee Cast
This song appeared in some of the promos for the show. and it certainly got a lot of people excited. When Glee premiered, the cast’s rendition of “Gold Digger” did not disappoint. Some might think that a rap song would never sound good with a different melody and a bunch of suburban kids singing it. However, they were wrong. It drew in millions of viewers and is still one of the more popular renditions sung on the show.
Could Have Been Better: Teenage Dream - Kurt/Blaine
Blaine was a boy from the prep school Dalton Academy. He quickly became interested in Kurt and essentially dedicated this song to him and what their relationship could be. It was sweet and all, but a little too sappy. Fans of the show had already seen Kurt in so many sappy situations, including love interests, so why do we need to see more? The Katy Perry song was basically still a hit during this time, so hearing it on the radio every day and having it show up in the series was just annoying.
Best: Me Against The Music - Brittany/Santana
This heart-pounding Britney Spears track was taken on by Santana and Brittany after they felt a little left out of the a capella group and cheerleading (believe it or not). The song proved that they too had talent and their outfits proved that women can be sexy fully-clothed. They added their own twist and excitement to the song. In a sense, it was empowering to the girls of the cast who were divided based on their school activities and popularity. “Me Against The Music” was meant to be that force that brings them together.
Could Have Been Better: Don’t Stop Believin’ - Glee Cast
Another song that was basically a part of Glee’s promos was “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. Again, it made fans get really hyped for the show and therefore, pushed other people to want to do their own renditions. The song quickly got annoying and by the time the show premiered, fans wanted this song to stop getting stuck in their heads. Thankfully the Glee cast went on to do some great renditions, but this one, the one that started it all, was more than annoying.
