Back in the early 2010s, Glee was everywhere. The creative team of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan really hit the market when they created this musical show that took the world by storm and had every teenager screaming old ‘80s tunes at the top of their lungs — me included.
But now, it’s been more than 10 years since the series ended. Yes, it did end back in 2015, if you can believe it. And since Glee has been in the news recently with reboot reports, I thought I’d revisit the six performances from this series that I still think about to this day — and ones you should totally listen to if you have the time.
- “Smooth Criminal” (season 3 episode 11)
- “Maybe This Time” (season 1 episode 5)
- “Teenage Dream” (season 2 episode 6)
- "Rumour Has It/Someone Like You" (season 3 episode 6)
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” (season 1 episode 22)
- “Don’t Stop Believin'” (season 1 episode 1)
“Smooth Criminal” (season 3 episode 11)
During this scene, Santana (Naya Rivera) and Sebastian Smythe (Grant Gustin) are battling it out when Santana approaches him, accusing him of lying about what was in a slushy that was thrown at Kurt (Chris Colfer), but Blaine (Darren Criss) interjects. When he does, he gets badly injured.
This whole episode features some amazing covers of Michael Jackson songs, from “Bad” to “Human Nature,” but I must admit that “Smooth Criminal” is my favorite out of the bunch. Their voices blend so perfectly, and with the cellos in the background? It’s utter perfection.
“Maybe This Time” (season 1 episode 5)
We all knew Glee was for real when Kristen Chenoweth, a Broadway legend, just casually decided to guest star in the first season. In this episode, she showed off her talent as a former friend of Mr. Schue’s (Matthew Morrison) and did a cover of “Maybe Someday” from Cabaret.
I mean, good God. What a powerhouse.
There were other Broadway stars who appeared on this show — namely Chenoweth’s former Wicked co-star, Idina Menzel, who also has had some great covers on this series. But there is just something about Chenoweth’s performance that gives me goosebumps every time and shows that she doesn’t need the glitz and glamour of the Broadway lights. She just needs her beautiful voice.
“Teenage Dream” (season 2 episode 6)
When Kurt visited Dalton on a secret mission to scope out the competition in season 2 of Glee, lives were changed. This was the first time he met Blaine and the Warblers, the school's a cappella group.
The moment Blaine began to sing “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry, it was all over. Lives were made, lines were drawn in the sand, and it was the beginning of the Kurt/Blaine shippers. But the overall performance was spectacular. Darren Criss, in general, has amazing vocals, but combining that with the harmonies of the fantastic singers behind him makes it that much better.
There’s also the fact that it’s the first time that Kurt really felt like he fit in, when everywhere else, he was just kind of…there. And that in and of itself is a great moment.
"Rumour Has It/Someone Like You" (season 3 episode 6)
In season 3, there was a time when the glee clubs were split, and Santana, Brittany (Heather Morris), and Mercedes (Amber Riley) were in the same one. After Santana found out that Finn (Cory Monteith) outed her as a lesbian publicly in the school hallway, she was, understandably, furious. Her feelings for Brittany were supposed to stay private, and she wasn't ready for the world to know.
Granted, she was a massive bully to Finn, but that kind of behavior is never okay, since she was also going through stuff. Everyone in this show needs serious therapy. Either way, she and the girls performed a mash-up of Adele’s “Rumour Has It” and “Someone Like You,” and it was fantastic from the first note. You’d never expect it to run so well with two completely different vibes, but it works.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (season 1 episode 22)
It is extremely hard to replicate Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but Jonathan Groff? Yeah, he did that.
In the finale of Glee season 1, Groff’s character, Jesse, is the lead of another vocal group called Vocal Adrenaline, and while Quinn (Dianna Agron) was giving birth to her child, they were singing their butts off. It’s the perfect song to pair with a birth, but it’s done so incredibly well.
Groff’s vocals are off-the-wall insane, and he perfectly replicates Freddie Mercury’s range from the moment he begins singing. But the entire group behind him in general only adds to it, creating a wonderful remix.
“Don’t Stop Believin'” (season 1 episode 1)
I don’t really even need to describe why this scene is great. It’s that moment where Mr. Schue turns around and sees the very small glee club at the time, finally working together and singing “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey. And it’s magical.
This is one of those moments that genuinely made me start listening to rock music and a lot of older songs back then because I loved it so much. But the cover itself perfectly reflects Glee — that no matter what happened, the group never stopped believing in themselves, despite the pain they went through.
I still don’t think Ryan Murphy rebooting Glee is a great move, since these songs can live on their own in the past, with the humor and storylines that made them so good. But at least I still have them now to listen to and enjoy — and sing terribly in the shower.
You can watch every season of Glee on Hulu.
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