I feel like I post about Glee a whole lot. And that's not going to end tonight. (Wow. This intro is being written terribly. Maybe it will get better.) I felt like making a list post, and as I established in my last post, I'm often really lazy. So, I figured that rounding up my favorite performances from Glee would be fun and easy for me to do. I was going to do a top ten favorite post, but I couldn't bare to make it less than 11, and even then, with honorable mentions. In fact, there's a couple more that I'd love to add, but I used my restraint.
1) Run Joey Run
We got this gem of a performance when Rachel decided to make her own music video. And it was hilariously funny because everything about it was 100% Rachel. The cheesy effects, the melodramatics, and the priceless face that Rachel makes at the end are just a few of the reasons why this number made my list.
2) Hello
I've loved the song, "Hello," ever since I saw Kristen Chenoweth sing it on Pushing Daisies. Both Chenoweth's rendition and the original by Lionel Richie are absolutely wonderful. But that being said, I think Glee's version definitely earned a place in my iTunes library. The song is lovely as a duet, and Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff sound wonderful together. I was a huge fan of Jesse St. James (until Glee screwed up his character by making him turn on Rachel), and this was a great choice for his first song on the show.
3) It's My Life/Confessions
Glee has featured several mash-ups in its season and a half run. This one was one of mash-ups featured in the episode introducing mash-ups into Glee's lineup. While the girls' competing mash-up, "Halo/Walking on Sunshine" was okay, "It's My Life/Confessions," was far superior.
4) Don't Rain on my Parade
It's impossible to deny that Lea Michele shines best in her performances when she's able to utilize her musical theater experience to the fullest. This theatrical, showstopping performance by Rachel in the Glee club's first competition is definitely one the show's finest moments. Lea Michele went all out on this song and absolutely owned it.
5) Marry You
So, this number was Glee's take on the "Forever" wedding dance. We saw it done quite literally on The Office (which worked perfectly for the show), but since this is a show about performers, they had to change it up a little. And Glee a hundred percent pulled this off. I was a little turned off by the way they handled the wedding as whole because it was so annoyingly focused on Kurt, but this was a perfect way to start the wedding. This was one of their cutest performances, and I adored it. I've rewatched this on youtube more than a handful of times.
6) Valerie
While the singing on this song was okay, the reason why it's on this list should come as a shock to no one: Brittany and Mike's dancing. The people of Glee have showed off these two talented dancers several times this season, but their dancing in this scene is wonderful. I know next to nothing about dance, and so I can't really analyze it beyond that it looked really cool. Also, I couldn't find a video with only "Valerie," but it starts at around 2:35.
7) Teenage Dream
The Warblers' first appearance on Glee was certainly memorable. Their a cappella performance of "Teenage Dream" was charming and just sounded really really good. I listened to their version of the song on repeat for about a week after the episode aired.
8) Like a Virgin
Glee has gotten into the bad habit of working the story around certain songs rather than working songs in that actually fit their storylines. This performance was included on the list not because the song was so great but because it fit the story so well. It was worked into the story in a very musical-like manner, and I love it for that. Also, they did a great job in blending the three different couples together in the editing of the performance.
9) Open Your Heart/Borderline
I feel like this performance on Glee was somewhat underrated. It wasn't their splashiest performance or song. But, I loved this mash-up. Not only is it a really cute song, but it made for a really cute performance by Finn and Rachel. I find Finn and Rachel really cute together at times and really horrible together at others. This is one of the moments in which a really bought the idea of them as a couple.
10) Piano Man
I absolutely love Neil Patrick Harris, so it was a no brainer that I'd include a performance by him in this list. Originally, I was going to include Dream On because I thought that it was a really well done duet. But, when looking up Dream On, I saw a link for this song on the side. To be honest, I'd forgotten about this one, but once I saw it I knew that I had to include it. Glee's songs are often incredibly over produced. This short performance, however, was understated and quite lovely.
11) Don't Stop Believing
Okay, so this performance is pretty much a given. All of Glee's pilot was wonderful, but this is the moment that made people take notice and realize that Glee could be something great. I'm only a little embarrassed to admit that this performance gave me chills. It's Glee's signature song for a reason. Also, watching it back after a season and a half of Glee, it's nice to see the Glee club at the beginning when they didn't have all of the fancy sets and costumes that they do now (that they inexplicably are able to afford).
Honorable Mentions
Forget You
I couldn't bring myself to include this under the best performances because it really wasn't that great. Glee's often criticized as being an adult's Kidz Bop, and honestly, this performance is kind of Adult KidzBopsy. So why would I even include it under honorable mentions? Because they just look like they're having a ton of fun (besides Rachel), and I somehow found myself watching this performance multiple times. So, judge me if you will for putting this under honorable mention, but I stand by that decision.
Emmys Intro
I didn't catch the Emmys this past year, but I saw this Glee-inspired performance afterward. I thought it was a really fun idea, included a bunch of fun celebrities, and was just pretty great. I include it under honorable mentions, however, because it's technically not a performance on Glee.
Okay, so between selecting the songs to include, finding youtube videos to accompany each song, and writing my reasons for each song selection, this was more work than I thought. Still, it was fun and might just inspire me to make a worst performances on Glee list.
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