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When music superstars heard their hits covered on "Glee," reactions ranged from thrilled to furious! Join MsMojo as we count down the most iconic musician reactions to their songs being performed on the hit show. From Amy Winehouse's surprising fandom to Prince's scathing criticism, these celebs didn't hold back their true feelings!
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00:00The dark days are over, the dark days are done.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most iconic reactions,
00:11both positive and negative, from musicians after their work was covered on Glee.
00:16I wouldn't even think that was something true, I think we do a better version, but the version was cool.
00:22Number 20, CeeLo Green.
00:24Season 2 of the hit series saw Gwyneth Paltrow joining the cast as Holly Holiday,
00:30the cool substitute that shakes things up for the Glee Club members.
00:33She made her musical introduction with a rousing rendition of CeeLo Green's hit, Forget You,
00:39proving her musical ability to him and fans alike.
00:42I see you driving around town with a guy I love, and I'm like, forget you.
00:49Green went on to express just how much he loved the cover,
00:52saying that he had no idea Paltrow was a singer, and that she'd sung it better than he had.
00:58He was so impressed that he had her bring her version all the way from the William McKinley
01:02High School choir room to the stage at the Grammys, where the two performed the lively piece as a duet.
01:08Now I know that I had to borrow, and you're stealing the night and cheap, but I'm worth it, baby!
01:16Number 19, Jonathan Colton.
01:18During the episode Sadie Hawkins, Kurt is treated to a performance of Baby Got Back
01:23by the acapella group Adam's Apples.
01:26I like big butts and I cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny,
01:31when a girl walks in with a nitty-bitty waist and a round thing in your face.
01:36No, not the Sir Mix-A-Lot original, the acoustic version released by Jonathan Colton in 2005.
01:42The cover made for a hilarious moment, but there was one problem.
01:46It was used without Colton's consent.
01:48In fact, he found out a week beforehand that they were planning on using it at all.
01:52He lambasted them online for not crediting him,
01:55and called them out for saying he should have been happy for the exposure.
01:58Colton even re-released a Glee version of the track,
02:01which highlighted how identical it was to his arrangement,
02:04down to the lyrics mentioning his own name.
02:06So find that juicy double, Johnny C's in trouble,
02:12begging for a piece of that bubble.
02:14Number 18, A Great Big World.
02:17Reactions like this remind you just how impactful the show could be.
02:20The cast closes out the 12th episode of the fourth season
02:23with a cover of A Great Big World's This Is The New Year,
02:27highlighting how excited the New Directions were for that upcoming season.
02:30Say everything you've always wanted.
02:34Be not afraid of who you really are.
02:38The members, Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino,
02:42had nothing but positive things to say.
02:44They gushed about how they'd written the song
02:46with the hopes of it being included on the show,
02:48and even went on to say that everything,
02:50from the episode it was featured on to the cast's singing,
02:53was perfect.
02:54They even posted a reaction video of them watching it,
02:57bringing their fans and the show's viewers together
02:59for a moment of pure joy.
03:01Another year to be a part
03:05Another chance to turn it all around
03:09Number 17, Madonna.
03:12An episode dedicated to the Queen of Pop is no small task.
03:15Luckily for the cast,
03:16they ended up getting the ultimate seal of approval
03:19from the star herself.
03:20The Power of Madonna features eight covers of the singer,
03:24with the goal of empowering the female members.
03:26Don't go for a second best, baby.
03:29Put your love to the test.
03:32After it aired,
03:33Madonna went on to express her love for the writing,
03:35and even highlighted Vogue and Express Yourself as standouts.
03:39She also had love for the characters,
03:41calling out Kurt and Sue as favorites,
03:43and even saying that she thought Mr. Schuster was cute.
03:46It was evident she'd actually watched the episode
03:49rather than just heard about it,
03:51and her in-depth response made it all the more clear
03:53why they honored her.
03:54Come on, go.
03:57Let your body move to the music.
04:01Hey, hey, hey.
04:03Number 16, Demi Lovato.
04:05Although the breakup led to some of the show's
04:07most iconic couples splitting up,
04:09the music was still impeccable,
04:10and we aren't the only ones who thought so.
04:13During the episode,
04:14Rachel and Brody sing Give Your Heart a Break at karaoke,
04:17serving as the catalyst to her and Finn breaking up.
04:20Baby, try to understand.
04:23Don't wanna break your heart.
04:25Wanna give your heart a break.
04:27I know you're scared it's wrong.
04:29Like you might make a mistake.
04:31Afterwards, Demi Lovato took to Twitter
04:33to thank Lea Michele for her rendition,
04:35and mentioned how amazing she thought it was.
04:38Michelle responded with kind words of her own,
04:40expressing how she wanted to cover Skyscraper as well.
04:43It seemed to be the start of a good relationship
04:45between the pop star and the show,
04:47with her joining the cast as a recurring character
04:50the following season.
04:51Here comes the sun, do-do-do-do.
04:55Here comes the sun, I say it's all right.
05:01Number 15, Prince.
05:03His song may have seemed like the perfect choice
05:05for the episode, but he didn't seem to agree.
05:08In Sexy, Will and Holly practice a rendition
05:11of Kiss by Prince,
05:12and cap it off with a smooch of their own.
05:14Ain't no particular sign.
05:16Ain't no more compatible with
05:18I just want your extra time and your kiss.
05:25Fans rooting for the two to get together
05:27might have loved it,
05:28but the star himself, not so much.
05:30Prince included the show in a rant about cover artists,
05:33where he lamented about how music was the only industry
05:35where one could create another version of an existing work
05:39and call it their own.
05:40He even scathingly asked if people actually wanted
05:43to hear anyone else sing Kiss,
05:45making it clear that he was calling out the show in particular.
05:48Ain't no particular sign, I'm no more compatible with
05:52I just want your extra time and your kiss.
05:58Number 14, Gautier.
06:01Prince wasn't the only original singer
06:02to not love the Glee rendition of his song.
06:05Gautier had similar feelings following Blaine
06:07and his older brother Cooper singing
06:09Somebody That I Used To Know in the episode Big Brother.
06:12But you didn't have to cut me off
06:16Thank God I could never happen
06:18And now we were nothing
06:19Despite it being loved by critics,
06:22the singer criticized the vocals for sounding auto-tuned,
06:25even going so far to say that they sounded dry
06:27and, quote, dinky.
06:29He also felt unsure about his hit being thrust
06:31into the spotlight even more.
06:33Luckily, his reaction wasn't all negative.
06:35He later went on to say that he found other elements
06:38of the cover impressive,
06:39including the fact that it's been written for two men.
06:42Kissing, I don't need that though
06:44Now you're just somebody that I used to know
06:48Somebody
06:52While it wasn't an ultra-joyful reaction,
06:54it showed how much he cared about his piece.
06:57Number 13, Journey.
06:59Some Glee renditions have gone on to prove
07:01just how powerful the show was in its prime.
07:03Journey is the perfect example of that.
07:07Strangers waiting
07:10Up and down the boulevard
07:13There's shadows
07:16Searching in the night
07:19Prior to Don't Stop Believin' being covered,
07:22the band had been nervous that the new version would sound cheesy.
07:25After the episode aired, however,
07:27their tune changed for the better.
07:29They realized how big of a reach the series truly had,
07:32and how the inclusion of their piece
07:34had introduced them and their discography
07:36to a whole new generation of listeners.
07:38Don't stop believin'
07:43Hold on to that feeling
07:45It ended up being a pivotal moment for them and the cast.
07:49That song in particular would be sung several times
07:52throughout the series,
07:52and served as the new direction's unofficial anthem.
07:56Number 12, My Chemical Romance.
07:58Some reactions hit the sweet spot between complimentary and sassy.
08:02Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance found the perfect balance between the two
08:06following the show's rendition of their anthem, Sing.
08:09The idea with Danger Days, and especially that song,
08:11was to subvert and get under the skin of certain individuals politically,
08:16socially, and also to get on national TV.
08:19Once that option was there, it was kind of like,
08:21yeah, that's why it was written.
08:22The unapologetically political lyrics caught the attention of conservative commentator Glenn Beck,
08:27who complained about its usage on television.
08:30Way claimed he'd signed off on the cover for that reason,
08:33saying that he wanted to get under the skin of those benefiting from the current system.
08:37Mikey Way then chimed in to say the response made him feel they'd done the right thing
08:41in letting the show adapt it.
08:43Gerard closed things out by commenting that he thought the outfits were weird,
08:47adding the perfect amount of levity to the otherwise serious moment.
08:50Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls,
08:54every time that you lose it, sing it for the world.
08:59Number 11, Billy Joel.
09:01They had his blessing years before they paid respect to his legendary career.
09:08Sing us a song, you're the piano man.
09:12Sing us a song tonight.
09:15In 2010, Billy Joel mentioned that he'd given the show full permission to use his discography,
09:20and cited his time in high school choir as why.
09:24The cast went on to cover some of his tunes throughout the series,
09:27before finally honoring him with the tribute episode,
09:30Movin' Out, in 2013.
09:31Mama, if that's movin' up, then I'm movin' out.
09:38Joel was just as delighted as he'd been three years before.
09:41He explained that while his tastes lay more in non-fictional content,
09:45it warmed his heart that his music still resonated with younger generations.
09:49After seeing stellar covers of everything from Piano Man to the titular track,
09:54we can see why he enjoyed it so much.
09:56Number 10, Sir Paul McCartney.
09:58You think that people would have had enough of silly love songs.
10:03You may know that the songs of Sir Paul McCartney and The Beatles
10:07have been featured on Glee quite a few times throughout its six-season run.
10:11But did you know that McCartney was the one to put that collaboration in motion?
10:15According to co-creator Ryan Murphy,
10:17the legend himself actually sent him a fan letter
10:20with a list of songs he thought might be good for the series.
10:24I wanna hold your hand
10:30I wanna hold your hand
10:35The show was happy to take advantage of the offer
10:38and ended up performing a total of 19 Beatles songs
10:41and one Wings song by the end of the series.
10:44We're not sure what McCartney thought of each cover,
10:47but it's safe to say that he was likely enthusiastic
10:49about the inclusion of so much of his work on the show.
10:52He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
10:56He loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
11:09Glee might be best known for reinvigorating the songs of Journey,
11:13but by the end of the series,
11:14the music of Lady Gaga had become just as synonymous with the show
11:18as the classic rock band.
11:19This was primarily due to the season 2 episode Born This Way,
11:23in which characters sung the title song
11:25while wearing t-shirts displaying so-called flaws that they were proud of.
11:36The show had done Gaga before,
11:39dressing up in outfits inspired by her,
11:41and would cover her again in the late series episode
11:44A Katie or a Gaga.
11:46Gaga herself reportedly enjoyed the covers,
11:49telling Entertainment Weekly that she had always dreamed
11:51of students one day singing her songs
11:53when she was in musical theater school.
12:10If you haven't seen Glee,
12:12you may be surprised to learn that Darren Criss' character Blaine
12:15was not always a part of the show.
12:17Although the character quickly became a fan favorite,
12:20he wasn't introduced until the sixth episode
12:22of the show's second season.
12:24You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
12:30The way you turn me on
12:32His introductory performance was a slowed-down version
12:34of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream,
12:36which would cause Kurt and thousands of viewers across the nation
12:40to develop a crush on the private school boy.
12:43Katy Perry was similarly smitten with him and his talent,
12:46tweeting out, quote,
12:50And adding that the performance even brought a tear to her eye.
13:10For fans of Glee,
13:12it should come as no surprise
13:13that Britney Spears has positive feelings for the show.
13:16The series featured two full tribute episodes to the artist,
13:19one of which she personally guest-starred in.
13:22It's delicious.
13:22You should try it.
13:24I'm 100% in love with you right now.
13:26During the premiere of season two's Britney, Britney,
13:29Spears even live-tweeted her reactions to the episode,
13:32saying that Rachel's performance of Hit Me Baby One More Time
13:35brought back so many memories.
13:37She similarly praised the hallucinogen-filled
13:40I'm a Slave for You and Me Against the Music performances,
13:43noting that she knows how hard it is to dance with a snake
13:46and that, quote,
13:48Santana does a great Madonna impression.
13:50All my people in the crowd
13:52Let me see you dance
13:54Come on, Britney, lose control
13:56I should take it down
13:59You're really hot
14:01You're sweet
14:01Number 6, Slash
14:03I'm Ohio!
14:05Get running around!
14:07Have you ever wondered why there were never any Guns N' Roses covers on Glee?
14:11The band's music may have seemed like the perfect fit for characters like Finn or Puck,
14:15but unfortunately, the show could never secure the rights.
14:18This is because Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash is anti-Glee.
14:22The musician compared the series to Grease,
14:25which he also isn't a fan of,
14:26but claimed that, in a match-up between the two,
14:29even Grease looks like a work of art.
14:31You are supreme
14:33The chicks will scream
14:34For Grease lightning
14:36Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy responded dismissively,
14:39calling Slash and others who make similar comments,
14:42quote,
14:42uneducated and quite stupid.
14:44I just don't know what you're so angry about.
14:46Honey Badger, I am lactating with rage!
14:49Number 5, Nicki Minaj
14:51This one is for the boys with the booming system
14:53Top-down AC with the cooling system
14:55When he come up in the club
14:56He be glazing up
14:57He got stacks on deck
14:58Like he's saving up
14:59One of the more surprising Glee covers
15:01was Sue Sylvester's performance of Super Bass.
15:04The cover takes place as a result of a challenge Sue poses to Blaine.
15:08Wanting him to return to her cheerleading squad, the Cheerios,
15:12she uncharacteristically proposes the idea of a singing competition between the two of them,
15:17Mariah Carey vs. Nicki Minaj.
15:19Blaine accepts the challenge, singing I Still Believe,
15:22but is taken aback by Sue's commitment
15:24as she shows up to the sing-off dressed in the style of Minaj.
15:27Yes I did, yes I did
15:29Somebody please tell them who the hell I is
15:31I am Nicki Minaj
15:32I mack them dudes up
15:33Back hoops up
15:34And chuck the juice up
15:35While many fans of Glee consider the cover to be one of the worst on the show,
15:38Nicki herself seemed to love the performance,
15:41tweeting out her praise shortly after the episode aired.
15:43Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
15:46Love again
15:48Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
15:50Yeah that's that super beast
15:52Number 4. Florence Welch
15:54Happiness hit her like a train on a track
16:05It's not that often that Amber Riley and Jenna Ushkowitz get to sing lead on Glee.
16:09Although their characters, Mercedes and Tina, have been with the show since its inception,
16:14the two are too rarely given their time to shine, especially together.
16:18The show's cover of Florence and the Machine's dog days are over allows just that, however,
16:23and the unconventional pairing makes for a fun, high-energy cover.
16:27Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father, run for your children, for your sisters and your brothers
16:34Songwriter and vocalist Florence Welch was thrilled with the show's handling of her song,
16:39describing it as a, quote,
16:40amazing Christmas present to watch with her family.
16:43The dog days are over, the dog days are done
16:49Glee would go on to cover another of Florence's songs in the following season,
16:54further solidifying the singer's symbiotic relationship with the series.
16:58And it's hard to dance
16:59With the devil on your back
17:01So shake them off
17:03Oh-oh
17:04Number 3. Miley Cyrus
17:06In Glee's first season, Rachel Berry chooses to sing Miley Cyrus' The Climb
17:11because, quote,
17:12it's about overcoming obstacles and beating the odds.
17:15I can almost see it
17:18That dream I'm dreaming
17:21But there's a voice inside my head saying
17:24You'll never reach it
17:27Ironically, it seems like one of her obstacles was Miley Cyrus herself.
17:32Although, as a pop star and former Disney Channel actor Miley Cyrus seems like the perfect candidate to be a
17:38Gleeck,
17:38she definitely isn't.
17:40Why do you have to make everything so complicated?
17:42Miley just wouldn't understand
17:43Shortly after the episode with her song aired, the then 17-year-old told Billboard magazine that she wasn't a
17:49fan of the series.
17:50She went on to express her personal distaste for musicals and for pop music in general,
17:55acknowledging her own hypocrisy by saying, quote,
17:58I listen to zero pop music, which is really weird for someone who makes pop music.
18:02All you ever did was wreck me
18:07Yeah, you, you wreck me
18:112. Kesha
18:13When Glee was in its second season, Kesha had, in the words of Brittany Pierce, been a cultural icon for
18:19weeks.
18:19Naturally, that meant the show had to cover one of her songs.
18:30They ultimately went with the artist's debut solo single, singing it as an ironic PSA against alcohol consumption.
18:44The performance ended with the teens, who had been drinking throughout the episode, throwing up gray liquid on stage.
18:50Although Kesha wasn't on board with all of Glee's artistic choices, she ultimately praised the performance.
18:56It looked like alien puke, which was confusing for me.
19:00But I did enjoy her rendition of TikTok.
19:04She could dance.
19:38By its third season, 200 covers and original songs performed by the show's cast had made it onto the Billboard
19:45Hot 100,
19:46and merchandise for the series flew off the shelves.
19:49One surprising consequence of this popularity was the show's many vocal celebrity fans,
19:55including the late R&B legend Amy Winehouse.
20:03In 2010, Winehouse tweeted about her love for the show,
20:06in particular commending the vocal adrenaline sung cover of Rehab.
20:10Glee would go on to perform Winehouse's music two more times prior to her untimely death in 2011,
20:16with Santana covering both Valerie and Back to Black in the show's second season.
20:30Do you think these celebs' reactions were justified?
20:33What's your favorite Glee cover?
20:35Let us know in the comments.
20:39Glee.
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