Summary
- Glee's best song performances were marked by impeccable blending, stunning visuals, and great chemistry among the cast, as seen in the "Singing In The Rain/Umbrella" mashup.
- Naya Rivera and Amber Riley showcased their vocal prowess and created an iconic duet with their cover of "River Deep, Mountain High."
- Mercedes finally got her overdue solo with "And I Am Telling You," solidifying Amber Riley's talent and setting the stage for her future success.
Over its 6 seasons and 121 episodes, the Glee ended after six seasons in 2015 with the most Billboard Hot 100 hits in history, a record that was only broken by Drake six years after the series had ended.
Glee is best ed for its song performances, and for good reason considering the quality and effort put into each one, whether it was a simple solo in the choir room, an unexpectedly smooth mashup, or a major competition number. Along with the music and the comedy elements of the series, Glee also pushed boundaries in of representation of minority groups, albeit not perfectly, and addressing important issues, including transphobia, ableism, homophobia, racism, fatphobia, and so much more. Often, this was done through song and dance. Here are the 10 best Glee song performances ranked.
10 “Singing In The Rain/Umbrella”
When discussing Glee song performances, its many mashups have to be part of the conversation. The concept of mashups was first introduced in the Glee season 1 episode of the same name. However, the season 2 mashup of “Singing In The Rain” from the musical of the same name and “Umbrella” by Rihanna takes the tenth spot in this ranking. The songs blend together so perfectly that Tom Holland famously did his own version of it on Lip Sync Battle. The rain effect, choreography and chemistry between Gwyneth Paltrow (Holly Holiday) and Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schuester) added to the production value and made it one of Glee’s best.
9 “River Deep, Mountain High”
The Glee cast featured powerhouse triple threats from differing backgrounds and experience levels. Though Naya Rivera (Santana) had steadily worked as an actress before being cast in the series, it was a big breakthrough for her and Amber Riley (Mercedes). Rivera and Riley both proved their vocal prowess time and time again in both solos and group numbers, but they were at their best when they got to duet together. Their cover of “River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike & Tina Turner may not have won them a free meal at Santana’s beloved Breadstix, but it became one of the most iconic duets in Glee history.
8 “Valerie”
Without a doubt, “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse is the song that defined Santana’s character on Glee. In Glee season 1, Santana was little more than a mean cheerleader and one of Quinn’s sidekicks along with Brittany, who would eventually become her love interest. In Glee season 2, they were both promoted from recurring to the main cast, and “Valerie” proved why. It was Santana’s first major solo and also highlighted the dancing talents of Brittany and Mike, the combination helping them tie with The Warblers at the Sectionals competition. The performance was so great that it was brought back for Glee’s 100th episode.
7 “And I Am Telling You”
For much of Glee, Mercedes was relegated to what she referred to as the “park and bark,” meaning she was given a few big notes at a song’s climax but never the big solo. Mercedes’s rendition of “And I Am Telling You” from Dreamgirls in Glee season 1 proved that not only did she deserve a solo at Sectionals, but she deserved more solos in general. In a form of life imitating art, Amber Riley would go on to win an Olivier Award for her performance as Effie White in a West End revival of Dreamgirls, making “And I Am Telling You” more than just Mercedes’s signature song.
6 “Don’t Stop Believin’”
The song that’s most commonly associated with Glee is “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, which created a running gag in the series that Mr. Schue was obsessed with the rock band. The song was performed four different times in Glee, but the version in the pilot remains the most popular recording in the show’s history and put the series on the map musically. “Don’t Stop Believin’” was the first time the original five of The New Directions truly performed cohesively as a group and while it’s not necessarily Glee's best performance, it will always evoke a sense of nostalgia for viewers and the glee club themselves.
5 “Smooth Criminal”
Throughout its six-season run, Glee did numerous tribute episodes to musical artists, including Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, and more. The season 3 episode, “Michael,” was a tribute to Michael Jackson. In 2011, a YouTube video of Croatian cellist duo, 2Cellos, performing “Smooth Criminal” went viral, and a year later they were featured performing their arrangement on Glee in a rousing duet by Rivera and Grant Gustin (Sebastian Smythe). Santana and Sebastian constantly try to one-up each other vocally, which pushes them to perform at their best, and the cellos add to the song’s intensity, making it one of Glee’s best duets and song performances by far.
4 “Bohemian Rhapsody”
When Glee began, The New Directions were hardly seen as competition in the show choir world. They struggled to get enough numbers to qualify to compete and didn’t have years of experience the way other glee clubs like Vocal Adrenaline did. Instead, they got by on their natural talent, chemistry, determination, and heart. Still, that didn’t mean they were a match for Vocal Adrenaline, their Journey mashup paling in comparison to the supergroup’s performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, led by Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff). The impressive performance was made even more memorable by intercutting it with Quinn giving birth in the Glee season 1 finale.
3 “Don’t Rain On My Parade”
Before Lea Michele began performing in Funny Girl on Broadway eight times a week, she performed “Don’t Rain On My Parade” in Glee season 1 to the same showstopping effect. When Sue sabotaged their Sectionals setlist, Rachel had to come up with a performance on the fly, and what better number than “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” which was made famous by her idol Barbra Streisand? Rachel stunned audiences with her strong voice and stage presence, securing them the Sectionals win. Rachel had many amazing solos throughout Glee, with “Don’t Rain On My Parade” being one of the show’s most well-known and lauded numbers.
2 “Rumour Has It/Someone Like You”
Of its almost 750 song performances, Glee did over 40 mashups. One of the biggest storylines in the first half of Glee season 3 was the splitting of The New Directions as Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany left for William McKinley High’s new all-female glee club coached by Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel), The Troubletones. The girl-powered group had an edge on The New Directions with their stronger dance ability and coaching, and it was proven with the mashup of Adele’s songs “Rumour Has It” and “Someone Like You.” The song was led by Mercedes and Santana, once again showing off their vocal chemistry, and emotionally performed by Rivera to great effect.
1 “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”
After years of coming up short, The New Directions finally captured the top prize at Nationals at the end of Glee season 3 ahead of the graduation of the core . The victory was clenched by a Celine Dion solo from Rachel, a Lady Gaga number by The Troubletones featuring Quinn, and a group performance of “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” by Meat Loaf. It was the strongest competition number by The New Directions, earning it the top spot in this Glee song performance ranking as well. Not only did it show how much the glee club had grown, but it also highlighted the talents of numerous Glee cast .