Hold on to that feelin' - Top 20 GLEE Musical Numbers, S1
I know I'm a few months and one Season Two episode late for this, but the S2 premiere has inspired me to jump on the bandwagon and do a Top 20 Glee Musical Numbers (Season One) pic spam!
So without further ado...
20. "To Sir With Love" - 1.22, Journey
This one wasn't so much about the song or the performance as it was about the sentiment behind it - all the kids, talking about what glee meant to them, and Mr. Schue (and even Sue!) unable to keep tears at bay. I'm a teacher, and this song reminded me of all my kids - every cast, every crew, every student that has ever stopped by my office or written me a note to tell me I've made a difference. Long live arts education!
19. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - 1.13, Sectionals
I'm not sure what it was that I loved about this number - the song is kind of terrible (c'mon now - definitely not one of Kelly Clarkson's strongest moments!), and the choreography was a mishmash of general hilarity. It worked, though, because the kids looked like they were having so much fun, and watching little bits and pieces of previous numbers come together reminded all of us, as viewers, how far this Little Show That Could had come in only thirteen episodes.
18. "Hello, Goodbye" - 1.14, Hell-O
The first episode back from mid-season break was one of the weakest episodes of the first season, IMO, but this group number was the strongest moment of the rather lacklustre hour. What can I say... I'm a sucker for guys in tuxedos and Finn/Rachel angst!
17. "Hate On Me" - 1.08, Mash-Up
Santana, Wheels, Gay Kid, Asian, Other Asian, Shaft, and especially Aretha killed this number. Amber Riley is at her very best when belting out R&B hits.
16. "Bohemian Rhapsody" - 1.22, Journey
Rachel wasn't lying when she said Vocal Adrenaline's performance at Regionals was epic. It took me nine full episodes to realize what all the fuss over Jonathan Groff was about, but this number was all Groff, all the time, and I finally had to admit that yes, he is That Good. (That being said, I'm going to piss off the Groff lovers by saying that he's a much better singer/performer than an actor, and I don't really miss Jesse St. James all that much.)
15. "Halo/Walkin' on Sunshine" - 1.06, Vitamin D
This hyper-active, yellow-dress costumed number was hilarious and kind of genuinely awesome, at the same time.
14. "It's My Life/Confessions" - 1.06, Vitamin D
As much as I loved the girls' number, if I'd been the judge of the high on cold medication contest, the boys would've won. This was the first time we were introduced to bad-ass Artie (I love how they've decided the nerdiest character in the club is the default black guy gangsta in this group!), and Finn's over-enthusiastic cockroach-stomp dancing made me kill myself laughing. Well done, boys!
13. "Jump" - 1.12, Mattress
Everything about this number, from the blue pajamas to the childlike joy of the choreography, was freaking adorable. Enough said!
12. "No Air" - 1.08, Mash-Up
Did I already mention I love Finn/Rachel angst? Yeah. Also, this song is SO TERRIBLE, but my secretly high tolerance for cheez kind of adores this version.
11. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" - 1.01, Pilot (Director's Cut)
Matthew Morrison in a dark cardigan sweater, playing guitar and singing plaintively alone on a stage? YES PLEASE. Less rapping, more singing from Mr. Schue!
(TIE) 10. "Don't Rain on My Parade" - 1.13, Sectionals
Lea Michele at her finest, doing what she does best - singing the hell out of a Broadway showtune. Amazing.
(TIE) 10. "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" - 1.13, Sectionals
A chill-inducing, roof-blowing-down performance by Amber Riley. If I'd had to choose between Mercedes and Rachel in this episode, I don't know if I could've done it.
8. "Like a Prayer" - 1.15, The Power of Madonna
Confession - I'm not a Madonna fan. I wasn't really looking forward to this episode at all, but the musical theatre-ized versions of these songs pleasantly surprised me. Add a gospel choir into a big group number and everything becomes instantly more awesome.
7. "Four Minutes" - 1.15, The Power of Madonna
And as much as I liked "Like a Prayer" (see above!), my favourite performance in the Madonna ep was this triumphant cheerleading number, complete with marching band and best pals Kurt and Mercedes grabbing the spotlight they'd longed for for so long. There was just something about this one that made me want to cheer.
6. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - 1.13, Sectionals
Our happy mid-season ending and the glee club's first triumph, set to a great Rolling Stones tune. What's not to like?!
5. "Take a Bow" - 1.02, Showmance
Oh, look! It's more Finn/Rachel angst! And Lea Michele reinventing a not-great pop song with her impeccable voice, and the moment I first realized that iTunes would be stealing my money every Monday night, thanks to this show.
4. "One" - 1.18, Laryngitis
A great song, nicely arranged, and Cory Monteith showing how far he'd come as a singer since the earliest episodes of the show.
3. "Faithfully" - 1.22, Journey
Oh, Finn and Rachel. You've never been more adorable than in this number. So perfect. (And yes, lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be.)
2. "Somebody to Love" - 1.05, The Rhodes Not Taken
The Rhodes Not Taken was one of my least-favourite episodes of the entire first season, but this number made up for everything that was wrong with it. This was the first time we saw the whole club perform together, and it was epic. Gorgeous.
1. "Don't Stop Believin'" - 1.01, Pilot
The original six, with the number that started it all. No matter how spectacular the musical numbers on this show may get, I will always love this one the most.
So without further ado...
20. "To Sir With Love" - 1.22, Journey
This one wasn't so much about the song or the performance as it was about the sentiment behind it - all the kids, talking about what glee meant to them, and Mr. Schue (and even Sue!) unable to keep tears at bay. I'm a teacher, and this song reminded me of all my kids - every cast, every crew, every student that has ever stopped by my office or written me a note to tell me I've made a difference. Long live arts education!
19. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - 1.13, Sectionals
I'm not sure what it was that I loved about this number - the song is kind of terrible (c'mon now - definitely not one of Kelly Clarkson's strongest moments!), and the choreography was a mishmash of general hilarity. It worked, though, because the kids looked like they were having so much fun, and watching little bits and pieces of previous numbers come together reminded all of us, as viewers, how far this Little Show That Could had come in only thirteen episodes.
18. "Hello, Goodbye" - 1.14, Hell-O
The first episode back from mid-season break was one of the weakest episodes of the first season, IMO, but this group number was the strongest moment of the rather lacklustre hour. What can I say... I'm a sucker for guys in tuxedos and Finn/Rachel angst!
17. "Hate On Me" - 1.08, Mash-Up
Santana, Wheels, Gay Kid, Asian, Other Asian, Shaft, and especially Aretha killed this number. Amber Riley is at her very best when belting out R&B hits.
16. "Bohemian Rhapsody" - 1.22, Journey
Rachel wasn't lying when she said Vocal Adrenaline's performance at Regionals was epic. It took me nine full episodes to realize what all the fuss over Jonathan Groff was about, but this number was all Groff, all the time, and I finally had to admit that yes, he is That Good. (That being said, I'm going to piss off the Groff lovers by saying that he's a much better singer/performer than an actor, and I don't really miss Jesse St. James all that much.)
15. "Halo/Walkin' on Sunshine" - 1.06, Vitamin D
This hyper-active, yellow-dress costumed number was hilarious and kind of genuinely awesome, at the same time.
14. "It's My Life/Confessions" - 1.06, Vitamin D
As much as I loved the girls' number, if I'd been the judge of the high on cold medication contest, the boys would've won. This was the first time we were introduced to bad-ass Artie (I love how they've decided the nerdiest character in the club is the default black guy gangsta in this group!), and Finn's over-enthusiastic cockroach-stomp dancing made me kill myself laughing. Well done, boys!
13. "Jump" - 1.12, Mattress
Everything about this number, from the blue pajamas to the childlike joy of the choreography, was freaking adorable. Enough said!
12. "No Air" - 1.08, Mash-Up
Did I already mention I love Finn/Rachel angst? Yeah. Also, this song is SO TERRIBLE, but my secretly high tolerance for cheez kind of adores this version.
11. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" - 1.01, Pilot (Director's Cut)
Matthew Morrison in a dark cardigan sweater, playing guitar and singing plaintively alone on a stage? YES PLEASE. Less rapping, more singing from Mr. Schue!
(TIE) 10. "Don't Rain on My Parade" - 1.13, Sectionals
Lea Michele at her finest, doing what she does best - singing the hell out of a Broadway showtune. Amazing.
(TIE) 10. "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" - 1.13, Sectionals
A chill-inducing, roof-blowing-down performance by Amber Riley. If I'd had to choose between Mercedes and Rachel in this episode, I don't know if I could've done it.
8. "Like a Prayer" - 1.15, The Power of Madonna
Confession - I'm not a Madonna fan. I wasn't really looking forward to this episode at all, but the musical theatre-ized versions of these songs pleasantly surprised me. Add a gospel choir into a big group number and everything becomes instantly more awesome.
7. "Four Minutes" - 1.15, The Power of Madonna
And as much as I liked "Like a Prayer" (see above!), my favourite performance in the Madonna ep was this triumphant cheerleading number, complete with marching band and best pals Kurt and Mercedes grabbing the spotlight they'd longed for for so long. There was just something about this one that made me want to cheer.
6. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - 1.13, Sectionals
Our happy mid-season ending and the glee club's first triumph, set to a great Rolling Stones tune. What's not to like?!
5. "Take a Bow" - 1.02, Showmance
Oh, look! It's more Finn/Rachel angst! And Lea Michele reinventing a not-great pop song with her impeccable voice, and the moment I first realized that iTunes would be stealing my money every Monday night, thanks to this show.
4. "One" - 1.18, Laryngitis
A great song, nicely arranged, and Cory Monteith showing how far he'd come as a singer since the earliest episodes of the show.
3. "Faithfully" - 1.22, Journey
Oh, Finn and Rachel. You've never been more adorable than in this number. So perfect. (And yes, lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be.)
2. "Somebody to Love" - 1.05, The Rhodes Not Taken
The Rhodes Not Taken was one of my least-favourite episodes of the entire first season, but this number made up for everything that was wrong with it. This was the first time we saw the whole club perform together, and it was epic. Gorgeous.
1. "Don't Stop Believin'" - 1.01, Pilot
The original six, with the number that started it all. No matter how spectacular the musical numbers on this show may get, I will always love this one the most.