We Need to Talk About Glee, Part 2

Welcome back to our Glee recap series, this week focusing on Season 2 of the show. Season 2 is probably my favorite season of the entire run, introducing exceptional new characters and showcasing some great music both classic and current (for the time, obviously).

Season 2 of Glee premiered on Fox on September 21st, 2010 and the season finale aired on May 24th, 2011. Season Two, as I said above, is I believe where the show hit its stride, even venturing outside the hallways of McKinley High. Naturally, with a new season comes new pressures and issues for the students and faculty to deal with, including but no limited to death, homophobia, religion, rumors, sex (again), and underage drinking.

Like I did with Season 1, I have chosen what, in my opinion, is the best song from each episode of the season. I'll be comparing the Glee cover with the original song, talking about which one I personally prefer, and a little bit about the context of why the song was used in the show as well as shoutouts to the cast members who sang the songs. Let's dive in!

S2E1: Audition (September 21st, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Billionaire (written by T. McCoy, B. Mars, P. Lawrence, A. Levine)

Original Artist: Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars

I feel like this song was so big right when it came out and yet I never hear about it anymore, which is a shame because it's an absolute bop. From Bruno Mars's vocals on the chorus to Travie McCoy's humorous lyrics in the verses, it's just a good time all around. Billionaire was featured on McCoy's 2010 album Lazarus, peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #4, and has been certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA. I'm giving the original the win here, because while it is the first musical appearance of one of my favorite characters, we run into the issue again of having Artie (Kevin McHale), Finn (Cory Monteith), and Puck (Mark Saling) rap which, while not bad, just doesn't always hit for me.

Glee Artist: Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) & New Directions Boys

Billionaire is our introduction to the extremely lovable character of Sam Evans, played by the very talented Chord Overstreet. As the glee guys attempt (and initially fail) to recruit Sam into New Directions, it just feels like these guys were all having a really good time making music together. This isn't the standout of the season, but it's a great moment that deserves attention nonetheless.

S2E2: Britney/Brittany (September 28th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Toxic (written by C. Dennis, C. Karlsson, P. Winnburg, H. Jonback)

Original Artist: Britney Spears

Virtually every Britney Spears song is iconic, but Toxic is definitely in the Top 5. Featured on Spears's 2005 album In the Zone, this song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #9. It is certified Gold by the RIAA and won Best Dance Recording at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Honestly, these two performances are probably a tie because they're so different from each other and are great in their own rights.

Glee Artist: Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) & New Directions

This may actually be one of the best episodes of Glee ever, from finally getting to hear Brittany (played by Heather Morris) sing to Jon Stamos as a dentist who keep accidentally giving the students hallucinations during teeth cleanings to one of the best lines ever uttered by Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch): "It's a Brittany Spears sex riot." The slowed down a capella version of Toxic is SO good, and so many talented New Directioners get spotlight moments. Of course we have a classic cringy, inappropriate Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison) moment - the decisions this man makes are truly baffling, on what planet would dancing and singing to this song with your students be okay? In spite of that, this song slaps, this episode is amazing, and it was so hard to pick a favorite song because every single one of them is great.

S2E3: Grilled Cheesus (October 5th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: I Want to Hold Your Hand (written by J. Lennon, P. McCartney)

Original Artist: Across the Universe Cast

I love The Beatles, so any time Glee did a Beatles cover I was all over it and buying it on iTunes the next day. The original version of I Want to Hold Your Hand was released as a single in 1963, peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Glee actually chose to cover the version performed by TV Carpio in the 2007 film Across the Universe, which has AMAZING reimaginings of so many Beatles songs all over the soundtrack, and the slowed down, much more mournful and longing approach to this song really, really works and will always be a favorite of mine.

Glee Artist: Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer)

Geez Louise, I love Chris Colfer's voice so much. Hearing my favorite character sing a song I love from a band I love is awesome, and he really did this song justice. The slowed down version works perfectly with his voice and, of course, the context of the episode as Kurt struggles with his father's recent heart attack. It's a total tear jerker, and while it's amazing, do have to give the original film version the one, but only by a very small margin.

S2E4: Duets (October 12th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: River Deep, Mountain High (written by E. Greenwich, J. Barry, P. Spector)

Original Artist: Ike & Tina Turner

Tina Turner? Hell yes. Ike? Disgusting. Featured on their 1969 album River Deep - Mountain High, the song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #88. This song is a lot of fun and exactly what you'd expect out of a Tina Turner song. However, Ike can gtfo, so that's one reason the original is not getting the win here.

Glee Artist: Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) & Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera)

I really don't know why Lea Michele got so much attention when the powerhouse female vocalists of the show were very obviously Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Santana (the late Naya Rivera). WOW, these two women can sing anything put in front of them, but put them together and it was really and truly magical. This is one of my favorite performances from each of them on the show and even twelve years later still gets me feeling like I can go take over the world after listening. They get the win this round, hands down, and if you don't get it I encourage you to give their version a listen for yourself.

S2E5: The Rocky Horror Glee Show (October 26th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Time Warp (written by R. O'Brien, R. Hartley)

Original Artist: The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast

Brace yourselves: I am not a fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I think a lot of it has to do with the age I was introduced to it (11), and being a very sheltered child this movie disturbed me more than it probably would have if I'd seen it later on in life. Time Warp was originally included in the 1973 musical The Rocky Horror Show and later its 1975 film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's definitely the most iconic song in the show, and while the movie isn't my favorite I still heartily appreciate the song and understand the pop culture following it has.

Glee Artist: New Directions

This episode is pure Glee insanity, which is kind of the point, but I will never get over a high school, even a fictional one, okaying an underage student production of Rocky Horror. That being said, the cast absolutely slays the Time Warp. Everyone commits to the craziness of their stage persona, the voices all get to really shine, and it's delightful chaos from start to finish. The cast version wins this one for me as well, no contest.

S2E6: Never Been Kissed (November 9th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Teenage Dream (written by K. Perry, B. McKee, L. Gottwald, M. Martin, B. Levin)

Original Artist: Katy Perry

The Teenage Dream Era of Katy Perry is, I think, her peak era so far from what we've seen musically from her. This song, along with the rest of the album, could not be escaped for roughly 3 years in the early 2010s, but I honestly wasn't mad about it because all the songs were pretty great. Teenage Dream was featured on Perry's 2010 album Teenage Dream, peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, and is certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA. This song is still great, but as with Toxic I'm declaring a tie here between original and Glee cover.

Glee Artist: Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) & The Warblers

This is another iconic Glee moment because it's the first appearance of another favorite character and definite favorite Glee actor Blaine Anderson, played by the unbelievably amazing Darren Criss. I had such a huge crush on Criss the entire run of the show, and it definitely started right here during this song in this episode. The Warblers, the show choir for Dalton Academy, bring a refreshing change to the show's music as all of their numbers are purely a cappella, and they're always amazing whenever they're on screen. Yeah, definitely a tie here, both versions of this song are great, and I recommend them both highly.

S2E7: The Substitute (November 16th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Singing in the Rain/Umbrella (written by A. Freed, N. Brown, C. Stewart, T. Nash, K. Harrell, S. Carter)

Original Artist(s): Singin' in the Rain Cast/Rihanna ft. Jay-Z

Singing in the Rain was first performed by Doris Eaton Travis in the 1929 film The Hollywood Music Box Revue and made popular and iconic by the 1952 film Singin' in the Rain, where it was performed by Gene Kelly. Umbrella was featured on Rihanna's 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. It is certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA and won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2008 Grammy Awards. These two songs are totally opposite genres, so what type of mashup could they possibly create?

Glee Artist: Holly Holiday (Gwyneth Paltrow), Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) & New Directions

Wow, what a mashup and wow, what a guest star. Whether you love her or hate her, introducing Gwyneth Paltrow as recurring character and super cool substitute teacher Holly Holiday was a great move on Glee's part and every episode she showed up in was great. She and Morrison's voices blend together beautifully, and this is just the first of multiple great duets from the two of them. This mashup is a blast, 10/10 would recommend.

S2E8: Furt (November 23rd, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Just the Way You Are (written by A. Levine, K. Walton, K. Cain, P. Hernandez, P. Lawrence)

Original Artist: Bruno Mars

This is still one of the best songs in Bruno Mars's repertoire, I won't hear anything otherwise. Featured on Mars's 2010 album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. Just the Way You Are is certified 13x Platinum by the RIAA and won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2011 Grammy Awards. Mars's tenor voice is very good, and he has some really nice, clear high notes on this song, so I'm giving the original the win this time.

Glee Artist: Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) & New Directions

Cory Monteith, may he rest in peace, did not have the strongest voice on the show. I'm sorry, he just didn't. However, he did have some great musical moments on the show, and this was definitely one of them. Singing Just the Way You Are to Kurt at the wedding of Finn's mom and Kurt's dad is such a sweet moment, and I always loved their brother relationship. The song will always be a bop, but again, Bruno Mars's vocals get the win over Cory Monteith's.

S2E9: Special Education (November 30th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Hey, Soul Sister (written by P. Monahan, E. Lind, A. Bjørklund)

Original Artist: Train

Hey, Soul Sister was originally featured on Train's 2009 album Save Me, San Francisco and is still their most successful single to date. The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #3, is certified Diamond by the RIAA, and won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 2011 Grammy Awards. I love Train and frontman Pat Monahan's voice, and this song is actually a go-to piece that I use in my ukulele lessons with my students because it's so much fun to play as well as to sing. It's a close call, but I am giving the original the win here.

Glee Artist: Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) & The Warblers

This is another great a cappella cover from Blaine and the Warblers, but I will say I feel that some of the original song's energy is lost without the poppy guitar and fun drum beat behind it. This is our first time seeing the Warblers perform on stage, since this is their Sectionals performance, and like with 99% of the rest of their numbers it's fantastic. While I stand by my choice of the original, this version is still great, so check it out original.

S2E10: A Very Glee Christmas (December 7th, 2010)

Spotlight Song: Baby, It's Cold Outside (written by F. Loesser)

Original Artist(s): Neptune's Daughter Cast

Please keep your personal opinions about this song to yourself because it is unapologetically one of my favorite Christmas songs ever. Baby, It's Cold Outside was originally performed by Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams in the 1942 film Neptune's Daughter, and ended up winning Best Original Song at the 1943 Academy Awards. My personal favorite version of this song is probably Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé, but since that hadn't come out yet when this episode aired we're going to give the Glee version the win here over the original film version.

Glee Artist: Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) & Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer)

This is not only the first Christmas episode (and, I think, the best of the Christmas episodes), it's also Kurt & Blaine's first duet and the beginning of a fantastic tradition of Blaine/Kurt Christmas duets. These guys were pretty much made to sing together, and like with Mercedes and Santana it's almost always AMAZING when they do (the one exception I can think of is Candle, but that performance is so bad to me that I choose to ignore it). The cast wins this round, and rightfully so.

S2E11: The Sue Sylvester Shuffle (February 6th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Thriller/Heads Will Roll (written by R. Temperton, K. Orzolek, N. Zinner, B. Chase)

Original Artist(s): Michael Jackson/Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Thriller was featured on Michael Jackson's 1982 album Thriller and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #4. It is certified Diamond by the RIAA and has been named by multiple sources as the greatest music video of all time. Heads Will Roll was featured on the Yeah Yeah Yeah's 2009 album It's Blitzed! Both songs are great additions to anyone's Halloween playlist and have great beats you can't help but dance to.

Glee Artist: New Directions & The McKinley Titans

Now this number is not involved in any way in a Glee Halloween plot. Instead, it's a number performed by the New Directions and the McKinley football team together at halftime during their championship game, which clearly makes so much sense. However convoluted the plot (it's actually not as weird when you learn the episode aired after the biggest football game of the year), this is a killer (lol) mashup and the dance sequence is so much fun to watch.

S2E12: Silly Love Songs (February 8th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Fat Bottomed Girls (written by B. May)

Original Artist: Queen

Fat Bottomed Girls was featured on Queen's 1978 album Jazz, and it charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #24. This is a great Queen song, even if hearing Freddie Mercury sing about female butts is a little funny. It's got an awesome beat, it's catchy as hell, and the original is definitely getting the win here.

Glee Artist: Noah Puckerman (Mark Salling) & New Directions Boys

You can check out my Season 1 post for my feelings about Mark Salling and Noah Puckerman, I really don't want to get into it every season. Puck's relationship with bully-turned-New Directioner Lauren Zizes (played by Ashley Fink) always felt very forced to me, but I did enjoy her standing up for herself when Puck thought this song was a good one to sing to her for that week's love song assignment. It's a great song, but come on guys, have a little more common sense than that.

S2E13: Comeback (February 15th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Take Me or Leave Me (written by J. Larson)

Original Artist: Rent Cast

I talked about this song not long ago in a Stage Sounds post, so I'll just go ahead and say that the original version of this song is going to win today. Take Me or Leave Me was originally featured in the 1996 musical Rent by actresses Idina Menzel and Fredi Walker. I love this song, and it takes incredibly powerful vocals to pull it off successfully.

Glee Artist: Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) & Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)

Amber Riley and Lea Michele are two of the most powerful female vocalists on the show, I will give them that. They both give this song their absolute all, but I do have gripes with Joanne's verse being cut and that they don't split the song up the way the stage production does. Watching Rachel and Mercedes start this song angry at each other but resolve their issues during the song and come out the other side smiling is very satisfactory.

S2E14: Blame It on the Alcohol (February 22nd, 2011)

Spotlight Song: TiK ToK (written by K. Sebert, L. Gottwald, B. Levin)

Original Artist: Kesha

I tend to not like Kesha songs the first time I hear them, but they then grow on me over time, and this was the very first song to start that pattern. TiK ToK was featured on Kesha's 2010 album Animal, back when she still spelled her name Ke$ha. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1 and is certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA. This song really is a lot of fun, and nowadays is a nostalgic trip back to my senior year of high school, so I'm going to give the original the win this time as well.

Glee Artist: Brittany Pearce (Heather Morris) & New Directions

Brittany was the perfect New Directioner to have the lead solo on this song - imagining any of the other girls' vocals trying to sing early era Kesha just gives me a headache. This episode is another giant mess as what seems like every student and faculty member at McKinley deals with drinking seemingly out of nowhere, but it's also got some really funny moments as well. The club's drunken pep rally performance begins with Principal Figgins (played by the hilarious Iqal Theba) pronouncing Kesha's name "Kay-Dollar Sign-Ha" and ends with Brittany puking all over Rachel, so all in all, a pretty well-rounded performance.

S2E15: Sexy (March 8th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Landslide (written by S. Nicks)

Original Artist: Fleetwood Mac

Not only is Landslide one of the best Fleetwood Mac songs of all time, it may be one of the best ballads out there period. The original version of the song was featured on Fleetwood Mac's 1975 album Fleetwood Mac, peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #51, and is certified Gold by the RIAA. My personal favorite version of this song, and the one Glee chose to cover, was recorded by The Chicks (when they were still the Dixie Chicks) for their 2002 album Home, which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #7 and is certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. I'm giving this win to the original because it's become such a classic and has a sort of haunting beauty to it.

Glee Artist: Holly Holiday (Gwyneth Paltrow), Brittany Pearce (Heather Morris), & Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera)

In the return of Paltrow's Holly Holiday, we have this beautiful trio to cover this iconic song. Paltrow, Morris, and Rivera's voices blend together seamlessly and they were able to create something truly special with this number while honoring both Fleetwood Mac and The Chicks at the same time. This song starts to dig a little deeper into Santana and Brittany's relationship, which always felt incredibly forced to me, but is a sentimental moment in the show all the same.

S2E16: Original Song (March 15th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Get It Right (written by A. Anders, N. Hassman, P. Åström)

Original Artist/Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) & New Directions

Season 2 saw Glee's attempt at writing original songs for New Directions, and in most cases they did a pretty darn good job. Get It Right's in universe composer is Rachel, pouring out her feelings regarding her tumultuous relationships with Finn and Quinn (Dianna Agron) at Regionals. In real life, the song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #16. This is probably my favorite original song from the show; it has really beautiful vocals from Michele and the rest of the New Directions girls, it has relatable lyrics, and nice instrumentation underneath, all of which make it both an enjoyable listening and singing experience.

S2E17: A Night of Neglect (April 19th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Turning Tables (written by A. Adkins, R. Tedder)

Original Artist: Adele

This is such an incredible Adele song that I feel doesn't get the appropriate amount of hype, which helps make it a great song for this episode. The original version of the song was featured on Adele's 2011 album 21, peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #63, and is certified Gold by the RIAA. I absolutely love when Adele taps into the high register of her voice, and I absolutely love Adele, so the original is getting the win this time, but I will say this was very almost a tie.

Glee Artist: Holly Holiday (Gwyneth Paltrow)

I think this is Paltrow's best performance in her entire arc on this show, truly. Sung as a goodbye from Holly to Will at the glee club's benefit concert, she pours so much emotion into this song that you feel you can hear her heart breaking as you listen. This is a fantastic cover of a fantastic song, definitely do not sleep on it.

S2E18: Born This Way (April 26th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: I Feel Pretty/Unpretty (written by S. Sondheim, L. Bernstein, D. Austin, T. Watkins)

Original Artist(s): West Side Story Cast/TLC

I Feel Pretty was originally performed by Carol Lawrence in the 1957 musical West Side Story and has since become a staple in the musical theatre genre. Unpretty was featured on TLC's 1999 album FanMail, peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, and is certified Gold by the RIAA. Mixing classic musical theatre with 90's R&B was a risky move, but honestly thank God they went for it.

Glee Artist: Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) & Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)

No contest, this is my absolute favorite performance that was ever recorded for this show. The duet between Quinn and Rachel airs a lot of grievances between the jealousy they have for each other, and the vocal balance in this number is absolutely perfect. This is the strongest singing we've heard from Agron up to this point, and Michele actually does a good job blending with her and not overpowering like she usually does. 15/10, I loved this song in 2011 and I love this song today.

S2E19: Rumours (May 3rd, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Songbird (written by C. McVie)

Original Artist: Fleetwood Mac

While it's not talked about nearly as often this song is, I think, every bit as beautiful as Landslide. The original version of Songbird was featured on Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album Rumours and showcases keyboardist and songwriter Christine McVie on vocals. This simple, beautiful, stripped down song is so good, trust me.

Glee Artist: Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera)

The Glee version is getting the win this time, sorry if you disagree. I think this may be Naya Rivera's absolute best performance vocally, she just absolutely nails it. Even back in 2011 this was an emotional moment in the show as Santana sings out her feelings to Brittany in private because she's still afraid of what the rest of New Directons will say. This song hits a lot differently after her tragic death in 2020, making me cry for a whole new host of reasons, but please, please go listen to it, you won't regret it. It's absolutely stunning.

S2E20: Prom Queen (May 10th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: Rolling in the Deep (written by A. Adkins, P. Epworth)

Original Artist: John Legend

Rolling in the Deep was originally featured on Adele's 2011 album 21 and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. It is certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA and won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video at the 2012 Grammys. Glee chose to cover the 2011 a cappella version recorded by John Legend, which is incredible in its own right. We all know Rolling in the Deep at this point, you love it or you don't - I just happen to love it. I love Adele's version, but that's not the one that was covered...so honestly I'm giving the win to the Glee cast again.

Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) & Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff)

Anytime Jesse showed up on Glee you knew you were getting drama, but Jonathan Groff is just so damn good you never even cared. This is another pair that sounds like they were made to sing together, which comes from Michele and Groff's real life long term friendship. They are phenomenal on this song together, showcasing incredible amounts of angst as Jesse crashes Rachel's prom performance rehearsal, and the addition of the AV Club's backing vocals added another beautiful layer to an already great performance. I love this version, no more needs to be said.

S2E21: Funeral (May 17th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: My Man (written by A. Willemitz, C. Pollock, J. Charles, M. Yvain)

Original Artist: Funny Girl Cast

My Man was originally titled Mon Homme and recorded by French revue star Mistinguett in 1920 before being popularized in America by Fanny Brice in 1921. It is performed by Barbra Streisand in the 1968 film adaptation of Funny Girl. Barbra's gotta be the winner here, guys - you can't often go wrong with one of the queens of music. The performance is powerful, emotional, and is a great segway to the end of the movie.

Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)

This episode was really difficult to pick a favorite song from because there's so many great choices, but ugh Michele did do a great job on this number. Rachel uses it both as an audition for a Nationals solo and also in dedication to Finn and she really brings down the house with it. You can tell how much Funny Girl means to both Rachel and Lea Michele any time she gets to sing it; that's not an emotion very easily faked. This is another great performance, bravo.

S2E22: New York (May 24th, 2011)

Spotlight Song: My Cup (written by A. Anders, P. Åström, I. Brennan)

Original Artist/Glee Artist: Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) & Brittany Pearce (Heather Morris)

No, this isn't a joke, my final entry for this post is My Cup and I don't even care. Submitted in universe as an original composition by Brittany for New Directions to sing at Nationals, the song is so ridiculous and the rest of the kids' expressions throughout are actually hilarious. It's a classic, pure Brittany moment for the end of the season and I love it.

I hope you found some great classic songs and some top notch covers to check out here. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!