Welcome to Part 5 of our Glee recap series! Season 5 is, to me, marginally better than Season 4 but still absolutely pales in comparison to earlier seasons. What I will give this season is a hearty round of applause for the really great music spread throughout, because it's a great selection we have to choose from here.
Season 5 of Glee premiered on Fox on September 26th, 2013 with the finale airing on May 13th, 2014. This season picks up almost exactly where Season 4 left off to finish up the Class of 2013's senior year (Blaine, Sam, Artie, Tina, etc) while still following our McKinley alumni in New York City. As always, this season sees plenty of pressures and problems for our characters to navigate, including but not limited to aging, death, hate crimes, health, homophobia, and intimacy.
As with the previous seasons, 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!
S5E1: Love, Love, Love (September 26th, 2013)
Spotlight Song: A Hard Day's Night (written by J. Lennon, P. McCartney)
Original Artist: The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night was originally featured on The Beatles' 1964 album of the same name. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. This is one of the most well known Beatles songs out there, and even accompanied a musical comedy film starring the band released in theaters to help spur on Beatlemania. It's a classic, and is still fun to listen to all these years later.
Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) & Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera)
Despite their now well-known feud throughout the show's run, it was always a treat to get a Rachel/Santana duet because Michele and Rivera's voices blended so well together. They matched each others' energy as well, so you could always count on their collaborations to be incredible performances. Call me basic, but I've been a Beatles fan since I was a teenager, and I was so beyond excited to hear Glee was finally giving them not just one, but TWO tribute episodes. While the scene of Rachel and Santana performing this at their singing waitress job is undoubtedly fun, the original takes the win for me on this one.
S5E2: Tina in the Sky with Diamonds (October 3rd, 2013)
Spotlight Song: Get Back (written by J. Lennon, P. McCartney)
Original Artist: The Beatles
Get Back was originally featured on The Beatles' 1970 album Let It Be, and it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. The song has also been certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. I don't have the same emotional attachment to this specific song as I do to A Hard Day's Night or many others, but it's still catchy as hell and is part of an absolutely incredible and iconic album as a whole. It's bouncy, it's the right kind of borderline weird for this era of the band, and it's a great addition to their discography.
Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) & Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer)
A Rachel/Kurt duet is fairly common, but this acoustic number featuring Michele, Colfer, and a piano is a lot of fun. The energy is way up in this number, and I think the piano in this cover really help with that and is honestly my favorite part of the whole song. It's a very close call, but I'm giving the cover the win here based on the instrumentation and Colfer's vocals (Michele, once again, sounds like she's trying to hard at a genre her voice doesn't fit).
S5E3: The Quarterback (October 10th, 2013)
Spotlight Song: No Surrender (written by B. Springsteen)
Original Artist: Bruce Springsteen
No Surrender was originally featured on Springsteen's 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. It's not the most popular Springsteen song, either on the album or period, but it's still a good song that can serve as a coming of age anthem for some. It's a bop, and if you're a Springsteen fan it's definitely for you.
Glee Artist: Noah Puckerman (Mark Salling)
This episode was, without a doubt, one of the most emotional, difficult things I've ever watched on television in my life. Not only are the characters navigating the sudden and tragic death of their beloved Finn, the cast was mourning the sudden and tragic death of his actor, Corry Monteith, in real time, and the pain they're feeling is visceral and tangible. It was really hard to choose a "favorite" song from this episode, but I kept coming back to Puck's acoustic performance of this song to honor his best friend. I'm giving the cover the win on this one as well - turns out, this song really hits different when it's stripped down like this, and it's a beautiful performance. (For my opinion on the actor who performed it, please refer to Part 1 of this series).
S5E4: A Katy or A Gaga (November 7th, 2013)
Spotlight Song: Marry the Night (written by S. Germanotta, F. Garibay)
Original Artist: Lady Gaga
Marry the Night was originally featured on Gaga's 2011 album Born This Way, and it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #29. It has also been certified Platinum by the RIAA. This song my favorite of Gaga's, but it's still got a fun energy and a great beat so I don't judge anyone who is a big fan of this one.
Glee Artist: Elliott Gilbert (Adam Lambert)
I could barely contain myself when it was announced Adam Lambert was going to have a guest arc on this show as "Starchild" who auditions to be in Kurt's band he's forming. I've loved him since his season of American Idol and I genuinely think he's one of the most talented performers out there right now. His vocals on this song are out of this world, which is saying something because Gaga's vocals are famously intense due to her own talent level. The cover wins again for me - Lambert is just that good, no notes.
S5E5: The End of Twerk (November 14th, 2013)
Spotlight Song: Wrecking Ball (written by M. McDonald, S. Moccio, S. Skarbek, D. Kim, L. Gottwald, H. Walter)
Original Artist: Miley Cyrus
Wrecking Ball was originally featured on Cyrus's 2013 album Bangerz . It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1 and is certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA. This song has become a meme since it's simultaneously infamous and iconic music video was released, and while the video is not my personal taste, the song on its own is actually a really incredible breakup ballad. Cyrus's vocals are top notch on this one as well, a true showcase of what she can do musically.
Glee Artist: Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist)
If this had been an earlier season, this number would've gone to Lea Michele without a shadow of a doubt, so it makes sense that Melissa Benoist got to solo this in the back half of this show. I do really enjoy Benoist's voice, but Marley truly annoyed the crap out of me in Season 5 with all her woe is me-ness she had written on to her. If I have a critique of Benoist's vocals, it would be that I think she can rely too heavily on her vibrato at times, which this song unfortunately falls victim to. Therefore, the original gets the win for me here.
S5E6: Movin' Out (November 21st, 2013)
Spotlight Song: Piano Man (written by W. Joel)
Original Artist: Billy Joel
Piano Man was originally featured on Joel's 1973 album of the same name and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #25. The song has since been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA, which makes way more sense to me than its shockingly low (compared to the legacy of the song) Billboard spot. This song is absolutely the pinnacle of Joel's repertoire, and every aspect (the lyrics, the piano line, the harmonica) has become immortally iconic.
Glee Artist: Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss)
Darren Criss was the perfect choice to solo this song, no questions asked. It was really cool to have a Billy Joel tribute episode set primarily in NYC, and this song is absolutely the centerpiece of the whole episode. It is a shortened version of the original song, but the performance is absolutely wonderful nonetheless. I'm actually going to give this round an even tie between the two versions of the song. The original is too iconic and Criss's vocals are too good to choose between, and both are great performances with the cover being a lovely tribute to its original inspiration.
S5E7: Puppet Master (November 28th, 2013)
Spotlight Song: You're My Best Friend (written by J. Deacon)
Original Artist: Queen
You're My Best Friend was originally featured on Queen's 1975 album A Night at the Opera. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #16 and is certified Platinum by the RIAA. This is a really fun, sweet song from Queen, made infinitely more so when you know that their bassist John Deacon wrote it about his wife. It's an undeniable bop and an undisputed asset to the band's catalogue.
Glee Artist: Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) & New Directions
Oooh boy, this episode is one that I think all Glee fans can pinpoint as one of the most ridiculous. I mean, Blaine could've sang this in any other situation - why did we land on hallucinating about the rest of New Directions being puppets because of a gas leak? It's really wild, but still not even the weirdest part of the episode (this is also the one with The Fox). The original gets the win here, not because Criss's vocals are bad (that's impossible) but because the setting is just too bizarre.
S5E8: Previously Unaired Christmas (December 5th, 2013)
Spotlight Song: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (written by J. Marks)
Original Artist: Brenda Lee
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree was originally featured on Lee's 1958 album Merry Christmas from Brenda Lee. It's absolutely one of the most well-known and beloved Christmas songs out there now - I know my music students end up fighting over who gets to perform it at the Christmas Recital every year. It's so much fun, and helps many, myself included, get into the holiday spirit.
Glee Artist: Will Schuster (Matthew Morrison) & New Directions
This is absolutely the worst Christmas episode of this show's life, and to me one of the worst episodes of any holiday of any show ever. I was so disappointed in it - Glee usually knocked it out of the park with their Christmas episodes, but this season they focused more on a shock factor and it fell so flat I actually got up and walked away from the TV before it was over. The cast does a fine job covering this song, but the original wins to help get the bad taste of this episode out of my mouth.
S5E9: Frenemies (February 25th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Brave (written by S. Bareilles, J. Antonoff)
Original Artist: Sara Bareilles
Brave was originally featured on Bareilles's 2013 album The Blessed Unrest. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #23 and has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA. Bareilles is an incredible songwriter, and Brave is no exception. It's such a pick-me-up power anthem that makes you feel like you can take on the entire world to achieve your dreams.
Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) & Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera)
Here's another great Rachel/Santana duet from this season in the middle of an episode that I wonder if it hit too close to home for both Michele and Rivera. Santana was absolutely a Grade-A Bitch throughout most of the show, but she was a great foil to Rachel to let her know that it wasn't always about her, and they (often unwittingly) challenged each other to be better. The original gets the win this round, but I want to give a special shoutout to Michele & Rivera's harmonies because they're so freaking clean.
S5E10: Trio (March 4th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Barracuda (written by A. Wilson, R. Fisher, N. Wilson, M. Derosier)
Original Artist: Heart
Barracuda was originally featured on Heart's 1977 album Little Queen and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #11. This is one of my favorite rock songs and has been since I learned to "play" it on Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock (no, I'm not embarrassed about that, leave me alone). Incredible vocals, iconic guitar lines, and an absolute banger of a beat combine to make a really excellent song.
Glee Artist: Elliott Gilbert (Adam Lambert) & Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)
I hate that Lambert duets this song with Michele because, I will say again, her voice does not fit many more genres than musical theatre while his voice was absolutely born for rock music. However, this is a good cover in spite of that, though just not quite as great as the original material. As you probably guessed by this point, Heart and their original performance win this round.
S5E11: City of Angels (March 11th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (written by P. Hewson, A. Clayton, D. Evans, L. Mullen)
Original Artist: U2
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For was originally featured on U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. I believe this to be U2's best song, and I've loved it sense I first heard it on one of my favorite movie soundtracks of all time, 1999's Runaway Bride (starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere). It's got an undeniably memorable melody, not horrible vocals from Bono, and a catchy beat that make it an iconic banger.
Glee Artist: New Directions
This episode is another favorite of mine, largely because New Directions bases their Nationals set off of the late Finn's (who, remember, was their coach/teacher/sponsor for most of Season 4) favorite songs. This version of this song, with solos from Blaine, Artie, Sam, and Artie is absolutely incredible and super emotional, and it's on my Never Skip list when it comes on my phone. I'm giving this round another tie because I have different emotional and nostalgic ties to both versions, and they're both great performances in their own right.
S5E12: 100 (March 18th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Raise Your Glass (written by A. Hart, M. Martin, J. Schuster)
Original Artist: P!nk
Raise Your Glass was originally featured on P!nk's 2010 album Greatest Hits... So Far!!! and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. It has since been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA. This song has grown on me over the years, and it's a banger of a good time just like you would expect from P!nk.
Glee Artist: April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth), Will Schuster (Matthew Morrison), & New Directions
For Glee's 100th episode, many previously performed and beloved songs made reappearances, including this one that was originally performed in Season 2 by Blaine and The Warblers when he was still a student at Dalton Acardemy. Once again, we see our rule of "Kristin Sings, Kristin Wins," and she just adds such a fun energy to this song that makes me smile when I hear it. It's always great to hear Chenoweth and Morrison sing together, and while this cover is great, I'm giving the original the win here just because it has a little of an extra edge that only P!nk can provide.
S5E13: Diva (March 25th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Just Give Me a Reason (written by A. Hart, J. Bhasker, N. Ruess)
Original Artist: P!nk ft. Nate Ruess
Just Give Me a Reason was originally featured on P!nk's 2012 album The Truth About Love. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1 and is certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. This is one of my absolute favorite P!nk songs, and I love how she and Ruess's voices compliment each other. It's a beautiful, emotional ballad that still holds up today.
Glee Artist: Noah Puckerman (Mark Salling) & Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron)
This duet between will they/won't they couple Puck and Quinn ended up being so beautiful, and did a great job giving the audience some closure on their relationship. Agron's vocals had improved drastically from where they were in Season 1, and she and Salling sounded great together on this number. It's a really close call, but I'm giving the original the win here; however, check the cover out for yourself because it truly is really good.
S5E14: New New York (April 1st, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Downtown (written by T. Hatch)
Original Artist: Petula Clark
Downtown was originally featured on Clark's 1965 album of the same name and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. It is certified Gold by the RIAA and won Best Rock & Roll Recording at the 1965 Grammy Awards. This catchy song is such a fun bop that always makes me think of New York City, which is one of my favorite places in the whole world.
Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), & Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale)
This song showcases each person's vocals really, really well, and the way they got that '60's sound on the recording makes me love it even more. It does a great job showing who the show's really going to focus on (minus Santana, unfortunately) moving forward, and it feels like classic Glee. I'm actually giving the cover the win here; everyone really shines on it and pays great homage to the original.
S5E15: Bash (April 8th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Not While I'm Around (written by S. Sondheim)
Original Artist: Sweeney Todd Cast
Not While I'm Around was originally featured in Act 2 of the 1979 musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and is performed by the characters of Tobias and Mrs. Lovett. In the middle of such a dark show, this song is sweet and beautiful, called by critics "tender and haunting". I listened to the original cast recording with Ken Jennings and Angela Lansbury, and I enjoyed it immensely, but I'm also super partial to Edward Sanders and Helena Bonham Carter's version from the 2007 film.
Glee Artist: McKinley Alumni
This was a really dark episode of this show, with everyone coping with Kurt being brutally attacked for being gay and having to be hospitalized. Blaine, Rachel, Mercedes (Amber Riley), and Sam have gorgeous solos in this a cappella cover, and the emotions are played out super well throughout the whole song. Comparing with only the 1979 cast, I'm giving Glee the win this time around.
S5E16: Tested (April 15th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: I Want to Know What Love Is (written by M. Jones)
Original Artist: Foreigner
I Want to Know What Love Is was originally featured on Foreigner's 1984 album Agent Provocateur and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1. It is also certified Platinum by the RIAA. This classic rock ballad has cemented itself in pop culture by being featured in a ton of movies both seriously and as a joke. It's not one that I tend to gravitate towards, but I definitely appreciate it for its place in rock history.
Glee Artist: Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley)
This season does not have enough Mercedes in it, but she absolutely destroys this song in that way only she can. Amber Riley is so talented and pours so much of herself into every performance, this one included. I really loved the Mercedes/Sam romance and thought they were really sweet together. I'm actually giving the cover the win here because Amber Riley is just that good and gives a hell of a performance here.
S5E17: Opening Night (April 22nd, 2014)
Spotlight Song: I'm the Greatest Star (written by J. Stone, B. Merrill)
Original Artist: Funny Girl Cast
I'm the Greatest Star was originally featured in Act 1 of the 1964 musical Funny Girl and is performed by the character of Fanny. It's a staple of musical theatre music as well as an important part of Barbra Streisand's repertoire. You just can't top her, no matter how you try.
Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)
This is the second time this song has appeared on the show as well, performed first in Season 3 by Kurt. I personally prefer Kurt's version over Rachel's, but this whole Funny Girl arc ended up being prophetic for Michele, who just last year got to be Fanny for real on Broadway. The lack of New York accent in this version throws me off HARD, so as you could probably guess, the original wins this time.
S5E18: The Back-Up Plan (April 29th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Wake Me Up (written by E. Dawkins, T. Bergling, M. Einziger)
Original Artist: Avicii
Wake Me Up was originally featured on Avicii's 2013 album True and features vocals from Aloe Blacc. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #4 and is certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA. Avicii (RIP) dropped some really great songs in his career, and I personally love this song, particularly Blacc's stunning vocals.
Glee Artist: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)
Rachel's "grass is always greener/woe is me" thing with her LITERAL dream job was beyond infuriating to me, but it did give us this beautiful slowed down version of Wake Me Up, which was nice. The lyrics do a great job emphasizing Rachel's feelings about where she is in life at this point, but I'm just so annoyed with her at this point it takes me out of it. Vocals are, as usual, fine, but the original hands down wins here.
S4E19: Old Dog, New Tricks (May 6th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: Memory (written by A. Lloyd Webber, T. Nunn)
Original Artist: Cats Cast
Memory was originally featured in Act 2 of the 1981 musical Cats and is performed by the character of Grizabella. I love Andrew Lloyd Webber, but damn do I struggle with Cats. The dancing is incredible, and this one song is top notch, but the rest of the show is just way too weird and abstract for me and makes no sense. If you agree with me, I encourage you to check out the episode of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt where Tituss auditions for Cats, you will not be disappointed, I promise you.
Glee Artist: Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) & Maggie Banks (June Squibb)
This song messed me up BAD when it came out. Having just graduated college and honestly feeling very lost, unimportant, and adrift, Kurt singing this with the residents of a Senior Living Facility literally broke me, and for a good six months I couldn't hear this song without crying my eyes out. That being said, it's one of my favorite performances from this entire show, and I gladly give the cover the win.
S5E20: The Untitled Rachel Berry Project (May 13th, 2014)
Spotlight Song: American Boy (written by W. Adams, E. Swaray, J. Stephens, K. West, E. Hendrickson, J. Lopez, C. Speir, K. Harris)
Original Artist: Estelle ft. Kanye West
American Boy was originally featured on Estelle's 2008 album Shine and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #9. It's certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA and won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2009 Grammy Awards. I didn't discover this song until my sophomore year of college and developed a new appreciation for it during COVID lockdown when my husband and I watched Steven Universe and I realized Estelle was the voice actor for my favorite character, Garnet. The song and Estelle's voice are both a little unique, and it's a fun bop for sure.
Glee Artist: Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) & Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer)
Of course we can't get through a Glee post without a Blaine/Kurt duet. As always, harmonies are unmatched and they just sound like they're having so much fun singing together. In the middle of this completely nonsensical episode that even guest star Kristen Schaal couldn't save, this duet was a much appreciated bright spot. The guys do wonderful, and I'm giving it a tie for this round.
Once again, I hope you found some great classics and covers to check out from this post. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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