Glee’s musical turn
Glee‘s Disney-eque cast album might not be everyone’s cup of tea but one thing that Glee creator Ryan Murphy does well is choose some choice tunes for the cast to sing and dance up a storm.
Journey’s song Don’t Stop Believin’ may have been originally released in 1981 but it experienced a major resurgence following it’s use in Glee late last year. Other artists whose back catalogue have since been boosted include Bill Withers (Lean On Me), Katrina and the Waves (Walking On Sunshine), and Queen (Somebody To Love).
Contemporary artists haven’t been ignored either with Lily Allen, Rihanna and Beyonce tunes all being used too. And the show has embraced the new trend for song mash-ups combining some unlikely songs such as Walking On Sunshine with Beyonce’s Halo. Some bands have also found new audiences after being featured on the show.
All-American Rejects are an indie rock band from Stillwater Oklahoma and while they have a strong fanbase of their own, that didn’t stop them from allowing their song Gives Them Hell (video above) to have the Glee treatment. This resulted in a return to the single charts for the song as well as new fans for the band itself.
Glee‘s much talked about Madonna episode has caused a rush of requests from artists and their management to get the Glee treatment with rumours that just about every major artist from Kylie to Britney will be getting Glee’d. While initially artists wanted to negotiate fees for the use of their material, Madonna is said to have offered her whole catalogue, once again showing she is at the forefront of musical trends. And creator Murphy has confirmed that they will be doing a homage to Lady Gaga in an upcoming show. “We’re doing an episode that’s a tribute to theatricality,” Murphy said. “We reached out to Lady Gaga and she said, ‘Yes, I’d love to be a part of it.’ So we will be doing Lady Gaga this season.”
Not everyone has been happy to be Glee’d however. Both Coldplay and Bryan Adam’s refused permission for their songs to be used in the show but apparently Coldplay have since been in contact with Murphy admitting they were wrong to snub his offer!
So love it or loathe it, Glee seems to be a great thing for music!
