The Music Of Glee
Glee is a Golden Globe-winning Fox musical comedy created by Ryan Murphy ( Nip/Tuck ) that depicts Will Schuester's ( Matthew Morrison ) efforts to save McKinley High's Glee Club from cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester ( Jane Lynch ). Glee's musical numbers, underdog characters, and rousing soundtracks have all helped make Glee a runaway pop-culture hit.
The series features covers of numerous songs sung on-screen by the characters. Musical segments typically take the form of performances, as opposed to the characters singing spontaneously, as the intention is for the series to remain reality-based. Murphy is responsible for selecting all of the songs used, and strives to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits, as: "I want there to be something for everybody in every episode. That's a tricky mix, but that's very important — the balancing of that." Song choices are integral to script development, with Murphy explaining: "Each episode has a theme at its core. After I write the script, I will choose songs that help to move the story along."
Composer and musician Billy Joel offered many of his songs for use on the show, singer Rihanna offered her single "Take a Bow" for use at a reduced licensing rate, and other artists have offered use of their songs for free. Madonna granted the show rights to her entire catalogue, and a 2010 episode will feature Madonna performances exclusively.
There will be a series of Glee albums released through Columbia Records. The first, Glee: The Music, Volume 1, was released on November 3, 2009. Songs featured on the show are available for digital download through iTunes up to two weeks before new episodes air, and through other digital outlets and mobile carriers a week later. The score of the show features a cappella covers of instrumental songs, provided in the pilot episode by The Swingle Singers.
The show's musical performances have been a commercial success, with over two million copies of Glee cast single releases purchased on iTunes. In 2009, the Glee cast had 25 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100, the most by any artist since The Beatles had 31 songs in the chart in 1964. The cast performance of "Don't Stop Believin' was certified gold in November 2009, achieving over 500,000 digital sales. The series' cover versions have also had a positive effect on the original recording artists, with sales of Rihanna's "Take a Bow" increasing by 189 percent after the song was covered in the Glee episode "Showmance".
However, there has also been critical condemnation of the cast performances, with Jon Dolan for Rolling Stone commenting that Matthew Morrison "couldn't rap his way out of a 98° rehearsal", and Allmusic's Andrew Leahey opining that Cory Monteith and Dianna Agron "can't sing nearly as well as their co-stars". E! Online's Joal Ryan criticized the show for its "overproduced soundtrack", in particular, complaining that many songs rely too heavily on the pitch correcting software auto-tune, noting: "For every too-brief moment of Lea Michele sounding raw—and lovely—on a "What a Girl Wants," or Monteith singing a perfectly credible REO Speedwagon in the shower, there's Michele and Monteith sounding like 1990s-era Cher on "No Air," or Monteith sounding like the Monteith XRZ-200 on the out-of-the-shower version of "Can't Fight This Feeling". Morrison, Colfer and Agron were invited to sing at the White House at the behest of Michelle Obama in March 2010.
The series features covers of numerous songs sung on-screen by the characters. Musical segments typically take the form of performances, as opposed to the characters singing spontaneously, as the intention is for the series to remain reality-based. Murphy is responsible for selecting all of the songs used, and strives to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits, as: "I want there to be something for everybody in every episode. That's a tricky mix, but that's very important — the balancing of that." Song choices are integral to script development, with Murphy explaining: "Each episode has a theme at its core. After I write the script, I will choose songs that help to move the story along."
Composer and musician Billy Joel offered many of his songs for use on the show, singer Rihanna offered her single "Take a Bow" for use at a reduced licensing rate, and other artists have offered use of their songs for free. Madonna granted the show rights to her entire catalogue, and a 2010 episode will feature Madonna performances exclusively.
There will be a series of Glee albums released through Columbia Records. The first, Glee: The Music, Volume 1, was released on November 3, 2009. Songs featured on the show are available for digital download through iTunes up to two weeks before new episodes air, and through other digital outlets and mobile carriers a week later. The score of the show features a cappella covers of instrumental songs, provided in the pilot episode by The Swingle Singers.
The show's musical performances have been a commercial success, with over two million copies of Glee cast single releases purchased on iTunes. In 2009, the Glee cast had 25 singles chart on the Billboard Hot 100, the most by any artist since The Beatles had 31 songs in the chart in 1964. The cast performance of "Don't Stop Believin' was certified gold in November 2009, achieving over 500,000 digital sales. The series' cover versions have also had a positive effect on the original recording artists, with sales of Rihanna's "Take a Bow" increasing by 189 percent after the song was covered in the Glee episode "Showmance".
However, there has also been critical condemnation of the cast performances, with Jon Dolan for Rolling Stone commenting that Matthew Morrison "couldn't rap his way out of a 98° rehearsal", and Allmusic's Andrew Leahey opining that Cory Monteith and Dianna Agron "can't sing nearly as well as their co-stars". E! Online's Joal Ryan criticized the show for its "overproduced soundtrack", in particular, complaining that many songs rely too heavily on the pitch correcting software auto-tune, noting: "For every too-brief moment of Lea Michele sounding raw—and lovely—on a "What a Girl Wants," or Monteith singing a perfectly credible REO Speedwagon in the shower, there's Michele and Monteith sounding like 1990s-era Cher on "No Air," or Monteith sounding like the Monteith XRZ-200 on the out-of-the-shower version of "Can't Fight This Feeling". Morrison, Colfer and Agron were invited to sing at the White House at the behest of Michelle Obama in March 2010.
Source...