As we get ready to come back from yet another Glee hiatus next week, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and release my very own favorites list, but this first list is deliciously awful. Here are my choices for the top 10 WORST Glee covers from the first season.
10.) “No Air”
(from the episode Throw Down)
The premise of the episode was there, a battle between the whites and all the other races. With Mercedes leading the way with her powerful cover of Jill Scott’s “Hate On Me”, it was time for the white folks to show us how it’s done. Instead they give us a terrible rendition of this sweet pop song from before Chris Brown was a woman-beater. This is also where I started to get sick of the Rachel/Finn duets. The auto-tune didn’t help Finn out one bit!
9.) “Can’t Fight This Feeling”
(from the episode Pilot)
Granted, the version of this song most people hear now is the recorded one in the studio from Glee’s first compilation album, but it still doesn’t improve on the original a capella version Finn sings in the shower for the first time. I’ve never really been a big Finn fan as far as singing is concerned, and yes he has improved quite a bit since this cover. But unfortunately it doesn’t give enough reason to keep him off this list. You have better moments Finn, let’s just move forward.
8.) “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
(from the episode Throw Down)
Here it is the first of three Quinn songs on the show. I guess it’s safe to say that I’m also not a very big Quinn fan with singing either. That’s not to say that I don’t love her on the show. She’s deliciously evil when she wants to be, but sweet and vulnerable when she needs to be. This cover came at a time when she was dealing with her pregnancy out in the open, putting her love life and cheerleading career right on the line. And while the song choice doesn’t exactly fit the storyline extremely well, that’s not the worst part. Some people can get away with the weak, whisper-like singing, but I find myself cringing ALMOST every time Quinn belts it out (when she duets with Sam in season 2 with “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life”, she didn’t do half bad).
7.) “I Say A Little Prayer”
(from the episode Showmance)
Back to back Quinn songs! This one was just all over the place for me. Quinn is trying to audition with a wholesome song to get into Glee Club in order to take back her man and help Sue bring down the team along the way. It would be a genius cover with the background vocals alone. The big booming gospel voices coming from Santana & Brittany is what gives it potential to be one of the more memorable covers, but sadly Quinn’s whisper voice and awkward high notes get in the way.
6.) “Good Vibrations”
(from the episode Funk)
Not even Mercedes could save this one, and we know she certainly does her best. This is the second most awkward and pointless episode of the season that showed us all that the theme episodes were going a little too far, and getting old quick! The rapping on the show worked in the beginning with “Gold Digger” and “Push It”, but it got old as soon as soon as “Bust a Move” came along. This was just an awkward moment, especially with Finn and all his awkward dancing adding fuel to the fire.
5.) “Ice Ice Baby”
(from the episode Bad Reputation)
Here comes the end of Mr. Schuster’s rapping reign…AT LAST! What started out as cute and interesting turned into a big annoyance by the second rap song he was in. This was another great chance to showcase his insane dance moves, but it couldn’t save the cheesiness of him rapping (to Vanilla Ice of all people)!
4.) “Loser”
(from the episode Funk)
All I’ll say is this: why? What was the point? Beck is really considered a funk artist? End of story.
3.) “Smile [Lily Allen Cover]”
(from the episode Mattress)
This is a great example of trying to fix something that wasn’t broken in the first place. Lily Allen’s signature voice (with the accent and all) is what makes it a great song to begin with. What made it awful was giving it to Rachel, attempting to use some kind of accent. Not to mention that the song is about a cruel girl smiling at her ex’s misfortune, but in the episode wasn’t she trying to teach a lesson about smiling for the cameras? Just because it’s called “Smile” doesn’t mean it works that way.
2.) “Thong Song”
(from the episode Mash Up)
Coach Tenaka was always ridiculous, but really? He wants his first dance at his wedding to be the “Thong Song”? And then to add insult to injury, you put Emma in the biggest poof of a dress, plus just mixing in Will and his corny rapping again, it had all the makings of the worst moment in Glee’s first season, until…
1.) “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”
(from the episode Funk)
…along comes Quinn again, pregnant and all, trying to bring her A-game. Unfortunately, this brings more Z's than A's if ya know what I'm sayin'! I get what they were trying to do with the pregnant choreography. I felt like I needed to start taking lamas classes just to get through this one. And if you thought Quinn’s voice wasn’t good before, just wait until those really piercing moments when she tries to pull a Christina/Mariah moment and ends up sounding like Roseanne Barr singing the National Anthem. Luckily they cut back on giving her solos in the second season.
