Top 10 Celeb Reactions to Glee Covers of Their Songs

You may know that the songs of Sir Paul McCartney and The Beatles have been featured on “Glee” quite a few times throughout its six-season run, but did you know that McCartney was the one to put that collaboration in motion? According to co-creator Ryan Murphy, the legend himself actually sent him a fan letter with a list of songs he thought might be good for the series. The show was happy to take advantage of the offer, and ended up performing a total of nineteen Beatles songs and one Wings song by the series' end. We’re not sure what McCartney thought of each cover, but it’s safe to say that he was likely enthusiastic about the inclusion of so much of his work on the show.

“Glee” might be best known for reinvigorating the songs of Journey but, by the end of the series, the music of Lady Gaga had become just as synonymous with the show as the classic rock band. This was primarily due to the season two episode “Born This Way,” in which characters sung the title song while wearing t-shirts displaying so-called “flaws” that they were proud of. The show had done Gaga before, dressing up in outfits inspired by her, and would cover her again in the late-series episode “A Katy or a Gaga.” Gaga herself reportedly enjoyed the covers, telling Entertainment Weekly that she had always dreamed of students one day singing her songs when she was in musical theater school.

If you haven’t seen “Glee” you may be surprised to learn that Darren Criss’ character, Blaine, was not always a part of the show. Although the character quickly became a fan favorite, he wasn’t introduced until the sixth episode of the show’s second season. His introductory performance was a slowed-down version of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” which would cause Kurt (and thousands of viewers across the nation) to develop a crush on the private school boy. Katy Perry was similarly smitten with him and his talent, tweeting out “Teenage Dream on GLEE makes my heart go WEEEEE!,” and adding that the performance even brought a tear to her eye.

For fans of “Glee,” it should come as no surprise that Britney Spears has positive feelings for the show. The series featured two full tribute episodes to the artist, one of which she personally guest starred in. During the premiere of season two’s “Britney/Brittany,” Spears even live-tweeted her reactions to the episode, saying that Rachel’s performance of “Hit Me Baby One More Time” brought back “so many memories.” She similarly praised the hallucigen-fueled “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “Me Against the Music” performances, noting that she knows how hard it is to dance with a snake and that “Santana does a great Madonna impression.”

Have you ever wondered why there were never any Guns N’ Roses covers on “Glee”? The band’s music may have seemed like the perfect fit for characters like Finn or Puck, but unfortunately the show could never secure the rights. This is because Guns N’ Roses’ guitarist, Slash, is anti-“Glee.” The musician compared the series to “Grease,” (which he also isn’t a fan of) but claimed that, in a match-up between the two, even “Grease” looks like a work of art. “Glee” co-creator Ryan Murphy responded dismissively, calling Slash and others who make similar comments “uneducated and quite stupid.”

One of the more surprising “Glee” covers was Sue Sylvester’s performance of “Super Bass.” The cover takes place as a result of a challenge Sue poses to Blaine. Wanting him to return to her cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, she uncharacteristically proposes the idea of a singing competition between the two of them. Mariah Carey vs Nicki Minaj. Blaine accepts the challenge, singing “I Still Believe,” but is taken aback by Sue’s commitment, as she shows up to the sing-off dressed in the style of Minaj. While many fans of “Glee” consider the cover to be one of the worst on the show, Nicki herself seemed to love the performance, tweeting out her praise shortly after the episode aired.

It’s not often that Amber Riley and Jenna Ushkowitz get to sing lead on “Glee.” Although their characters, Mercedes and Tina, have been with the show since its inception, the two are too rarely given their time to shine - especially together. The show’s cover of Florence + the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” allows just that, however, and the unconventional pairing makes for a fun, high-energy cover. Songwriter and vocalist Florence Welch was thrilled with the show’s handling of her song, describing it as an “amazing Christmas present” to watch with her family. “Glee” would go on to cover another of Florence’s songs in the following season, further solidifying the singer’s symbiotic relationship with the series.

In “Glee”s first season, Rachel Berry chooses to sing Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” because “it’s about overcoming obstacles and beating the odds.” Ironically, it seems like one of her obstacles was Miley Cyrus herself. Although, as a pop star and former Disney Channel actor, Miley Cyrus seems like the perfect candidate to be a “Gleek,” she definitely isn’t. Shortly after the episode with her song aired, the then-seventeen year old told Billboard magazine that she wasn’t a fan of the series. She went on to express her personal distaste for musicals and for pop music in general, acknowledging her own hypocrisy by saying “I listen to zero pop music, which is really weird for someone who makes pop music.”

When “Glee” was in its second season Kesha had, in the words of Brittany Pierce, “been a cultural icon for weeks.” Naturally, that meant the show had to cover one of her songs. They ultimately went with the artist’s debut solo single, singing it as an ironic PSA against alcohol consumption. The performance ended with the teens, who had been drinking throughout the episode, throwing up gray liquid on stage. Although Kesha wasn’t on board with all of Glee’s artistic choices, she ultimately praised the performance.

It’s impossible to fathom just how popular “Glee” was if you weren’t there to witness it. By its third season, 200 covers and original songs performed by the show’s cast had made it onto the Billboard Hot 100, and merchandise for the series flew off of shelves. One surprising consequence of this popularity was the show’s many vocal celebrity fans - including the late R&B legend, Amy Winehouse. In 2010, Winehouse tweeted about her love for the show, in particular commending the Vocal Adrenaline-sung cover of “Rehab.” “Glee” would go on to perform Winehouse’s music two more times prior to her untimely death in 2011, with Santana covering both “Valerie” and “Back to Black” in the show’s second season.