There’s little denying the Glee-craze is really a love it or hate it type thing. It’s currently one of the most popular and successful shows on television, and with nomination after nomination, it’s obvious that the critics are behind it too. However, Glee is much more than just a television phenomenon. Known for taking popular songs of both today and yesterday and essentially turning them into show tunes, the show has taken the music world by storm; but the question is does it belong there?
Only in its second season, the cast of Glee has taken on songs by everyone from Madonna to Kanye West to Parliament to some of Broadway’s biggest classics, and, for better or worse, completely transformed them into cheesy, over-the-top numbers. And the public is eating it up. The cast is already second to the Beatles for most number of Billboard Hot 100 appearances by a group, and sixth overall. With it showing no signs of stopping, it would be completely plausible to suggest that by the end of its run, Glee will hold these records.
Like it or not (there’s usually little-to-no in between) it’s undeniable that the show is leaving a huge dent on the music industry. On one hand, the artists and songwriters of the original songs are making out like bandits with all of the royalties they’re getting from the songs. On the other, is it selling out? Sure Madonna has nothing to prove and handing over her back catalogue to be “Glee-ified” hardly adds or takes away from her legacy, but the fact that the cover of Paramore’s “The Only Exception” is currently outselling the original version on iTunes is a little unsettling. It’s really great that some classic songs are being exposed to people who were either too young or not even born when they were popular, but it is a little ridiculous that current songs are being forced to compete with themselves on the charts. Sure, the downloads are very frontloaded, with majority of the singles being bought within the first few days after the airing of an episode, but obviously the impact is still great.
Without commenting on the quality of the show itself, it is my opinion that the songs from Glee should be kept completely separate from the songs on top-40 radio. According to chart rules, every download is fair game, and with the extreme popularity of the show’s music, there’s no keeping them from charting. It just doesn’t make sense that Broadway-style cover songs, as fun and exciting as they may be, are going to break, and possibly hold, records that real artists have accomplished on their own merit. Considering Glee is really nothing more than a fad (regardless of how long it lasts,) the imprint it is already leaving on the music word is almost embarrassing. Yes, there is a great level of entertainment involved, and the covers are fun alternatives to the real songs, but the music industry is supposed to be taken seriously. So like the show if you do, and don’t if you don’t, but I say keep the music on the show.
