Hear me out: These 10 Glee covers outshine the originals and you can’t change my mind

Sorry in advance to Michael Jackson fans

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Whether you grew up as a Glee kid or not, there’s no denying it was a pop culture moment at the time and gave us some of the most iconic and occasionally questionable song covers of all time. Looking back, the show had its fair share of misses, but many a time did the Glee cast absolutely outshine the original song artists when performing their covers. From Rachel Berry belting her heart out to Santana’s vocals stealing the show, these Glee covers didn’t just do justice to the originals—they did them better.

Don’t Stop Believin’

I’m putting this first on the list simply for nostalgic purposes. Don’t Stop Believin’ will always have a special place in my heart because it was the song that really started it all off for the Glee club. It’s one of the more simplistic Glee covers: There are no elaborate stage sets or costumes, and yet it’s probably one of the most powerful and emotionally intense songs. It feels like a declaration of hope and potential, immediately transforming the Glee club from a singing group into a place of freedom and personal expression.

Bills, Bills, Bills

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Performed by the Warblers, and led by Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), this rendition transformed Destiny Child’s hit into a smooth, a cappella masterpiece. The frustration that is central to the song falls away and is replaced with a playful and fun tone that showcases the charisma of the Warblers (before they were sadly ruined by Sebastian).

Run Joey Run

I’m not even going to lie, the sheer drama of this cover makes it my all time favourite Glee song. It is situated within an over the top music video created by and starring Rachel, who envisions herself as an angelic figure lusted over by three love interests (Finn, Jesse and Puck).

The facial expressions of the other Glee club members whilst they watch it make it so much more dramatic, as well as the revelation that Rachel had tricked all three guys and had falsely made them believe that they each would be the sole love interest of the video. I love Rachel’s cringe acting, the guys model walking down the school corridor in leather jackets and Sandy (randomly) being cast as the abusive father. This song is pure drama, drama, drama.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Finn Hudson wishes he could have Jesse St. James’ vocals because wow. I know this is a bold statement, but Glee viewers will agree that this gave chills and paralleled, if not beat, the original.

Smooth Criminal

Blaine Anderson was viciously attacked by Sebastian Smythe and the Warblers with a slushie to the eye during a Michael Jackson sing off. Seeing their fellow team member bedbound from his injuries, the McKinley High glee club set out to get revenge: “An eye for an eye”, as Mike Chang calls it. Who do they enlist? Santana Lopez.

In Warbler tradition, they have a singing duel. Cellos start playing and suddenly Santana and Sebastian are circling each other around an empty room. To the viewer’s surprise, the pair have probably the strongest on screen tension ever seen in a Glee duet. What ensues is a song sung with so much passion that rivals even the performances by Michael Jackson himself. There, I said it.

We Found Love

The shot of Artie rolling straight into the swimming pool was – and still is – completely insane. To make it even crazier, Will then puts on a white top hat and matching tuxedo and struts on water. Emma patiently sits on a chair watching this all go down, seemingly oblivious to all the crazy unfolding right before her very eyes. I don’t think I need to say anything more.

Thriller/Heads Will Roll

This episode was seriously stressful. This mashup of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Heads Will Roll is one of Glee’s most ambitious performances, for it featured the football players and glee club members being forced to reconcile their differences for the sake of the football team. The performance, set during halftime, became a surprisingly heartwarming moment of unity, and forced the football players to respect the glee club a bit more. It’s a shame this mentality only lasted in a single episode though.

Valerie

Santana’s talent was seriously wasted in that glee club.

Summer Nights

In Grease the song is cute, but the Glee cover is just so, so, so, so much cuter because it is performed by the cutest couple ever- Sam and Mercedes. Yes, Sam is more sweet than sassy like popular-boy Danny, but this arguably elevates the song, transforming it from playful banter into a heartwarming love duet.

Vogue

The episode begins. The screen is dark. The viewer patiently waits to see the Glee club up to their usual activities in McKinley High. Out of the darkness, Sue Sylvester’s face appears. She is Madonna. This song is iconic because the song of the iconic Madonna is sung by an (arguably) equally iconic Sue Sylvester. What takes the cake are Sue’s lyric changes: Bette Davis, Marilyn, too. Will Schuester, I hate you.