The 11 Worst ‘Glee’ Covers Ever: From ‘Gold Digger’ to ‘Gangnam Style’

Nearly a decade out from its series finale, society is still grappling with the ramifications of the hit Fox show Glee—whether it’s the current surplus of AI covers on TikTok, the Lea Michele Funny Girl fiasco, or showrunner Ryan Murphy’s current chokehold on television. There are also numerous clips from the show of star Matthew Morrison (a chaos agent in his own right) and other white Glee actors rapping terribly to some of the most legendary hip-hop songs, which will seemingly never leave my Twitter feed.

On that note, I’d be lying if I said Glee didn’t spur some genuinely great renditions of classic pop, R&B, rock, and Broadway hits—most of them sung by Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Naya Rivera, Darren Criss, and, (sigh) Lea Michele. I would argue that Glee: Volumes 1-5 are packed with genuine bops, as well as The Power of Madonna EP. But most of these covers, watching them back, will either make you shudder or burst out laughing at the audacity of Glee’s music supervisors.

It isn’t just that many of these songs are poorly arranged or certain actors just weren’t capable of performing them. The actual on-screen performances were often incredibly cringey, even if the show’s writers were occasionally in on the joke.

Inspired by Glee’s perennial presence in the zeitgeist, let’s dive into some of the show’s most egregious and ridiculous musical moments.

“Gold Digger” (Kanye West), Season 1, Episode 2

I could honestly compose this entire list of songs where Spanish teacher/glee club instructor Will Schuester raps. But for the sake of diversity, I will narrow my selection down to the absolute worst, starting with his Season TK performance of Kanye West’s most iconic song. It’s the first time Mr. Schue raps on the show, establishing a tradition that would plague Glee’s soundtracks for seasons to come.

“Proud Mary” (Tina and Ike Turner), Season 1, Episode 9

I would argue that this cover, thanks to McHale and Riley’s powerhouse vocals, is technically good. Unfortunately, it’s hard to detach this song from its context in a Season 1 episode focused on Artie’s (McHale) inability to walk. Not only is the song choice meant to be a wheelchair pun, but the cast performs it while literally rolling around in wheelchairs in solidarity within their differently abled classmate. It’s a truly oblivious and embarrassing number that was criticized at the time and would certainly not fly today. Unfortunately, the show didn’t necessarily improve its handling of identity politics in later episodes.

“Empire State of Mind” (Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys), Season 2, Episode 1

Nothing cements Glee’s racial blind spots like listening to three white men rap Jay-Z verses back-to-back—including hearing Puck (Mark Salling) say “jigga.”

“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”/ “Young Girl” (The Police/Gary Puckett & The Union Gap) Season 1, Episode 10

Sorry to invoke another Mr. Schue performance so soon, but this character is literally responsible for 90 percent of the show’s unsavory moments, mostly because of his lack of boundaries with students. Interestingly enough, this cover is the rare occurrence where Will “tries” to behave professionally, after Rachel (Michele) starts coming on to him. But of course, his attempts not to be creepy are also creepy—hence, him telling her to back off by serenading her with a sultry Police song inspired by Lolita.

“The Chipmunks Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” (Alvin & The Chipmunks), Season 5, Episode 8

Season 5’s “Previously Unaired Christmas Special” will go down in history as one of Glee’s most controversial and derided episodes for its purportedly “sacrilegious” treatment of Jesus’s birthday. It also features a scene where Santana (Rivera), Kurt (Chris Colfer), Rachel, and a hot Santa (Cody Tolentino) perform a rendition of “The Chipmunks Song” while putting up Christmas decorations and ingesting helium. This is both a galaxy-brain concept for a musical sequence and a truly unlistenable track.

“I Still Believe/Super Bass” (Mariah Carey/Nicki Minaj) Season 4, Episode 16

This is arguably the Glee cover that gets circulated the most often on social media, usually with some caption like, “I can’t believe this show is real.” But yes, Jane Lynch rapping “when he make it drip, drip/ kiss him on the lip, lip” in a platinum-blonde Nicki Minaj wig, sandwiched between Blaine singing Mariah Carey, actually happened on primetime TV. It’s also hilarious that a celebrity feud that no one really thinks about anymore is memorialized in a notorious Glee mashup.

“Give Up the Funk” (Parliament) Season 1, Episode 21

Most of the music in the Season 1 episode “Funk”—where Mr. Schue assigns the glee club funk songs—is a struggle to listen to. But New Directions’ cover of Parliament's “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)'” at the end of the episode is, frankly, a cardinal sin. For one thing, the only people who should be singing this song are Riley and Rivera. Additionally, there’s a dirty, analog feel to “Give Up The Funk” that is the complete opposite of Glee’s squeaky-clean production and the cast’s manicured style of singing. Overall, it sounds like a Kidz Bop cover. Assignment failed.

“It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (James Brown) Season 1, Episode 21

This is an equally regrettable cover from “Funk,” although the writers appear to be aware of its cringiness. Feeling marginalized by her family and peers as a pregnant teen, Quinn (Dianna Agron) performs “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” with other teen moms during glee practice. But whether the scene is intentionally awkward or not, someone with Agron’s wispy vocals shouldn’t be allowed to sing James Brown under any circumstance.

“Gangnam Style” (PSY) Season 4, Episode 8

PSY’s international hit “Gangnam Style” and its viral dance exploded during the summer of 2012. And by the time Glee’s fourth season aired later that fall, it was already written into the show. Many of Glee’s attempts to capitalize on fresh songs often failed. But the fact that New Directions would perform this song at a competition, where they primarily sang American classics, made little-to-no sense. Additionally, Glee’s takes of “novelty” songs were usually ineffectual, given that the show was inherently gimmicky. (See: the Season TK performance of “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)”)

“Blurred Lines” (Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell Williams & T.I.) Season 5, Episode 5

Amid all of Glee’s cursed moments, it’s easy to forget that there was an entire episode dedicated to twerking in Season 5. In the “Blurred Lines” sequence, Mr. Schue is leading his students down a hallway while they writhe and grind on each other, before they take turns twerking on the auditorium stage. As much as I appreciated the show’s sex positivity, this was just one of several incidents of Mr. Schue performing overtly horny songs alongside minors, with the writers treating it like it was normal.

“Fat Bottomed Girls” (Queen) Season 2, Episode 12

This Queen cover occurred during a point in the series when Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk got clearly bored and started making the most random characters date—most notably, Puck and Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink). The way the show made a big deal and a “funny” subplot out of a conventionally hot jock dating an emo, plus-sized girl is already problematic. But the scene where Puck publicizes his affection for Lauren by serenading her with “Fat Bottomed Girls” (essentially the musical version of that “my curvy wife” Instagram post) is one of the show’s most oblivious moments.

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