Throughout its 121 episodes, Glee covered a staggering 738 songs. Some were massive hits, especially during the early seasons, and three of them-- "Don't Stop Believin'," "Teenage Dream," and the original song "Loser Like Me"-- even reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Not every song can be a winner, though. With so many musical numbers in contention, some inevitably get lost or forgotten. The show did around four songs per episode, and while some numbers live rent-free in fans' heads because of their impact on the plot or memorable choreography, others aren't so lucky and slip through the cracks, as if they were never there at all.
Anything Could Happen
Performed in the season 4 episode, "I Do," "Anything Could Happen" was one of New Directions' many rehearsal numbers performed for nobody but Mr. Schuester. Marley, Artie, and Jake take center stage in this performance, leading the purple-clad glee club in a safe yet forgettable rendition of the Ellie Goulding hit that doesn't even come close to New Directions' best performances.
The musical number includes several balloons, and Melissa Benoist's voice fits in nicely with the song. However, the performance overall is pretty tame, and out of all the episode's songs, it's by far the most forgettable. The original is one of Goulding's biggest hits, receiving both critical and commercial success.
Loser
Beck's anthemic and generation-defining tune got the Glee treatment in the season one episode, "Funk." After Finn and Puck get a job at Sheets-N-Things, they lament their situation, feeling bad about themselves and the future that awaits them. The pair leads the other down-on-their-luck employees as they all perform the song, which, of course, ends up being nothing but a fantasy number in Puck's head.
Considering the song fits the show's themes so well, it would've been a perfect number for the New Directions or even Mr. Schuester. Alas, such an iconic song got wasted in a fantasy performance that lasted less than a minute.
Hey Ya!
Outkast's "Hey Ya" first charmed fans in 2003. The upbeat and quirky song hid a deeper meaning, cleverly concealed behind a catchy hook and André 3000's energetic vocals. "Hey Ya!" received critical acclaim upon release and usually ranks as one of the best tunes of the early 2000s.
Glee got its hands on the tune in its last season when Artie performed it during Blaine and Kurt and Santana and Brittany's dual wedding. Kevin McHale does the song justice, but the performance is so ordinary that it eventually gets lost among everything else happening in the episode.
Friday
Rebecca Black reached the peak of infamy in 2011 with the release of "Friday." The song, which features verses like "Tomorrow is Saturday and Sunday comes afterward," quickly became the subject to criticism, as fans and critics began hating on it.
"Friday" was at the height of its popularity, or infamy, when Glee included it during its season 2 prom episode. Performed by Artie, Puck, and Sam, every fan expected the number to be a trainwreck. However, the cover was too vanilla to register, especially in an episode that featured exceptional covers of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and Black Kids' "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You."
Stereo Hearts
Gym Class Heroes' 2011 collaboration with Adam Levine rose to the top of the charts, eventually peaking at #4 in the Billboard Hot 100. "Stereo Hearts" received positive reviews, with many praising Levine's participation, as well as Travie McCoy's vocal delivery.
The song appeared on "Heart," the thirteenth episode of Glee's season 3. It served as Joe Hart's long-awaited introduction and ended up being a fleeting performance. Samuel Larsen and Amber Riley's voices fit nicely with the song but try as he might, Chord Overstreet couldn't match McCoy's vocals.
Yoü And I/You And I
Glee was no stranger to Lady Gaga's oeuvre. The season 1 episode "Theatricality" served as an unofficial tribute to her, featuring now-iconic performances of "Bad Romance" and "Poker Face." Season 2 also featured "Born This Way" as a hymn to self-acceptance.
In season 3, in an attempt to join the feuding New Directions and Troubletones, Will and Shelby perform a mash-up of Gaga's "Yoü and I" with Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle's "You and I." The song choices are inspired, and the voices go great together. Nevertheless, the narrative-enhancing and exceptionally choreographed "Rumour Has It/Someone Like You" ended up eclipsing everything else.
Losing My Religion
The third episode of season 2, "Grilled Cheesus," centered on the kids' struggle with faith and religion after Burt Hummel's unexpected heart attack. Finn's plot sees him turning to religion after believing Jesus appeared to him in a grilled cheese sandwich.
Once Emma makes him see that things are happening for him, not because of the "Grilled Cheesus," but because he's putting some extra effort, Finn becomes despondent. Feeling lost and confused, he sings R.E.M's signature song, but the performance doesn't do the tune justice. It also doesn't help that "Losing my Religion" isn't actually about religion, and the title is an expression meaning "losing one's temper," making its inclusion in the episode more confusing.
Creep
Like "Losing my Religion," "Creep" also represented a breakthrough for its band, Radiohead. Such was the attention that the band got that the members came to dislike the song and stopped playing altogether for several years. To this day, "Creep" remains Radiohead's most successful single.
Glee chose the tune to mark the end of Rachel's turbulent and short-lived relationship with Brody. Both Lea Michele and Dean Geyer are very talented, and their voices blend nicely. Still, Michele's voice is a tad too theatrical for "Creep," and Brody and Rachel were one of the show's least successful pairings. As such, this cover quickly slipped from fans' minds.
Mean
Considering Taylor Swift's influence on pop culture, it's surprising that only two of her songs made it to Glee. Santana memorably performed "Mine" before breaking up with Brittany, but Puck and Coach Besite got to perform a Swift sung long before that.
In the season 3 episode "Props," Puck and Beiste sing an acoustic version of "Mean." It's a sweet moment of bonding between the characters, and their voices fit the song surprisingly well. "Props" is one of Glee's most iconic episodes, and a small-scale performance like "Mean" got undeniably lost in the body-changing shenanigans.
Turning Tables
Unlike Swift, Adele was a favorite of Glee. The show constantly featured the British singer's songs, with the previously mentioned "Rolling in the Deep" and the goosebump-inducing "Rumour Has It/Someone Like You" as the highlights.
However, Gwyneth Paltrow's rendition of "Turning Tables" ended up somewhat missing the mark. Paltrow's voice fits the song nicely, but the performance is part of one of the show's more-maligned episodes, "A Night of Neglect," and fans couldn't wait to forget about it.