Original Song
Encyclopedia
"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season
of the American television series Glee
, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox
in the United States on March 15, 2011. McKinley High's glee club
, New Directions, decides to prepare original songs for the Regionals competition against the Dalton Academy Warblers, and Westvale High's Aural Intensity coached by Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
). Blaine
(Darren Criss
) finally shows his affection for Kurt
(Chris Colfer
) while Rachel (Lea Michele
) tries to repair her relationship with Finn
(Cory Monteith
). New Directions wins the Regionals competition, advancing to the upcoming Nationals competition in New York City
.
"Original Song" garnered mostly positive reception. Critics praised the interaction between Kurt and Blaine, as well as most of the original songs in the episode. Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald
called it a "great" episode "filled with so many good moments". Cover version
s of six songs were featured, including "Raise Your Glass
" by Pink
and "Blackbird
" by The Beatles
. The episode also featured an extensive selection of original songs, more so than any previous episode of Glee. The musical performances, cover versions, and original songs in the episode were met with generally positive reviews from critics. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
wrote that all of the originals songs were "not bad". With the exception of "Jesus Is My Friend" and "Only Child", all songs were released as singles available for digital download.
Upon its initial airing, this episode was viewed by 11.15 million American viewers and garnered a 4.2/13 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic, according to the Nielsen ratings
. The total viewership and ratings for this episode declined slightly from the previous episode, "Sexy
".
" in preparation for Regionals, Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
) confesses his envy over how the Warblers always give Blaine
(Darren Criss
) the solo performance. Later, Kurt honors the sudden death of the Warblers' canary
mascot, Pavarotti, with a performance of "Blackbird
". Blaine is visibly moved by Kurt's emotional tribute and realizes that he has feelings for Kurt. He later argues that the Warblers shouldn't rely on him alone for Regionals, and proposes that instead of "Misery", the group should feature a duet. Blaine is adamant that Kurt be his partner for it, and the vote in favor of it is nearly unanimous. As the two are about to practice their duet of "Candles", Blaine confesses that he wanted to spend more time with him, and they share their first kiss.
Rachel's (Lea Michele
) second attempt at an original song, "Only Child", proves to be only a small improvement over "My Headband". Finn
(Cory Monteith
) encourages her to dig deeper into her pain to find her song. Quinn
's (Dianna Agron
) desire to become prom queen prompts her to get close to Rachel in order to run interference between her and Finn. In doing this, she supports Rachel's idea of writing original songs for Regionals; the members of New Directions eventually agree, due to the fact they received a cease and desist
letter from My Chemical Romance
saying they can't perform "Sing
" for Regionals. Sue later admits to forging the letter in yet another attempt to sabotage the glee club. Rachel confronts Quinn about her relationship with Finn, trusting her to be honest. Quinn admits they have been together for a couple of weeks and tells Rachel that she doesn't belong in Lima. Quinn says she will remain behind with Finn and Rachel can't hate her for helping to send her on her way. Hurt, Rachel goes home and uses Quinn's words as a springboard for writing a new song.
Brittany
(Heather Morris) confronts Santana
(Naya Rivera
), saying that she misses their friendship. However, Santana is hostile and angrily says that Brittany "blew [her] off", while Brittany shows that she is upset that Santana is still dating Sam
(Chord Overstreet
) even after confessing her love to Brittany. The two are interrupted by Sue, finding that she has filled their lockers with dirt, an event later brought up during the Glee club's song writing session.
In rehearsal, director Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
) passes out rhyming dictionaries
to help the glee club with songwriting. Showcasing their original songs, Santana
sings "Trouty Mouth" as a tribute to Sam
's large mouth and Puck (Mark Salling) sings "Big Ass Heart" to Lauren
(Ashley Fink
). Mercedes
(Amber Riley
) later sings "Hell to the No". While Will agrees that it's a great song, he says that it's not appropriate for Regionals, also noting that the best songs "come from a place of pain". After the club members share recent hurtful anecdotes, he writes "Loser Like Me" on the board, deciding that could be the title for the yet-unwritten song.
The judges for this year's Regionals competition are local broadcasting legend Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones), Tea Party
candidate and home schooler Tammy Jean Albertson (Kathy Griffin
), and former exotic dancer Sister Mary Constance (Loretta Devine
). Aural Intensity opens the competition with "Jesus Is My Friend", a song that Sue selected to cater specifically to the judges. The Warblers open with Kurt and Blaine's duet of "Candles", followed by "Raise Your Glass
". Rachel conveys feelings to Finn through the performance of her original song, "Get It Right
", reflecting on the past failures in their rocky relationship and expressing her deep desire to reconcile with Finn. The New Directions respond to Sue's bullying with their second original song, "Loser Like Me
", an anthem
dedicated to the underdogs
of high school. New Directions wins the Regionals competition. Rachel is honored with New Directions' first MVP award.
type", while Sister Mary Constance is a former stripper. Kathy Griffin
and Loretta Devine
were cast to guest-star as Regionals judges Tammy Jean Albertson and Sister Mary Constance respectively. Recurring characters who appear include New Directions members Mike Chang
(Harry Shum, Jr.
), Sam Evans
(Chord Overstreet
), Lauren Zizes
(Ashley Fink
), and Blaine Anderson
(Darren Criss
), the lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers.
Series producer Ryan Murphy first planned an episode entitled "Original Song" to air in early 2010, during the series' first season
. Prior to this episode, most of Glees musical performances were cover version
s, and by October 2009 he had received offers from multiple songwriters willing to devise original tracks. At the time, he stated that Diane Warren
would write two ballads for the show, and if successful, Glee may continue to use original music in the future, but not all the time. These plans did not come to fruition, nor did a December 2009 claim by OneRepublic
frontman Ryan Tedder
that he had been recruited by Glees music supervisor, Adam Anders, to write an original song for the series. Murphy later stated that he planned to showcase original music during the second season, aiming to find a way for this to occur organically, as: "It wouldn’t work [before] if they just broke out and started singing their own songs. You wouldn't get it. I think it has to be an assignment."
Six original tracks were composed for "Original Song", entitled "Get It Right
", "Loser Like Me
", "Hell to the No", "Trouty Mouth", "Only Child" and "Big Ass Heart". The first two songs are featured on the series' sixth soundtrack album
, Glee: The Music, Volume 5
. In the episode, "Loser Like Me" was performed by New Directions, with club co-captains Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) on lead vocals. Described by Glee music supervisor Adam Anders as "a very uptempo, kind-of-summery hit", the song was co-written with Swedish music songwriter and producer Max Martin
, known for his work with many pop
artists. Having covered many of Martin's co-written songs on the series, including songs by Britney Spears
and Kelly Clarkson
, Anders felt it was appropriate to have his involvement. According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers database, co-writers on the song include Anders, Peer Åström
, Savan Kotecha
, and Johan Schuster. "Get It Right" is a ballad
composed specifically for Michele by Anders, his writing partner, and his wife. "Hell to the No" was sung solo by Mercedes. It was titled for the character's signature catchphrase and was co-written by Anders, Astrom, and executive producer Ian Brennan
. The episode also features cover version
s of Pink
's "Raise Your Glass
", Maroon 5
's "Misery
", The Beatles
's "Blackbird
", Hey Monday
's "Candles", and Sonseed
's "Jesus Is My Friend". All of the songs except "Jesus Is My Friend" and "Only Child" were released as singles available for digital download.
on CBS
, The Biggest Loser
on NBC
, No Ordinary Family
on ABC
, and One Tree Hill
on The CW. The total viewership and ratings for this episode were slightly down from those of the previous episode, "Sexy
", which was watched by 11.96 million American viewers and acquired a 4.6/14 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic upon first airing on television.
In Canada, this episode also aired on March 15, 2011 on Global Television Network
. The episode was watched by 1.8 million viewers, making it the ninth most-watched television program of the week. In Australia, the episode drew 972,000 viewers, making Glee the tenth most-watched show of the night. In the UK, the episode was watched by 2.41 million viewers (1.97 million on E4, and 440,000 on E4+1), becoming the most-watched show on cable for the week.
called it a "solid" episode and wrote that "it did well by a couple of ongoing relationship stories." Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
opined that it delivered several "long-anticipated moments [...] and several more we only wish we'd thought to anticipate." Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald
deemed it a "great" episode, "filled with many great moments." Robert Canning of IGN
rated it 8/10, signifying a "great" episode. Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
praised the development of "Original Song", and wrote: "One great thing about the episode was that after last week's plot-bomb-filled episode, the show didn't completely abandon what we'd learned that week." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
graded it "B-"; he noted that he enjoyed the scenes, but criticized the show for its inconsistency. Brett Berk of Vanity Fair
praised the episode for "not only [...] retreating into the series’s standard, flailing, everybody-in-the-pool narrative template, or filling this metaphorical slough with more leaden tropes than Richard Serra circa 1968, but by having the results be precisely the inevitabilities we all knew would occur."
The guest performances made by Kathy Griffin
and Loretta Devine
were met with mixed reception from several critics. Amy Reiter was more critical on Griffin's performance as Tammy Jean Albertson, and noted "while Kathy Griffin was sight-gag funny as local tea party
candidate Tammy Jean Albertson [...] her lines fell a bit flat." She went on to praise Devine's performance as Sister Mary Constance, saying that her lines "totally hit the bull's-eye." Robert Canning praised both performances, saying that it was the best part of the episode. He continued, "I love how the guest judge segments of these contest episodes are beginning to become mini-series unto themselves. I hope that tradition continues." James Poniewozik had mixed feelings regarding Griffin's performance. He went on to write, "Glee can be sharp and topical enough that I thought it could actually do something clever with the much-publicized cameo. Instead, the performance hinged on expected gags [...] and Griffin delivered it all with a stiffness that felt more like a recitation than a performance." Todd VanDerWerff reacted negatively to both performances. In his review of the episode, he opined, "That judges’ scene [...] was a pale retread of the original, only this time, it had Kathy Griffin and Loretta Devine, as well as a bunch of tired Tea Party gags that were tired when this episode was written."
The Kurt-Blaine storyline was met with general acclaim from critics. In her review for the episode, Katie Morgan of Billboard
reacted positively to the interaction between Kurt and Blaine. She wrote, "It sure took them long enough, but we're so glad to finally see Kurt happy." In his review, Mark Perigard opined, "It was utterly, sweetly romantic, and Criss sold the hell out of the moment. It’s long overdue and it will silence the growing legion of critics out there who were unhappy with the pace of this story and why Kurt always seemed to be stuck in pure misery." Robert Canning was more critical on the storyline. He highly criticized Darren Criss' performance as Blaine. In a detailed review regarding the storyline, Canning wrote, "Kurt finally got the first kiss he deserved. Too bad it came from the wooden, glass-eyed Blaine. Chris Colfer has been in the running for performance awards for good reason. Darren Criss will not be. Colfer and his character deserve better than the cardboard, unemotional declaration of love that Criss delivered. Yay for Kurt and his first boyfriend, but that was a bland work up to their kiss." Sandra Gonzalez called the whole development "simply perfect". Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic thought the kiss was "sweet", and stated that he was pleased that it attracted no controversy whatsoever. James Poniewozik reacted positively to the storyline. In his review, Poniewozik wrote, "As for the at-long-last kiss, it's to Glees credit that it made me think, ‘Finally, Blaine and Kurt are locking lips already!’ before it made me think, ‘Look, an honest-to-God gay kiss, between two men, on my primetime TV show!’" Aly Semigran of MTV
praised the interaction between Kurt and Blaine, saying that the kiss scene was a "sweet, real and, shockingly, un-hyped moment." Semigran went on to praise the acting in the scene, saying that both actors "handled it with dignity and honesty". Brett Berk deemed the interaction to be "appropriately fervid".
The musical performances and selection in the episode were met with mixed response from critics. The original track "Loser Like Me" received general acclaim from critics. Berk praised the performance, and gave it four stars. He opined, "All four stars are for the lyrics [...] in which the lovable dorks sing about being the lovable dorks we fell in love with [...]". In her review for the episode, Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone praised the song, and called it a "true anthem" that "ends triumphantly". Raymond Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
gave a positive review of the song: "The song grew out of a collaborative brainstorming session that went beyond rhyming dictionaries or first attempts at ditties such as 'Trouty Mouth', 'Big Ass Heart', and 'Hell to the No'." Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post
commended the show for the use of original songs, and wrote "Glee entered uncharted territory last night [...] no, not Kurt's first kiss. I'm talking about New Directions dabbling in, and debuting, their very first original songs. It was as risky for the show as it was for the group since opting to perform wholly new creations would either give them a leg up on the competition or put them six feet under." Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
praised the song, and deemed it "fun and summery".
Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
was generally positive on most of the songs featured in the episode. She gave the performance of "Loser Like Me" a "B", and explained that "This one took a little time to grow on me. I liked it better on the show than when I heard it by itself, which is weird because it's exactly the same thing. Goes to show how much of a difference a good performance [...] makes." Gonzalez gave the highest grade to the cover versions of "Misery" and "Raise Your Glass", both performed by the Dalton Academy Warblers. In her review for "Misery", she praised the performance, and gave it an "A". She opined, "I'm a sucker for a Warbler-ized pop song, especially when it makes Blaine dance and make his weird, animated faces. They're simply adorable, and these Warblers are simply amazing." Gonzalez gave the performance of "Raise Your Glass" an "A". The lowest grade given by Gonzalez was a "D" for Santana's performance of "Trouty Mouth". She explained "If we're taking this song as a joke, it gets a 'B-' because Santana sounded great. But [...] I think about how bad I felt for Sam watching his utter mortification." "Candles" was generally well-received by Gonzalez. She gave the performance a "B" and went on to write "It’s really hard for this pair to live up to the awesomeness of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside
'. I'm sure they could one day, but this one fell a bit short for me musically. [...] In the context of the show, however, it was a great moment."
Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
reacted positively to all of the songs. In her review for "Original Song", Reiter opined that "The original songs [...] weren't half bad: From Santana's ode to poor, horrified Sam, 'Trouty Mouth,' to Puck's tribute to Lauren, 'Big Ass Heart,' to Mercedes' self-celebrating 'Hell to the No,' the original songs on this episode were funny and revealing. And rousing Regionals-winning anthem 'Loser Like Me' landed like an exuberant slushy in the face [...]." Katie Morgan of Billboard
praised the performance of "Candles", and called it "beautifully intimate", and commended The Warblers' "solid performance". Todd VanDerrWerf of The A.V. Club
responded negatively to "Trouty Mouth", but was generally pleased with the other songs. VanDerWerff went on to praise the voice of Lea Michele: "The first song Rachel sang at regionals [...] was a nicely done little ballad, the sort of song you could both see someone like Rachel writing and later belting." James Poniewozik also praised the voice of Michele, as well as her character development. He opined, "That said, I like the arc of Rachel-as-songwriter, which has played to some of Lea Michele's greatest strengths both as a comic and dramatic actress." Robert Canning of IGN
found original songs to be "hilarious". He opined, "Getting to run through a series of comical and catchy false starts was entertaining. Santana's 'Trouty Mouth' was sultry and hilarious. Puckerman's rocking ode to Lauren, 'Big Ass Heart,' was also a ridiculous treat. And then both were outdone by Mercedes' stomping, Amy Winehouse
-aping 'Hell to the No'."
. "Get It Right" debuted at number sixteen on the Billboard 100 and number twenty-three on the Canadian Hot 100
. These two original songs were featured in the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 5
. It was released on March 15, 2011, and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200
, selling over 90,000 copies in its first week in the United States. A third original song, "Hell to the No", was released only as a single, and debuted at number fifty-three on the Billboard 100 and number sixty-five on the Canadian Hot 100
. Four covers from the episode were featured on the album Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
, which was released on April 19, 2011, and all four charted in the top 100 in the US, Australia, and Canada: "Misery", "Blackbird", "Candles", and "Raise Your Glass".
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
of the American television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on March 15, 2011. McKinley High's glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, New Directions, decides to prepare original songs for the Regionals competition against the Dalton Academy Warblers, and Westvale High's Aural Intensity coached by Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
(Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
). Blaine
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
(Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
) finally shows his affection for Kurt
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
(Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
) while Rachel (Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) tries to repair her relationship with Finn
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
). New Directions wins the Regionals competition, advancing to the upcoming Nationals competition in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
"Original Song" garnered mostly positive reception. Critics praised the interaction between Kurt and Blaine, as well as most of the original songs in the episode. Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
called it a "great" episode "filled with so many good moments". Cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of six songs were featured, including "Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
" by Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
and "Blackbird
Blackbird (song)
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
" by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. The episode also featured an extensive selection of original songs, more so than any previous episode of Glee. The musical performances, cover versions, and original songs in the episode were met with generally positive reviews from critics. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
wrote that all of the originals songs were "not bad". With the exception of "Jesus Is My Friend" and "Only Child", all songs were released as singles available for digital download.
Upon its initial airing, this episode was viewed by 11.15 million American viewers and garnered a 4.2/13 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic, according to the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The total viewership and ratings for this episode declined slightly from the previous episode, "Sexy
Sexy (Glee)
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 37th overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on March 8, 2011. This episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality...
".
Plot
After the Warblers rehearse "MiseryMisery (Maroon 5 song)
"Misery" is a song by American band Maroon 5. It was released on June 22, 2010 by A&M/Octone Records via the iTunes Store. The song was released in advance of the band's mid-2010 tour, and is the first single from their third studio album, Hands All Over, which was released on September 21,...
" in preparation for Regionals, Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
(Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
) confesses his envy over how the Warblers always give Blaine
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
(Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
) the solo performance. Later, Kurt honors the sudden death of the Warblers' canary
Domestic Canary
The Domestic Canary, often simply known as the canary, is a domesticated form of the wild Canary, a small songbird in the finch family originating from the Macaronesian Islands ....
mascot, Pavarotti, with a performance of "Blackbird
Blackbird (song)
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
". Blaine is visibly moved by Kurt's emotional tribute and realizes that he has feelings for Kurt. He later argues that the Warblers shouldn't rely on him alone for Regionals, and proposes that instead of "Misery", the group should feature a duet. Blaine is adamant that Kurt be his partner for it, and the vote in favor of it is nearly unanimous. As the two are about to practice their duet of "Candles", Blaine confesses that he wanted to spend more time with him, and they share their first kiss.
Rachel's (Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) second attempt at an original song, "Only Child", proves to be only a small improvement over "My Headband". Finn
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
) encourages her to dig deeper into her pain to find her song. Quinn
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is a former cheerleader at the fictional William McKinley High School in...
's (Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
) desire to become prom queen prompts her to get close to Rachel in order to run interference between her and Finn. In doing this, she supports Rachel's idea of writing original songs for Regionals; the members of New Directions eventually agree, due to the fact they received a cease and desist
Cease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letter from My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
saying they can't perform "Sing
Sing (My Chemical Romance song)
"Sing" is My Chemical Romance's fourth track and second single from their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. The official single artwork was posted on the band's website on October 2010...
" for Regionals. Sue later admits to forging the letter in yet another attempt to sabotage the glee club. Rachel confronts Quinn about her relationship with Finn, trusting her to be honest. Quinn admits they have been together for a couple of weeks and tells Rachel that she doesn't belong in Lima. Quinn says she will remain behind with Finn and Rachel can't hate her for helping to send her on her way. Hurt, Rachel goes home and uses Quinn's words as a springboard for writing a new song.
Brittany
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Heather Morris) confronts Santana
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
), saying that she misses their friendship. However, Santana is hostile and angrily says that Brittany "blew [her] off", while Brittany shows that she is upset that Santana is still dating Sam
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that...
(Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans on the television series Glee.-Early life:...
) even after confessing her love to Brittany. The two are interrupted by Sue, finding that she has filled their lockers with dirt, an event later brought up during the Glee club's song writing session.
In rehearsal, director Will Schuester
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
) passes out rhyming dictionaries
Rhyming dictionary
A rhyming dictionary is a specialist dictionary designed for use in writing poetry and lyrics. In a rhyming dictionary, words are categorized into equivalence classes that consist of words which rhyme with one another...
to help the glee club with songwriting. Showcasing their original songs, Santana
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
sings "Trouty Mouth" as a tribute to Sam
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that...
's large mouth and Puck (Mark Salling) sings "Big Ass Heart" to Lauren
Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink, and has appeared in Glee since the season one episode "Wheels", first broadcast on November 11, 2009. Lauren was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Ashley Fink
Ashley Fink
Ashley Rae Fink is an American actress, known for her role as Lauren Zizes in the television series Glee, and also as Carter McMahon in Huge.-Personal life:...
). Mercedes
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
(Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
) later sings "Hell to the No". While Will agrees that it's a great song, he says that it's not appropriate for Regionals, also noting that the best songs "come from a place of pain". After the club members share recent hurtful anecdotes, he writes "Loser Like Me" on the board, deciding that could be the title for the yet-unwritten song.
The judges for this year's Regionals competition are local broadcasting legend Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones), Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
candidate and home schooler Tammy Jean Albertson (Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
), and former exotic dancer Sister Mary Constance (Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
). Aural Intensity opens the competition with "Jesus Is My Friend", a song that Sue selected to cater specifically to the judges. The Warblers open with Kurt and Blaine's duet of "Candles", followed by "Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
". Rachel conveys feelings to Finn through the performance of her original song, "Get It Right
Get It Right (Glee Cast song)
"Get It Right" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. It is sung by Lea Michele who portrays the series' lead character, Rachel Berry. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, who...
", reflecting on the past failures in their rocky relationship and expressing her deep desire to reconcile with Finn. The New Directions respond to Sue's bullying with their second original song, "Loser Like Me
Loser Like Me
"Loser Like Me" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, Swedish pop music producer Max Martin, and Peer Åström, Savan Kotecha, and Johan...
", an anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
dedicated to the underdogs
Underdog (competition)
An underdog is a person or group in a competition, frequently in electoral politics, sports and creative works, who is popularly expected to lose. The party, team or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the rare case where an underdog wins, the outcome is an upset. These...
of high school. New Directions wins the Regionals competition. Rachel is honored with New Directions' first MVP award.
Production
The casting notice for Tammy Jean described her as "a middle-aged recent Tea Party candidate and home schooler — a Sarah PalinSarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
type", while Sister Mary Constance is a former stripper. Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
and Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
were cast to guest-star as Regionals judges Tammy Jean Albertson and Sister Mary Constance respectively. Recurring characters who appear include New Directions members Mike Chang
Mike Chang
Michael "Mike" Chang, Jr. is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor and dancer Harry Shum, Jr., and has appeared on Glee since the fourth episode in the first season, "Preggers", first broadcast on September 23, 2009...
(Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr. is an American dancer, actor, and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee. He has appeared in dance films such as Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D...
), Sam Evans
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that...
(Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans on the television series Glee.-Early life:...
), Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink, and has appeared in Glee since the season one episode "Wheels", first broadcast on November 11, 2009. Lauren was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Ashley Fink
Ashley Fink
Ashley Rae Fink is an American actress, known for her role as Lauren Zizes in the television series Glee, and also as Carter McMahon in Huge.-Personal life:...
), and Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
(Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
), the lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers.
Series producer Ryan Murphy first planned an episode entitled "Original Song" to air in early 2010, during the series' first season
Glee (season 1)
The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009 and June 8, 2010...
. Prior to this episode, most of Glees musical performances were cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s, and by October 2009 he had received offers from multiple songwriters willing to devise original tracks. At the time, he stated that Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
would write two ballads for the show, and if successful, Glee may continue to use original music in the future, but not all the time. These plans did not come to fruition, nor did a December 2009 claim by OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
frontman Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
that he had been recruited by Glees music supervisor, Adam Anders, to write an original song for the series. Murphy later stated that he planned to showcase original music during the second season, aiming to find a way for this to occur organically, as: "It wouldn’t work [before] if they just broke out and started singing their own songs. You wouldn't get it. I think it has to be an assignment."
Six original tracks were composed for "Original Song", entitled "Get It Right
Get It Right (Glee Cast song)
"Get It Right" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. It is sung by Lea Michele who portrays the series' lead character, Rachel Berry. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, who...
", "Loser Like Me
Loser Like Me
"Loser Like Me" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, Swedish pop music producer Max Martin, and Peer Åström, Savan Kotecha, and Johan...
", "Hell to the No", "Trouty Mouth", "Only Child" and "Big Ass Heart". The first two songs are featured on the series' sixth soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
, Glee: The Music, Volume 5
Glee: The Music, Volume 5
Glee: The Music, Volume 5 is the sixth soundtrack album by the cast of the musical television series Glee. Released on March 8, 2011 through Columbia Records, it was produced executively by Dante Di Loreto and Brad Falchuk. In addition to fourteen cover versions from its second season,...
. In the episode, "Loser Like Me" was performed by New Directions, with club co-captains Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) on lead vocals. Described by Glee music supervisor Adam Anders as "a very uptempo, kind-of-summery hit", the song was co-written with Swedish music songwriter and producer Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, known for his work with many pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artists. Having covered many of Martin's co-written songs on the series, including songs by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Anders felt it was appropriate to have his involvement. According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers database, co-writers on the song include Anders, Peer Åström
Peer Åström
Peer Åström Peer Åström Peer Åström (born in Ljusdal, Sweden is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Anders Bagge. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer. They have together written and produced songs for Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Madonna,...
, Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
, and Johan Schuster. "Get It Right" is a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
composed specifically for Michele by Anders, his writing partner, and his wife. "Hell to the No" was sung solo by Mercedes. It was titled for the character's signature catchphrase and was co-written by Anders, Astrom, and executive producer Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
. The episode also features cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
's "Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
", Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
's "Misery
Misery (Maroon 5 song)
"Misery" is a song by American band Maroon 5. It was released on June 22, 2010 by A&M/Octone Records via the iTunes Store. The song was released in advance of the band's mid-2010 tour, and is the first single from their third studio album, Hands All Over, which was released on September 21,...
", The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
's "Blackbird
Blackbird (song)
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
", Hey Monday
Hey Monday
Hey Monday is an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album Hold on Tight in 2008 which produced notable singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with their 2010 EP Beneath It All, which achieved moderate...
's "Candles", and Sonseed
Sonseed
Sonseed was a Catholic pop band formed at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn, New York in the late 1970s. The line-up included Sal Polichetti ; his then-wife Patricia Costagliola ; Frank Franco ; and Nicky Sciarra . Anne Lessing was also involved in the band from the very start...
's "Jesus Is My Friend". All of the songs except "Jesus Is My Friend" and "Only Child" were released as singles available for digital download.
Ratings
"Original Song" was first broadcast on March 15, 2011 in the United States on Fox. It garnered a 4.2/13 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, and received over 11.15 million American viewers during its initial airing, despite airing simultaneously with NCISNCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, The Biggest Loser
The Biggest Loser: Couples 4
The Biggest Loser: Couples 4 is the eleventh season of the NBC reality television series entitled The Biggest Loser. The contestants competed to win a $250,000 prize, which was awarded to Olivia Ward, the contestant with the highest percentage of weight loss. It premiered on January 4, 2011...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, No Ordinary Family
No Ordinary Family
No Ordinary Family is an American television series on ABC. The 45-minute science fiction comedy-drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–11 television season. The series ran from September 28, 2010 to April 5, 2011, on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET/PT...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
on The CW. The total viewership and ratings for this episode were slightly down from those of the previous episode, "Sexy
Sexy (Glee)
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 37th overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on March 8, 2011. This episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality...
", which was watched by 11.96 million American viewers and acquired a 4.6/14 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic upon first airing on television.
In Canada, this episode also aired on March 15, 2011 on Global Television Network
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
. The episode was watched by 1.8 million viewers, making it the ninth most-watched television program of the week. In Australia, the episode drew 972,000 viewers, making Glee the tenth most-watched show of the night. In the UK, the episode was watched by 2.41 million viewers (1.97 million on E4, and 440,000 on E4+1), becoming the most-watched show on cable for the week.
Critical response
"Original Song" was met with mostly positive reception from critics upon its initial airing. James Poniewozik of TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
called it a "solid" episode and wrote that "it did well by a couple of ongoing relationship stories." Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
opined that it delivered several "long-anticipated moments [...] and several more we only wish we'd thought to anticipate." Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
deemed it a "great" episode, "filled with many great moments." Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated it 8/10, signifying a "great" episode. Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised the development of "Original Song", and wrote: "One great thing about the episode was that after last week's plot-bomb-filled episode, the show didn't completely abandon what we'd learned that week." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
graded it "B-"; he noted that he enjoyed the scenes, but criticized the show for its inconsistency. Brett Berk of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
praised the episode for "not only [...] retreating into the series’s standard, flailing, everybody-in-the-pool narrative template, or filling this metaphorical slough with more leaden tropes than Richard Serra circa 1968, but by having the results be precisely the inevitabilities we all knew would occur."
The guest performances made by Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
and Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
were met with mixed reception from several critics. Amy Reiter was more critical on Griffin's performance as Tammy Jean Albertson, and noted "while Kathy Griffin was sight-gag funny as local tea party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
candidate Tammy Jean Albertson [...] her lines fell a bit flat." She went on to praise Devine's performance as Sister Mary Constance, saying that her lines "totally hit the bull's-eye." Robert Canning praised both performances, saying that it was the best part of the episode. He continued, "I love how the guest judge segments of these contest episodes are beginning to become mini-series unto themselves. I hope that tradition continues." James Poniewozik had mixed feelings regarding Griffin's performance. He went on to write, "Glee can be sharp and topical enough that I thought it could actually do something clever with the much-publicized cameo. Instead, the performance hinged on expected gags [...] and Griffin delivered it all with a stiffness that felt more like a recitation than a performance." Todd VanDerWerff reacted negatively to both performances. In his review of the episode, he opined, "That judges’ scene [...] was a pale retread of the original, only this time, it had Kathy Griffin and Loretta Devine, as well as a bunch of tired Tea Party gags that were tired when this episode was written."
The Kurt-Blaine storyline was met with general acclaim from critics. In her review for the episode, Katie Morgan of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
reacted positively to the interaction between Kurt and Blaine. She wrote, "It sure took them long enough, but we're so glad to finally see Kurt happy." In his review, Mark Perigard opined, "It was utterly, sweetly romantic, and Criss sold the hell out of the moment. It’s long overdue and it will silence the growing legion of critics out there who were unhappy with the pace of this story and why Kurt always seemed to be stuck in pure misery." Robert Canning was more critical on the storyline. He highly criticized Darren Criss' performance as Blaine. In a detailed review regarding the storyline, Canning wrote, "Kurt finally got the first kiss he deserved. Too bad it came from the wooden, glass-eyed Blaine. Chris Colfer has been in the running for performance awards for good reason. Darren Criss will not be. Colfer and his character deserve better than the cardboard, unemotional declaration of love that Criss delivered. Yay for Kurt and his first boyfriend, but that was a bland work up to their kiss." Sandra Gonzalez called the whole development "simply perfect". Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic thought the kiss was "sweet", and stated that he was pleased that it attracted no controversy whatsoever. James Poniewozik reacted positively to the storyline. In his review, Poniewozik wrote, "As for the at-long-last kiss, it's to Glees credit that it made me think, ‘Finally, Blaine and Kurt are locking lips already!’ before it made me think, ‘Look, an honest-to-God gay kiss, between two men, on my primetime TV show!’" Aly Semigran of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
praised the interaction between Kurt and Blaine, saying that the kiss scene was a "sweet, real and, shockingly, un-hyped moment." Semigran went on to praise the acting in the scene, saying that both actors "handled it with dignity and honesty". Brett Berk deemed the interaction to be "appropriately fervid".
Music and performances
| "The songs may not have been familiar, but New Directions gave it all they had in their quest to win the Regionals trophy with verve and creativity in “Original Song.” In doing so, they hit refresh on their songbook, and won, not by mimicking others’ hits but performing music they made on their own. And they were pretty darn good." |
| — Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal.... on New Direction's performance of "Loser Like Me". |
The musical performances and selection in the episode were met with mixed response from critics. The original track "Loser Like Me" received general acclaim from critics. Berk praised the performance, and gave it four stars. He opined, "All four stars are for the lyrics [...] in which the lovable dorks sing about being the lovable dorks we fell in love with [...]". In her review for the episode, Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone praised the song, and called it a "true anthem" that "ends triumphantly". Raymond Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
gave a positive review of the song: "The song grew out of a collaborative brainstorming session that went beyond rhyming dictionaries or first attempts at ditties such as 'Trouty Mouth', 'Big Ass Heart', and 'Hell to the No'." Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
commended the show for the use of original songs, and wrote "Glee entered uncharted territory last night [...] no, not Kurt's first kiss. I'm talking about New Directions dabbling in, and debuting, their very first original songs. It was as risky for the show as it was for the group since opting to perform wholly new creations would either give them a leg up on the competition or put them six feet under." Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
praised the song, and deemed it "fun and summery".
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
was generally positive on most of the songs featured in the episode. She gave the performance of "Loser Like Me" a "B", and explained that "This one took a little time to grow on me. I liked it better on the show than when I heard it by itself, which is weird because it's exactly the same thing. Goes to show how much of a difference a good performance [...] makes." Gonzalez gave the highest grade to the cover versions of "Misery" and "Raise Your Glass", both performed by the Dalton Academy Warblers. In her review for "Misery", she praised the performance, and gave it an "A". She opined, "I'm a sucker for a Warbler-ized pop song, especially when it makes Blaine dance and make his weird, animated faces. They're simply adorable, and these Warblers are simply amazing." Gonzalez gave the performance of "Raise Your Glass" an "A". The lowest grade given by Gonzalez was a "D" for Santana's performance of "Trouty Mouth". She explained "If we're taking this song as a joke, it gets a 'B-' because Santana sounded great. But [...] I think about how bad I felt for Sam watching his utter mortification." "Candles" was generally well-received by Gonzalez. She gave the performance a "B" and went on to write "It’s really hard for this pair to live up to the awesomeness of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside
Baby, It's Cold Outside
Baby, It's Cold Outside may refer to:*"Baby, It's Cold Outside", a 1948 song by Frank Loesser*"Cold Outside", a song by country music band Big House from their self-titled debut album*"Baby, It's Cold Outside", a 1991 short story by Isaac Asimov...
'. I'm sure they could one day, but this one fell a bit short for me musically. [...] In the context of the show, however, it was a great moment."
Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reacted positively to all of the songs. In her review for "Original Song", Reiter opined that "The original songs [...] weren't half bad: From Santana's ode to poor, horrified Sam, 'Trouty Mouth,' to Puck's tribute to Lauren, 'Big Ass Heart,' to Mercedes' self-celebrating 'Hell to the No,' the original songs on this episode were funny and revealing. And rousing Regionals-winning anthem 'Loser Like Me' landed like an exuberant slushy in the face [...]." Katie Morgan of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
praised the performance of "Candles", and called it "beautifully intimate", and commended The Warblers' "solid performance". Todd VanDerrWerf of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
responded negatively to "Trouty Mouth", but was generally pleased with the other songs. VanDerWerff went on to praise the voice of Lea Michele: "The first song Rachel sang at regionals [...] was a nicely done little ballad, the sort of song you could both see someone like Rachel writing and later belting." James Poniewozik also praised the voice of Michele, as well as her character development. He opined, "That said, I like the arc of Rachel-as-songwriter, which has played to some of Lea Michele's greatest strengths both as a comic and dramatic actress." Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
found original songs to be "hilarious". He opined, "Getting to run through a series of comical and catchy false starts was entertaining. Santana's 'Trouty Mouth' was sultry and hilarious. Puckerman's rocking ode to Lauren, 'Big Ass Heart,' was also a ridiculous treat. And then both were outdone by Mercedes' stomping, Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
-aping 'Hell to the No'."
Chart history
Seven of the eleven songs featured on the episode charted on several popular musical charts. In the United States, "Loser Like Me" debuted on the Billboard 100 at number six, and in Canada, the song debuted at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. "Get It Right" debuted at number sixteen on the Billboard 100 and number twenty-three on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. These two original songs were featured in the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 5
Glee: The Music, Volume 5
Glee: The Music, Volume 5 is the sixth soundtrack album by the cast of the musical television series Glee. Released on March 8, 2011 through Columbia Records, it was produced executively by Dante Di Loreto and Brad Falchuk. In addition to fourteen cover versions from its second season,...
. It was released on March 15, 2011, and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling over 90,000 copies in its first week in the United States. A third original song, "Hell to the No", was released only as a single, and debuted at number fifty-three on the Billboard 100 and number sixty-five on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. Four covers from the episode were featured on the album Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers is the seventh soundtrack album by the cast of Glee, a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States. Released through Columbia Records on April 19, 2011, it contains thirteen covers: eleven accompanying performances from the...
, which was released on April 19, 2011, and all four charted in the top 100 in the US, Australia, and Canada: "Misery", "Blackbird", "Candles", and "Raise Your Glass".
External links
- "Original Song" at Fox.comFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...