Glee featured multiple major and secondary roles who have contributed vocals to the show: Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Dianna Agron, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris, Jayma Mays, Jane Lynch, Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss, Harry Shum, Jr., Damian McGinty, Vanessa Lengies, Samuel Larsen, Blake Jenner, Alex Newell, Melissa Benoist, Jacob Artist, and Dean Geyer. Numerous special guests have also featured on tracks, including Jonathan Groff, Kristin Chenoweth, Grant Gustin, Olivia Newton-John, John Stamos, Neil Patrick Harris, Idina Menzel, Charice, Gwyneth Paltrow, k.d. lang, Ricky Martin, Matt Bomer, Kate Hudson, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The pilot episode of the show was broadcast on May 19, 2009 and the first season began airing on September 9, 2009. The show was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Murphy selects all music featured within the series himself, with the intent of maintaining a balance between show tunes and chart hits. Songs featured on the show are available for digital download through iTunes up to two weeks before new episodes air, and through other digital outlets and mobile carriers a week later.
Their debut single, "Don't Stop Believin'", a cover of the 1981 Journey song, was a top ten hit, and was certified platinum in Australia and gold in the US. The group's cover of The All-American Rejects' "Gives You Hell" reached number one in Ireland, giving them their first number one single.
There has been Nineteen soundtracks released through Columbia Records: Glee: The Music, Volume 1, Glee: The Music, Volume 2, Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers, Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, Glee: The Music, Volume 4, Glee: The Music, Volume 5, Glee: The Music, Volume 6, Glee: The Music, Volume 7 and Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2,Glee: The Music, Volume 7,Glee: The Music, The Graduation Album,Glee: The Music, Season 4, Volume 1,Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 3,Glee Sings the Beatles and Glee: The Music - Celebrating 100 Episodes.
Nineteen EPs have also been released: Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna, Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals,Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show.Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show,Glee: The Music, Love Songs,Glee: The Music, The Rocky Horror Glee Show,Glee: The Music, Love Songs,Glee: The Music, Dance Party,Britney 2.0,Glee: The Music Presents Glease,The Quarterback (Music from the TV Series),A Katy or a Gaga (Music from the Episode),Movin' Out,Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 4,City of Angels,New New York,Glee: The Music, Bash,Glee: The Music, Tested,Glee: The Music, Opening Night,Glee: The Music, the Back Up Plan,Glee: The Music, Old Dog, New Tricks,Glee: The Music – The Untitled Rachel Berry Project,Glee: The Music – Loser Like Me and Glee: The Music – Homecoming.
The cast is second behind The Beatles for most chart appearances by a group act in the Billboard Hot 100's history, and holds the record of sixth overall among all artists, with sixty-nine appearances. The cast has sold over thirty six million and over eleven million albums worldwide. The series' cover versions have also had a positive effect on the original recording artists, with sales of Rihanna's "Take a Bow" increasing by 189 percent after the song was covered in the Glee episode "Showmance".
The series features covers of numerous songs sung on-screen by the characters. Musical segments typically take the form of performances, as opposed to the characters singing spontaneously, as the intention is for the series to remain reality-based. Murphy is responsible for selecting all of the songs used, and strives to maintain a balance between show tunes and chart hits, as: "I want there to be something for everybody in every episode. That's a tricky mix, but that's very important — the balancing of that." Song choices are integral to script development, with Murphy explaining: "Each episode has a theme at its core. After I write the script, I will choose songs that help to move the story along."
Glee is choreographed by Zach Woodlee, and features five to eight production numbers per episode. Once music rights are cleared, songs are arranged and pre-recorded by the cast. Woodlee constructs the accompanying dance moves, which are then taught to the cast and filmed. Numbers can take several weeks to prepare, depending on complexity. Each episode costs at least $3 million to produce, and can take up to 10 days to film as a result of the elaborate choreography.
Hungry Like the Wolf / Rio
Glee Cast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Steam in the subway, earth is a fire
Do dododo dododo dododo dododo doo doo
Woman, you want me, give me a sign
And catch my breathing even closer behind
Do dododo dododo dododo dododo doo doo
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand (Smell like I sound!)
And when she shines she really shows you all she can (Mouth is alive!)
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
Stalked in the forest, too close to hide
I'll be upon you by the moonlight side
Do dododo dododo dododo dododo doo doo
High blood drumming on your skin, it's so tight
You feel my heat, I'm just a moment behind
Do dododo dododo dododo dododo doo doo
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand (Smell like I sound!)
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land (Straddle the line!)
And when she shines she really shows you all she can (Mouth is alive!)
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
Hungry like the wolf, I'm hungry like the wolf, hungry like the wolf
(Don't make a sound!)
Her name is Rio she don't need to understand (Smell like I sound!)
And I might find her if I'm looking like I can (Straddle the line!)
(Ohhhh) Rio, Rio hear them shout across the land (Mouth is alive!)
From mountains in the north down to the Rio Grande
Her name is Rio she don't need to understand (Smell like I sound!)
From mountains in the north down to the Rio Grande
Fightin' the ground!
The lyrics to the Glee Cast's song Hungry Like the Wolf/Rio are a combination of two songs originally released by Duran Duran in the 1980s. The first verse describes a city at night, with the imagery of steam in the subway and the earth being on fire creating a sense of excitement and danger. The second verse is more mysterious, with a sense of stalking in the forest and the lyrics "high blood drumming on your skin, it's so tight" creating a feeling of tension.
The chorus is where the two songs come together, with the introduction of the character Rio. She is described as dancing on the sand like a river twisting through a dusty land, and her shining personality is brought to life with the line "and when she shines she really shows you all she can". The chorus then shifts into the song's title, "hungry like the wolf", conveying a sense of primal desire and hunger.
The song concludes with a repetition of Rio's name and the lyrics "from mountains in the north down to the Rio Grande", bringing a sense of travel and adventure to the song, and ending with the imagery of fighting or conquering the ground.
Line by Line Meaning
Darken the city, night is a wire
The city is dark and the night is tense.
Steam in the subway, earth is a fire
The subway is hot and the earth feels like it's burning.
Woman, you want me, give me a sign
The singer is looking for a sign from a woman who seems interested in him.
And catch my breathing even closer behind
The woman is making the singer feel excited and nervous at the same time.
Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand (Smell like I sound!)
The woman the singer is interested in is named Rio and she is dancing on the sand, exuding a certain aura or vibe.
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land (Straddle the line!)
Rio dances in a way that is reminiscent of a river flowing through a dusty landscape. The line could also mean that Rio is living on the edge or trying new things.
And when she shines she really shows you all she can (Mouth is alive!)
Rio is a vibrant and lively person and when she shines, she demonstrates all of her abilities and true self.
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
The singer is captivated by Rio and her dancing, even if it is just in his imagination.
Stalked in the forest, too close to hide
The singer is feeling like he is being hunted or stalked in the forest and cannot hide.
I'll be upon you by the moonlight side
The singer is hinting that he will be with the woman he is interested in soon, most likely by the light of the moon.
High blood drumming on your skin, it's so tight
The singer is making the person he is singing to feel like their blood is pumping and their skin is tight with excitement.
You feel my heat, I'm just a moment behind
The singer is very close and the person he is singing to can feel his presence and heat coming from his body.
Hungry like the wolf, I'm hungry like the wolf, hungry like the wolf
The singer is feeling voracious and hungry for the woman he is interested in, and is using the metaphor of a wolf to describe it.
Her name is Rio she don't need to understand (Smell like I sound!)
Rio doesn't need to understand the singer's feelings for her; he just likes the way she smells and sounds.
And I might find her if I'm looking like I can (Straddle the line!)
The singer is trying to suggest that he thinks he might have a chance with Rio if he puts himself out there and takes risks.
(Ohhhh) Rio, Rio hear them shout across the land (Mouth is alive!)
Rio is so captivating and exciting that people are shouting about her across the land.
From mountains in the north down to the Rio Grande
People are talking about Rio from all over the area, from the northern mountains down to the Rio Grande river.
Fightin' the ground!
This line doesn't seem to have any specific meaning and may be a way to end the song on a strong note.
Contributed by Sophie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.