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.
Juke Box Hero
Glee Cast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing in the rain, with his head hung low
Couldn’t get a ticket, it was a sold out show
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream
He heard one guitar, just blew him away
He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day
Bought a beat up six string in a secondhand store
That one guitar, felt good in his hands
Didn’t take long, to understand
Just one guitar, slung way down low
Was one way ticket, only one way to go
So he started rockin’
Ain’t never gonna stop
Gotta keep on rockin’
Someday he’s gonna make it to the top
And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He’s a juke box hero
He took one guitar, juke box hero, stars in his eyes
Juke box hero, he’ll come alive tonight
In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour
Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door
Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain
And that one guitar made his whole life change
Now he needs to keep rockin’
He just can’t stop
Gotta keep on rockin’
That boy has got to stay on top
And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He’s a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Yeah, juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
With that one guitar he’ll come alive
Come alive tonight
Yeah, he’s gotta keep rockin’
He just can’t stop
Gotta keep on rockin’
That boy has got to stay on top
And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He’s a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Just one guitar, put stars in his eyes
He’s just a juke box hero, aah aah aah
Juke box hero, juke box hero, he’s got stars in his eyes
Stars in his eyes
The lyrics to Glee Cast's song Juke Box Hero tell the story of a man who, despite not being able to attend a sold-out concert, experiences a profound moment of inspiration when he hears the sound of a guitar coming from inside the venue. This revelation changes his life, as he purchases a beat-up six-string guitar the next day, without knowing how to play it. However, he immediately feels a connection to the instrument, and after some practice, he realizes that there is no turning back. He only has one way to go, and that is to become a rockstar, putting his all into his music, and never giving up on his dream. The lyrics celebrate the power of music to inspire and guide us, and the importance of perseverance and passion in achieving our goals.
One interesting fact about the song Juke Box Hero is that it was originally written and performed by the band Foreigner in 1981. The song was a hit in the US and abroad, reaching No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Glee Cast version was released in 2013 as part of their compilation album, Glee Sings the Classics.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing in the rain, with his head hung low
He was outside, in the rain, with his head down in disappointment.
Couldn’t get a ticket, it was a sold out show
He was unable to obtain a ticket to the concert because it was already fully booked.
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
He heard the excited cheers of the crowd and could imagine the lively and lively atmosphere.
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream
He listened intently against the wall and it was like hearing a scream from far away.
He heard one guitar, just blew him away
He heard only one guitar being played and was completely blown away by the sound.
He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day
He had stars in his eyes, and the following day he was still dreaming of being a rock star.
Bought a beat up six string in a secondhand store
He bought a worn-out six-string guitar from a thrift store.
Didn’t know how to play it, but he knew for sure
He didn't know how to play the guitar, but he was certain that he wanted to be a rock musician.
That one guitar, felt good in his hands
Holding that one guitar made him feel really good.
Didn’t take long, to understand
It didn't take him long to realize how to play the guitar.
Just one guitar, slung way down low
He only needed one guitar and he belted it low on his body.
Was one way ticket, only one way to go
Playing the guitar was his only path to take.
So he started rockin’
He started playing rock music.
Ain’t never gonna stop
He'll never quit playing rock music.
Gotta keep on rockin’
He must keep playing rock music.
Someday he’s gonna make it to the top
He believes that eventually he will be successful and become a rock star.
And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He aspires to be a famous rock musician whose music is played on jukeboxes and he has stars in his eyes as he dreams of this.
In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour
He is in a place that is nameless, and it is raining heavily.
Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door
He mistakenly thought that he saw his own shadow by the backstage door.
Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain
It was like a journey back in time to the day he stood in the rain outside the concert.
And that one guitar made his whole life change
Playing that one guitar transformed his entire life.
Now he needs to keep rockin’
He must continue to play rock music, as it has become an essential part of his life.
He just can’t stop
He just cannot quit playing rock music.
That boy has got to stay on top
He has to be a successful rock musician at all times.
He’s just a juke box hero, aah aah aah
He is simply a rock musician who is idolized by his followers.
Juke box hero, juke box hero, he’s got stars in his eyes
He's a revered rock star who has admirers everywhere, and he's filled with hope and ambition.
Stars in his eyes
He has hope and optimism for success as a performer.
Contributed by Brayden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
devita sari arring
Standing in the rain, with his head hung low
Couldn't get a ticket, it was a sold out show
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream
He heard one guitar, just blew him away
He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day
Bought a beat up six string, in a secondhand store
Didn't know how to play it, but he knew for sure
That one guitar, felt good in his hands
Didn't take long, to understand
Just one guitar, slung way down low
Was a one way ticket, only one way to go
So he started rockin', ain't never gonna stop
Gotta keep on rockin', someday gonna make it to the top
And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He's a juke box hero
He took one guitar (juke box hero, stars in his eyes)
Juke box hero, (stars in his eyes) he'll come alive tonight
In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour
Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door
Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain
And that one guitar, made his whole life change
Now he needs to keep on rockin', he just can't stop
Gotta keep on rockin', that boy has got to stay on top
And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He's a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Yeah, juke box hero, stars in his eyes
With that one guitar (stars in his eyes)
He'll come alive, come alive tonight, woah
Yeah, he's gotta keep on rockin', just can't stop
Gotta keep on rockin', that boy has got to stay on top
And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
He's a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
(Just one guitar) juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
How he's just a juke box hero, aah aah aah
Juke box (stars) hero, (stars, stars) juke box hero, (stars, stars)
He's got stars in his eyes, stars in his eyes
Tamrepublic
I still say Ryder had one of the best first songs on the entire show. It fit him well and he did a very good job.
Isi
when I saw this I realized how much Cory's singing had improved compared to the first season. he really had a glowup
M W
Cory was an amazing singer
Tash21
@M W I agree. I like the rasp though.
M W
@Tash21 me too
Megan McKnight
Is glow up even a word for singers lol
Lisa
Yeah I thought the same
Cal
I love that the writers smoothly dodged the moment where Finn could've said "Oh I never auditioned either. I joined because a teacher blackmailed me with drug charges🤷
Peter East
They realized how problematic that would've been to say out loud lol
Slimpie Bleb
their voices sound amazing together im totally in love with the vocals!