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.
Pinball Wizard
Glee Cast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball
From Soho down to Brighton, I must have played them all
But I ain't seen nothing like him in any amusement hall...
That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball!
He stands like a statue, becomes part of the machine
Feeling all the bumpers always playing clean
That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pin ball!
He's a pin ball wizard, there has to be a twist
A pin ball wizard, got such a supple wrist
(How do you think he does it?)
I don't know!
(What makes him so good?)
Well, he ain't got no distractions, can't hear those buzzers and bells
Don't see lights a flashin', he plays by sense of smell
Always has a replay, and never tilts at all...
That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pin ball!
He can't beat me now
I've always been the champ
I know every trick
No freak's gonna beat my hand
Even on my usual table, he can beat the best
His disciples lead him in, and he just does the rest
He's got crazy flipper fingers, I never seen him fall
That deaf, dumb, blind kid sure plays a mean pinball
He's a pinball wizard, there has to be a twist
A pinball wizard, got such a supple wrist
He's a pinball wizard, his score's a trillion more
A pinball wizard, the world's new pinball lord
He's scoring more!
He's scoring more!
I thought I was the Bally table king
But I just handed my pinball crown to him
To him!
To him!
In this song, the Glee Cast is covering the classic rock song “Pinball Wizard” originally sung by The Who. The song opens with the singer reminiscing about his early days of playing pinball and how he has played in different places, but has never seen a player as good as the deaf, dumb, and blind kid. The kid is described as being so skilled that he makes playing pinball look effortless. He stands like a statue and becomes one with the machine, always feeling all the bumpers and playing clean. His playing is based on intuition, and he has an extraordinary supple wrist that no one can explain. The lyrics go on to describe how the kid has no distractions because he can’t hear the buzzers and bells, so he plays by the sense of smell, always getting a replay, and never tilts at all. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that he has just handed his pinball crown to the kid, who is now the world's new pinball lord.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball
I have been a pinball player since childhood
From Soho down to Brighton, I must have played them all
I have played pinball in many different locations
But I ain't seen nothing like him in any amusement hall...
I have not encountered anyone like the player in question before
That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball!
The player in question is very skilled at pinball despite their impairments
He stands like a statue, becomes part of the machine
The player is so focused on the game that they blend in with the pinball machine
Feeling all the bumpers always playing clean
The player is very accurate and precise in their shots
He plays by intuition, the digit counters fall
The player doesn't need to think much about their moves because they just come naturally
That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pin ball!
The player is very skilled at pinball despite their impairments
He's a pin ball wizard, there has to be a twist
The player's skills are so impressive that there must be something unique about their approach
A pin ball wizard, got such a supple wrist
The player is able to manipulate the flippers with ease
(How do you think he does it?)
Others are curious about the player's impressive pinball skills
I don't know!
Nobody knows for sure how the player is able to play so well
(What makes him so good?)
Others are curious about the player's impressive pinball skills
Well, he ain't got no distractions, can't hear those buzzers and bells
The player's impairments actually help them focus on the game and block out distractions
Don't see lights a flashin', he plays by sense of smell
The player is able to anticipate the movement of the ball due to their heightened sense of touch and other senses
Always has a replay, and never tilts at all...
The player is consistent in their gameplay and rarely makes mistakes that would cause them to lose points
That deaf dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pin ball!
The player is very skilled at pinball despite their impairments
He can't beat me now
The singer believes they are a better pinball player than the player in question
I've always been the champ
The singer is very confident in their own pinball skills
I know every trick
The artist is very experienced and knowledgeable about pinball
No freak's gonna beat my hand
The artist believes that they are unbeatable when it comes to pinball
Even on my usual table, he can beat the best
The player in question is so skilled that they can beat even the most experienced players on their home turf
His disciples lead him in, and he just does the rest
Others are in awe of the player's skills and will follow them around to watch them play
He's got crazy flipper fingers, I never seen him fall
The player is incredibly fast and accurate with their shots, and rarely makes mistakes
That deaf, dumb, blind kid sure plays a mean pinball
The player is very skilled at pinball despite their impairments
He's a pinball wizard, there has to be a twist
The player's skills are so impressive that there must be something unique about their approach
A pinball wizard, got such a supple wrist
The player is able to manipulate the flippers with ease
He's a pinball wizard, his score's a trillion more
The player has an incredibly high score, far surpassing anyone else's
A pinball wizard, the world's new pinball lord
The player is now seen as the best pinball player in the world
He's scoring more!
The player is continuing to rack up points and improve their score
I thought I was the Bally table king
The singer used to believe that they were the best pinball player
But I just handed my pinball crown to him
The player in question has now taken the title of best pinball player from the artist
To him!
The player in question has earned the respect and admiration of everyone around them
Contributed by Aiden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.