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.
You're the Top
Glee Cast Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I always have found it best,
Instead of getting 'em off my chest,
To let 'em rest unexpressed,
I hate parading my serenading
As I'll probably miss a bar,
But if this ditty is not so pretty,
At least it'll tell you how great you are
You're the top! Leroy,
You're the Coliseum
You're the top! Oh, baby,
You're the Louvre Museum
You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss!
You're a Bendel bonnet,
A Shakespeare's sonnet,
You're Mickey Mouse! (hahahahaha!)
You're the Nile,
You're the Tower of Pisa,
You're the smile
On the Mona Lisa
I'm a worthless check,
A total wreck,
A flop!
But if, baby, I'm the bottom you're the top!
You're the top, Leroy!
You're Mahatma Gandhi, Hiram!
You're the top!
You're Napoleon Brandy
You're the purple light
Of a summer night in Spain,
You're the National Gallery,
You're Garbo's salary,
You're cellophane!
You're sublime,
You're a turkey dinner!
You're the time,
Of a Derby winner!
I'm a toy balloon that's fated soon to pop!
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
You're the top!
You're the top!
You're an arrow collar
Leroy, You're the top!
You're a Coolidge dollar,
You're the nimble tread
Of the feet of Fred Astaire,
You're an O'Neill drama,
You're Whistler's mama!
You're camembert
You're a rose,
You're Inferno's Dante,
You're the nose,
On the great Durante
I'm just in the way,
As the French would say,
"de trop"!
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
You're the top!
You're a Waldorf salad
You're just the top!
You're a Berlin ballad
You're the boats that glide
On the sleepy Zuider Zee,
You're an old Dutch master,
You're Lady Astor,
Baby, you're broccoli!
You're romance,
You're the steppes of Russia,
You're the pants, (purr), on a Roxy usher,
I'm a broken doll, a fol-de-rol, a blop,
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
But if, baby, I'm the bottom,
You're the top!
The lyrics to Glee Cast's song "You're the Top" is a praise to someone special who is compared to some of the most significant and beautiful things in the world. The singer is self-deprecating, admitting he is "worthless check, a total wreck, a flop," and confesses he is terrible at expressing himself through poetry. But the one thing he is sure of is the greatness, the superiority of his beloved. The comparisons in the song are diverse, from mythical and cultural references like "Nile," "Tower of Pisa," "Mahatma Gandhi," "Inferno's Dante" to everyday references like "Waldorf salad," "Mickey Mouse" or cellophane.
The statement in the song's chorus, "You're the top" expresses a sentiment that cannot be overstated: the person is the best of the best, the highest, and the most wonderful. The lyrics connect with the viewer/ listener's desire to be recognized and appreciated, and also their appreciation for the ones they love, admiration for their achievements and the things they bring into their lives. The melody of the song is upbeat, cheerful, and catchy, which reinforces the message of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
At words poetic, I'm so pathetic
I'm not good with poetry, it's not my thing
That I always have found it best, Instead of getting 'em off my chest, To let 'em rest unexpressed
So I just keep my feelings inside and don't express them
I hate parading my serenading As I'll probably miss a bar
I don't like performing or singing because I might mess up
But if this ditty is not so pretty, At least it'll tell you how great you are
But I'm singing this song to tell you how amazing you are, even if the song isn't that great
You're the top! Leroy, You're the Coliseum
You're the best, Leroy! You're like the Coliseum – impressive and awe-inspiring
You're the top! Oh, baby, You're the Louvre Museum
You're incredible, baby! Like the Louvre Museum – beautiful and full of wonder
You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss!
You're like a beautiful melody from a symphony written by Strauss
You're a Bendel bonnet, A Shakespeare's sonnet, You're Mickey Mouse! (hahahahaha!)
You're like a fancy hat from Bendel's, a sonnet written by Shakespeare, and even Mickey Mouse – all great in their own ways
You're the Nile, You're the Tower of Pisa, You're the smile On the Mona Lisa
You're like the Nile River, the Tower of Pisa, and the beautiful smile on the Mona Lisa
I'm a worthless check, A total wreck, A flop!
I feel like I'm not worth much, a mess and a failure
But if, baby, I'm the bottom you're the top!
But compared to you, baby, I'm nothing – you're amazing, you're the top!
You're Mahatma Gandhi, Hiram! You're the top! You're Napoleon Brandy
You're like Mahatma Gandhi and Hiram – noble and great. You're even like Napoleon Brandy – luxurious and valuable
You're the purple light Of a summer night in Spain, You're the National Gallery, You're Garbo's salary, You're cellophane!
You're like the beautiful purple light on a summer night in Spain, the amazing National Gallery, and even Garbo's salary – all great in their own ways
You're sublime, You're a turkey dinner! You're the time, Of a Derby winner!
You're like a sublime experience and even a delicious turkey dinner. You're even like the time it takes to win a Derby race
I'm a toy balloon that's fated soon to pop!
I feel like I'm just a toy balloon that's going to burst soon
You're the boats that glide On the sleepy Zuider Zee, You're an old Dutch master, You're Lady Astor, Baby, you're broccoli!
You're like the peaceful boats gliding on the sleepy Zuider Zee, an old Dutch master piece, Lady Astor, and even broccoli (implying that she's nutritious and essential)
You're romance, You're the steppes of Russia, You're the pants, (purr), on a Roxy usher,
You're like romantic love, the vast and beautiful steppes of Russia, and even the sexy pants on a Roxy usher
I'm a broken doll, a fol-de-rol, a blop!
I feel like I'm broken and useless, a frivolous thing, and even just nothingness
But if, baby, I'm the bottom, You're the top!
But compared to you, baby, even if I'm nothing, you're still the best – you're the top!
Contributed by Samuel J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.