The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
Encyclopedia
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is the eleventh episode of the second season
of the American musical television series Glee
, and the 33rd episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan
, directed by Brad Falchuk
, and was broadcast immediately following Super Bowl XLV
on February 6, 2011. In the episode, an effort to dispel student rivalry forces the McKinley High football
team and glee club
to unite. When cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) withdraws her squad from the halftime show
of a championship football game, the disparate groups must come together to perform a routine and win the game.
Reportedly the most expensive post-Super Bowl episode ever produced, "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" cost $3–5 million. It featured over 500 extras
, including an array of stunt artists. News anchor Katie Couric
guest-starred as herself, provoking controversy by making a jibe about television personality Dina Lohan
. The episode featured cover version
s of five songs, including a dance performance of "California Gurls
" by Katy Perry
and a mash-up
of Michael Jackson
's "Thriller
" with "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
. Series creator Ryan Murphy had considered using the episode as a musical tribute to Jackson. The performances were met with mixed reception from critics. With the exception of "California Gurls", each of the numbers were released as singles, available for download. The "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" mash-up was the highest charting in all regions, peaking at number 17 in Australia.
In the US, the episode was watched by 26.8 million viewers, and was the highest-rated scripted TV broadcast in three years. It received a mixed response from critics, who differed over its accessibility to the Super Bowl audience. Several criticized the repetitive theme of football versus glee club rivalry, finding "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" below typical Glee standards.
(Jane Lynch
), the coach of the McKinley High School cheerleading
squad, grows disillusioned with the sport, and in an effort to recapture her love for it, plans to fire Brittany from a cannon during the team's next competitive routine. Meanwhile, football
coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones
) has the school football players join the glee club
, New Directions, in order to dispel rivalry between the students. In revenge for opposition to her cannon plan, Sue has the cheerleading Regionals competition moved to the same night as a football championship game, so her cheerleaders will be unavailable for the halftime show
, and forces the affected squad members to resign from the glee club. New Directions' director Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
) announces that the club members, including the football players, will perform the halftime routine, planning a mash-up
of Michael Jackson
's "Thriller
" with "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
. He notices and encourages the talent of Dave Karofsky
(Max Adler), a bully who has previously acted violently towards the glee club members. When the football players are attacked by members of the school hockey team, Karofsky encourages them to quit the glee club, resulting in Beiste barring them from the championship game.
To ensure that the game goes ahead, glee club members Rachel (Lea Michele
), Mercedes
(Amber Riley
), Tina
(Jenna Ushkowitz) and Lauren
(Ashley Fink
) join the football team. The game begins badly for the McKinley side, and when Tina is injured during a play, captain Finn Hudson
(Cory Monteith
) takes control of the situation. He has club member Puck
(Mark Salling) convince the former football players to return, and convinces cheerleaders Santana
(Naya Rivera
), Brittany
(Heather Morris) and his ex-girlfriend Quinn
(Dianna Agron
) to quit the cheer squad and perform at the halftime show. Only Karofsky refuses to participate, but when he sees the positive reaction the crowd has to the routine, he joins in himself. Beiste welcomes the football players back, and they go on to win the game by intimidating the opposing side, dressed as zombies from the halftime routine.
Sue's cheer squad loses at Regionals for the first time in seven years, and she is named Loser of the Year in a televised interview with Katie Couric
. Furthering her ire, the cheerleading budget is slashed due to the cannon being seen as endangering the lives of children. The money is then handed over to the glee club so they can pay to go to regionals. Karofsky dismisses Finn's suggestion that he join the glee club permanently. Finally, Quinn kisses Finn, telling him that his actions have reminded her of why she loved him.
episode in television history
, as well as the most expensive episode of Glee, costing $3–5 million. Filming was halted on December 10, 2010 as a result of several cast members contracting tonsillitis
. An outbreak of the flu
soon followed, and filming of the "Thriller" performance was delayed by four weeks. The episode was co-sponsored by General Motors
, allowing for limited commercial breaks. The Glee cast featured in a two-minute Chevrolet
commercial during the episode. Based on the season one
episode "Mattress
", they gave an in-character performance of "See the USA in Your Chevrolet
".
Series creator Ryan Murphy intended "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" to feel thematically similar to the pilot episode
, with the central idea being "music bringing disparate people together." Co-creator Brad Falchuk
explained that one of the series' core conflicts had always been the idea of "two worlds" within McKinley High: the glee club and the popular students. He stated that this discord would be brought to a head in the episode.
News anchor Couric made a guest appearance in the episode as herself. She was a fan of the series prior to her casting, having praised its handling of subject matters such as homosexuality
, disabilities
and teenage pregnancy
. Brian Stelter of The New York Times
noted that her appearance was unusual, as anchors from rival networks—in Couric's case, CBS
—do not typically make cameos on their competitors' programs. Series regular Chris Colfer
and recurring guest star Darren Criss
were not included in the original draft of the script, but were added by series creator Murphy in a late revision. Other recurring characters who appear are football coach Shannon Beiste, glee club members Mike Chang
(Harry Shum, Jr.
), Sam Evans
(Chord Overstreet
) and Lauren Zizes, cheerleader Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter
) and school bullies Dave Karofsky and Azimio (James Earl). Two new football
-playing characters were introduced: Scott Cooper and Strando, who E!
columnist Kristin dos Santos reported may have an increased role in the series as it continues. However, they did not make any additional appearances on the show in its second season. Additionally, producers hired fire breathers, jugglers, and bicycle motocross
stunt performer
s for the episode. 500 extras
were used, as well as the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band. In January 2011, entertainment website Zap2it
reported that Filipina
singer Charice would appear as exchange student Sunshine Corazon, performing The Black Eyed Peas
' "Meet Me Halfway
" with rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. However, Murphy later stated that Charice would not return to Glee until the end of the year, though she ultimately also made an appearance before then in "A Night of Neglect
".
", which followed Super Bowl XLIII
, but was down 31 percent on the premiere episode of the reality television
series Undercover Boss
, broadcast after Super Bowl XLIV
. Both ratings and viewership significantly increased from the previous Glee episode, "A Very Glee Christmas
", which was viewed by 11.07 million US viewers and received a 4.4/13 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic upon its initial airing.
In Canada, where the episode was also broadcast on February 6, 2011, it attained 2.16 million viewers and was the ninth most-watched show of the week. Viewership declined from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.37 million viewers and ranked fifth for the week.
The episode's Australian broadcast, on February 14, 2011, drew 1.13 million viewers, making Glee the fourth most-watched program of the night and the most-watched in the 18–49 demographic. It placed tenth in the weekly viewership rankings. Here, viewership registered an increase of approximately 47% over the previous episode, "A Very Glee Christmas", which aired on February 7, 2011, attracted 769,000 viewers, and failed to reach the top fifty for the week. In the UK, the episode was watched by 2.64 million viewers (2.21 million on E4, and 433,000 on E4+1), becoming the most-watched show on cable for the week.
found it lacking in plot and a driving moral, however felt that it was acceptable as a standalone episode – one which could be enjoyed by fans and new viewers alike. In contrast, Vicki Hyman of The Star-Ledger
commented that despite the football-centric plot, the episode would be hard to follow for new viewers brought in by the Super Bowl, requiring too much knowledge of previous storylines. New York
Willa Paskin felt that Murphy demonstrated "utter contempt" for the potential new audience. She suggested that the McKinley High football team were used as a metaphor for new viewers—who could come to love Glee if they embraced its musical numbers—but found this insulting as the team are portrayed as being ignorant and intolerant. Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic found the episode lacking in Glee "usual acerbic wit and emotional heft", and criticized the under-use of Colfer and Criss.
Highlighting a general malaise with the show, Lisa de Moraes of The Washington Post
deemed Sue's boredom with cheerleading a meta-reference
to the series itself. Both she and Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
noted negatively the repetition of familiar storylines, such as the football team vs. glee club rivalry and Sue's attempts to destroy the club. VanDerWerff observed that Glee "keeps tossing the same elements into the hat and coming out with similar results, as though the only thing anybody’s putting any effort into are the musical numbers." He graded the episode a "C", calling it "boring". Time
James Poniewozik also commented on the repetitive premise, suggesting that the jocks versus geeks plot was the one most likely to be accessible to the new audience. He found the episode "easily forgettable" overall, criticizing the flat characterization, but noted that even when the series frustrates him, he continues to love Glee for, not in spite of, its inconsistency.
IGN
's Robert Canning also found the long-running football vs. glee storyline repetitive, but wrote that the football players joining glee club was "a welcome twist", however convoluted and unrealistic. He rated the episode 8/10, finding it "preposterously fun". Entertainment Weekly
Ken Tucker considered the episode "at once in-your-face and under-handed, very clever about its very cynicism." He noted that while he had become jaded with Glee, he enjoyed "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle", summarizing that, "Everything in this episode was chaotic and topsy-turvy, but you never had the feeling the silliness was getting away from the producers. It all came together."
Rick Porter of Zap2it
criticized Katie Couric's cameo for an attack made against Dina Lohan
. During her interview with Sue, Couric lists Lohan and her dog Sparky as failed Loser of the Year contenders. In a previous episode, Glee also mocked Lohan's daughter, Lindsay
. Porter felt that the jibe diminished Couric's journalistic credibility, deeming the Lohans easy targets. However, Canning called Couric's cameo "perhaps the funniest part of the episode", and de Moraes stated that the best line of the episode comes when Sue "looks Katie Couric right in the eye and says, 'I hate you, Diane Sawyer
.'
The Daily News Soraya Roberts expressed relief that the writers were not gullible enough to have Karofsky end the episode by joining the glee club. Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
opined that Karofksy's character development was the best element of the episode, but found his conflicted emotions convoluted, and was pleased that he was victimized by the hockey team.
tribute episode "Britney/Brittany
", and considered covering songs by Elton John
, Prince
, The Beatles
, Bruce Springsteen
or Michael Jackson. Although several artists agreed to a tribute, ultimately it was decided that songs by multiple acts would be covered. Katy Perry
's "California Gurls
" was used as the opening number, performed as a dance routine by the school cheerleading squad, the Cheerios. Paying homage to Perry's original music video, one element features the cheerleaders appearing to shoot fire from their breasts. Falchuk, the episode's director, stated that the sequence was included to attract male Super Bowl viewers who would not ordinarily watch Glee. Rachel and Puck perform a duet of Lady Antebellum
's "Need You Now", intended to showcase the merits of glee club. Finn leads a performance of The Zombies
' "She's Not There
" as the halftime show warm-up number, and rival a cappella
choir the Dalton Academy Warblers perform Destiny's Child
's "Bills, Bills, Bills
", led by Blaine. A mash-up of Jackson's song "Thriller" with "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was used as the final number. In early reports relating to the episode, Lynch claimed that Couric and Morrison would perform a dance number to "Tea for Two
", Vincent Youmans
and Irving Caesar
's song from the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette
. This rumor was later dispelled by Murphy.
Erica Futterman criticized the uninspired, over-the-top choreography.
The performance of "Need You Now" was praised by Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
, though he branded it a "disastrously tactless" song choice. Both he and Jenna Mullins of E! Online questioned the likelihood of a country
ballad enthusing the football players toward glee club. Entertainment Weekly Breia Brissey graded the performance "B+", enjoying the union of Puck and Rachel, but finding it lacking in originality. She gave the same grade to "She's Not There", appreciating the way the song choice complemented the episode's Finn/Quinn storyline. VanDerWerff also received the performance positively, calling it one of the season's better numbers, and Futterman felt that Monteith's vocals were a "perfect fit" for the song, appreciating the initially odd choreography for making the performance more interesting. Reiter was frustrated by the costuming, writing that the zombie makeup made the choreography difficult to follow.
Brissey's lowest grade, a "B−", went to "Bills, Bills, Bills". Though she enjoyed the a cappella cover, Brissey found it incongruous in context, opining that Glee best performances are those linked to the storylines, allowing viewers to invest in their message. Several critics voiced similar complaints while enjoying the song itself, including Mullins, Futterman and the Houston Chronicle
Bobby Hankinson. Tucker felt that it had "more snap and vigour" than the final number, but also disapproved of its awkward inclusion, writing that it impacted negatively on the episode's momentum. Fallon gave the track an entirely positive review, suggesting that it should have been the episode's opening number and lauding it as "surprising, oozing with charm, and actually kind of joyous." CNN
's Lisa Respers France embraced the "completely random and bizarre" song choice, writing that it reminded her of the first season, "when [she] never knew what to expect and [...] was often happily surprised." Reiter too reviewed it favorably, calling it the best performance of the show. She appreciated the focus on facial expressions during the performance, in contrast to the elaborate costuming which she felt distracted from other numbers.
Bianco preferred the intimacy of "Bills, Bills, Bills" to "Thriller / Heads Will Roll", which both he and Hyman criticized for its overproduction and editing. While Bianco found the final number anonymous, Hyman and Futterman approved of the performance overall, particularly for the makeup and costuming. Flandez and Brissey compared it favorably to the Super Bowl XLV halftime performances, with Brissey stating that the mashup did Jackson justice and giving it her highest grade of the episode, an "A−". Roberts wrote that the performance "lived up to the pre-show hype", but felt that the rest of the episode "paled in comparison". VanDerWerff commented favorably, "For the few minutes that number was on the screen, Glee was nearly everything it could be, blending fun music with insane production values and characters coming to certain emotional realizations in the moment, heightened as it is by the music."
. The last three tracks are also included on the series' sixth soundtrack album
, Glee: The Music, Volume 5, and the first is also included on the seventh soundtrack album, Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
. Each song charted on the Billboard Hot 100
, and all but "She's Not There" placed on the Canadian Hot 100
and Australian ARIA Charts
. In the US, three of the four tracks debuted on the February 10, 2011 issue: "Bills, Bills, Bills" entered at number 79, "Need You Now" at number 72, and "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" at number 75. The February 17, 2011 chart saw "She's Not There" debut at number 87, while "Bills, Bills, Bills" climbed to 44, "Need You Now" to 62 and "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" to 38.
In Canada, the three charting singles debuted on the February 11, 2011 chart. "Need You Now" entered at its peak position of number 51. "Bills, Bills, Bills" entered at number 86 and peaked the following week at 58. "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" entered at 76 and peaked at 30. The singles' Australian release saw them enter the charts on February 21, 2011: "Bills, Bills, Bills" at number 71, "Need You Now" at 46 and "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" at 17. Having previously dropped out of the chart, the original Lady Antebellum version of "Need You Now" re-entered at number 31 in the same week as the Glee cover. "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" also managed to chart in Ireland at number 37 and in New Zealand at number 38.
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 musical 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 33rd episode overall. It was written by 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...
, directed by Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
, and was broadcast immediately following Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
on February 6, 2011. In the episode, an effort to dispel student rivalry forces the McKinley High football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and 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...
to unite. When cheerleading coach 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...
) withdraws her squad from the halftime show
Halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
of a championship football game, the disparate groups must come together to perform a routine and win the game.
Reportedly the most expensive post-Super Bowl episode ever produced, "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" cost $3–5 million. It featured over 500 extras
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
, including an array of stunt artists. News anchor Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
guest-starred as herself, provoking controversy by making a jibe about television personality Dina Lohan
Dina Lohan
Donata "Dina" Lohan is a television personality and occasional actress who rose to fame as the mother and manager of actress/pop singer Lindsay Lohan, and Lindsay's younger sister Ali Lohan, with whom Dina co-starred in the reality show Living Lohan.-Family and marriage:Lohan was born and raised...
. The episode featured 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 five songs, including a dance performance of "California Gurls
California Gurls
"California Gurls" is an electropop song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry and is the lead single of her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song features rapper Snoop Dogg, and was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. According to Perry, the song is an answer song to...
" by Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
and a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
" with "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
. Series creator Ryan Murphy had considered using the episode as a musical tribute to Jackson. The performances were met with mixed reception from critics. With the exception of "California Gurls", each of the numbers were released as singles, available for download. The "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" mash-up was the highest charting in all regions, peaking at number 17 in Australia.
In the US, the episode was watched by 26.8 million viewers, and was the highest-rated scripted TV broadcast in three years. It received a mixed response from critics, who differed over its accessibility to the Super Bowl audience. Several criticized the repetitive theme of football versus glee club rivalry, finding "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" below typical Glee standards.
Plot
Sue SylvesterSue 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...
), the coach of the McKinley High School cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
squad, grows disillusioned with the sport, and in an effort to recapture her love for it, plans to fire Brittany from a cannon during the team's next competitive routine. Meanwhile, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones
Dot Jones
Dorothy-Marie "Dot" Jones is an athlete and actress who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion...
) has the school football players join the 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, in order to dispel rivalry between the students. In revenge for opposition to her cannon plan, Sue has the cheerleading Regionals competition moved to the same night as a football championship game, so her cheerleaders will be unavailable for the halftime show
Halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
, and forces the affected squad members to resign from the glee club. New Directions' 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...
) announces that the club members, including the football players, will perform the halftime routine, planning a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
" with "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O, guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo, who joined as a touring...
. He notices and encourages the talent of Dave Karofsky
Dave Karofsky
David "Dave" Karofsky, often referred to as Karofsky, is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Max Adler, and has appeared in Glee since its first season episode "Mash-Up", first broadcast on October 21, 2009...
(Max Adler), a bully who has previously acted violently towards the glee club members. When the football players are attacked by members of the school hockey team, Karofsky encourages them to quit the glee club, resulting in Beiste barring them from the championship game.
To ensure that the game goes ahead, glee club members 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...
), 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:...
), Tina
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jenna Ushkowitz) and 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:...
) join the football team. The game begins badly for the McKinley side, and when Tina is injured during a play, captain Finn Hudson
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:...
) takes control of the situation. He has club member Puck
Puck (Glee)
Noah "Puck" Puckerman is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mark Salling, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Puck was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Mark Salling) convince the former football players to return, and convinces cheerleaders 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:...
), 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) and his ex-girlfriend 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...
(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...
) to quit the cheer squad and perform at the halftime show. Only Karofsky refuses to participate, but when he sees the positive reaction the crowd has to the routine, he joins in himself. Beiste welcomes the football players back, and they go on to win the game by intimidating the opposing side, dressed as zombies from the halftime routine.
Sue's cheer squad loses at Regionals for the first time in seven years, and she is named Loser of the Year in a televised interview with Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
. Furthering her ire, the cheerleading budget is slashed due to the cannon being seen as endangering the lives of children. The money is then handed over to the glee club so they can pay to go to regionals. Karofsky dismisses Finn's suggestion that he join the glee club permanently. Finally, Quinn kisses Finn, telling him that his actions have reminded her of why she loved him.
Production
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is reported to be the most expensive post-Super BowlSuper Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
episode in television history
History of television
The history of television records the work of numerous engineers and inventors in several countries over many decades. The fundamental principles of television were initially explored using electromechanical methods to scan, transmit and reproduce an image...
, as well as the most expensive episode of Glee, costing $3–5 million. Filming was halted on December 10, 2010 as a result of several cast members contracting tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
. An outbreak of the flu
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
soon followed, and filming of the "Thriller" performance was delayed by four weeks. The episode was co-sponsored by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, allowing for limited commercial breaks. The Glee cast featured in a two-minute Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
commercial during the episode. Based on the season one
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...
episode "Mattress
Mattress (Glee)
"Mattress", also known as "Once Upon a Mattress", is the twelfth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on December 2, 2009. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Elodie Keene. In "Mattress", the glee club is omitted from the...
", they gave an in-character performance of "See the USA in Your Chevrolet
See the USA in Your Chevrolet
The song "See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet" is a commercial jingle from circa 1949, with lyrics and music by Leo Corday and Leon Carr , written for the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Corp. The song was the Chevrolet jingle sung on the show Inside U.S.A...
".
Series creator Ryan Murphy intended "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" to feel thematically similar to the pilot episode
Pilot (Glee)
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television series Glee, which premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High...
, with the central idea being "music bringing disparate people together." Co-creator Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
explained that one of the series' core conflicts had always been the idea of "two worlds" within McKinley High: the glee club and the popular students. He stated that this discord would be brought to a head in the episode.
News anchor Couric made a guest appearance in the episode as herself. She was a fan of the series prior to her casting, having praised its handling of subject matters such as homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, disabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
and teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...
. Brian Stelter of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
noted that her appearance was unusual, as anchors from rival networks—in Couric's case, 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...
—do not typically make cameos on their competitors' programs. Series regular 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...
and recurring guest star 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...
were not included in the original draft of the script, but were added by series creator Murphy in a late revision. Other recurring characters who appear are football coach Shannon Beiste, glee club 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:...
) and Lauren Zizes, cheerleader Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter
Lauren Potter
Lauren Potter is an American actress best known for her role as Becky Jackson on the hit show Glee.-Biography:Lauren was born May 10, 1990 in Inland Empire, California, U.S.A. She is currently 21 years of age...
) and school bullies Dave Karofsky and Azimio (James Earl). Two new football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
-playing characters were introduced: Scott Cooper and Strando, who E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
columnist Kristin dos Santos reported may have an increased role in the series as it continues. However, they did not make any additional appearances on the show in its second season. Additionally, producers hired fire breathers, jugglers, and bicycle motocross
Bicycle motocross
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
stunt performer
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
s for the episode. 500 extras
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
were used, as well as the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band. In January 2011, entertainment website Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
reported that Filipina
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
singer Charice would appear as exchange student Sunshine Corazon, performing The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' "Meet Me Halfway
Meet Me Halfway
"Meet Me Halfway" is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. It was released as the third promotional single from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. It was later released as the album's third single...
" with rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. However, Murphy later stated that Charice would not return to Glee until the end of the year, though she ultimately also made an appearance before then in "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
".
Ratings
In the US, "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" was watched by 26.8 million viewers, and received a rating/share of 11.1/29 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, marking the highest rating for a Glee episode. This also made the episode the highest-rated scripted broadcast of a TV series in three years. The episode continued a trend of declining Super Bowl lead-out show retention. It attained a higher rating than the last scripted lead-out show, The Office episode "Stress ReliefStress Relief
"Stress Relief" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. They constituted the fourteenth and fifteenth episode of the fifth season, and the 86th and 87th overall episodes of the series...
", which followed Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
, but was down 31 percent on the premiere episode of the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series Undercover Boss
Undercover Boss (U.S. TV series)
Undercover Boss is an American 2010 reality television series, based on the British series of the same name. Each episode depicts a person who has a high management position at a major business, deciding to become undercover as a entry-level employee to discover the faults in the company...
, broadcast after Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
. Both ratings and viewership significantly increased from the previous Glee episode, "A Very Glee Christmas
A Very Glee Christmas
"A Very Glee Christmas" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 32nd episode overall. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and premiered on Fox on December 7, 2010...
", which was viewed by 11.07 million US viewers and received a 4.4/13 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic upon its initial airing.
In Canada, where the episode was also broadcast on February 6, 2011, it attained 2.16 million viewers and was the ninth most-watched show of the week. Viewership declined from the previous episode, which was watched by 2.37 million viewers and ranked fifth for the week.
The episode's Australian broadcast, on February 14, 2011, drew 1.13 million viewers, making Glee the fourth most-watched program of the night and the most-watched in the 18–49 demographic. It placed tenth in the weekly viewership rankings. Here, viewership registered an increase of approximately 47% over the previous episode, "A Very Glee Christmas", which aired on February 7, 2011, attracted 769,000 viewers, and failed to reach the top fifty for the week. In the UK, the episode was watched by 2.64 million viewers (2.21 million on E4, and 433,000 on E4+1), becoming the most-watched show on cable for the week.
Critical response
The episode was met with mixed response from critics. Robert Bianco of USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
found it lacking in plot and a driving moral, however felt that it was acceptable as a standalone episode – one which could be enjoyed by fans and new viewers alike. In contrast, Vicki Hyman of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
commented that despite the football-centric plot, the episode would be hard to follow for new viewers brought in by the Super Bowl, requiring too much knowledge of previous storylines. New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
Willa Paskin felt that Murphy demonstrated "utter contempt" for the potential new audience. She suggested that the McKinley High football team were used as a metaphor for new viewers—who could come to love Glee if they embraced its musical numbers—but found this insulting as the team are portrayed as being ignorant and intolerant. Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic found the episode lacking in Glee "usual acerbic wit and emotional heft", and criticized the under-use of Colfer and Criss.
Highlighting a general malaise with the show, Lisa de Moraes of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
deemed Sue's boredom with cheerleading a meta-reference
Meta-reference
Metareference, a metafiction technique, is a situation in a work of fiction whereby characters display an awareness that they are in such a work, such as a film, television show or book. Sometimes it may even just be a form of editing or film-making technique that comments on the...
to the series itself. Both she and 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...
noted negatively the repetition of familiar storylines, such as the football team vs. glee club rivalry and Sue's attempts to destroy the club. VanDerWerff observed that Glee "keeps tossing the same elements into the hat and coming out with similar results, as though the only thing anybody’s putting any effort into are the musical numbers." He graded the episode a "C", calling it "boring". Time
Time (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...
James Poniewozik also commented on the repetitive premise, suggesting that the jocks versus geeks plot was the one most likely to be accessible to the new audience. He found the episode "easily forgettable" overall, criticizing the flat characterization, but noted that even when the series frustrates him, he continues to love Glee for, not in spite of, its inconsistency.
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...
's Robert Canning also found the long-running football vs. glee storyline repetitive, but wrote that the football players joining glee club was "a welcome twist", however convoluted and unrealistic. He rated the episode 8/10, finding it "preposterously fun". 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...
Ken Tucker considered the episode "at once in-your-face and under-handed, very clever about its very cynicism." He noted that while he had become jaded with Glee, he enjoyed "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle", summarizing that, "Everything in this episode was chaotic and topsy-turvy, but you never had the feeling the silliness was getting away from the producers. It all came together."
Rick Porter of Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
criticized Katie Couric's cameo for an attack made against Dina Lohan
Dina Lohan
Donata "Dina" Lohan is a television personality and occasional actress who rose to fame as the mother and manager of actress/pop singer Lindsay Lohan, and Lindsay's younger sister Ali Lohan, with whom Dina co-starred in the reality show Living Lohan.-Family and marriage:Lohan was born and raised...
. During her interview with Sue, Couric lists Lohan and her dog Sparky as failed Loser of the Year contenders. In a previous episode, Glee also mocked Lohan's daughter, Lindsay
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
. Porter felt that the jibe diminished Couric's journalistic credibility, deeming the Lohans easy targets. However, Canning called Couric's cameo "perhaps the funniest part of the episode", and de Moraes stated that the best line of the episode comes when Sue "looks Katie Couric right in the eye and says, 'I hate you, Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
.'
The Daily News Soraya Roberts expressed relief that the writers were not gullible enough to have Karofsky end the episode by joining the glee club. 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 Karofksy's character development was the best element of the episode, but found his conflicted emotions convoluted, and was pleased that he was victimized by the hockey team.
Performances
Murphy initially intended the episode to be the second of the season paying tribute to a single band or artist, following the Britney SpearsBritney 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...
tribute episode "Britney/Brittany
Britney/Brittany
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears...
", and considered covering songs by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, 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...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
or Michael Jackson. Although several artists agreed to a tribute, ultimately it was decided that songs by multiple acts would be covered. Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "California Gurls
California Gurls
"California Gurls" is an electropop song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry and is the lead single of her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song features rapper Snoop Dogg, and was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. According to Perry, the song is an answer song to...
" was used as the opening number, performed as a dance routine by the school cheerleading squad, the Cheerios. Paying homage to Perry's original music video, one element features the cheerleaders appearing to shoot fire from their breasts. Falchuk, the episode's director, stated that the sequence was included to attract male Super Bowl viewers who would not ordinarily watch Glee. Rachel and Puck perform a duet of Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
's "Need You Now", intended to showcase the merits of glee club. Finn leads a performance of The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
' "She's Not There
She's Not There
"She's Not There" is the debut single by the British pop band The Zombies. It reached number twelve in the UK Singles Chart in August 1964, and became a top-ten hit in the United States...
" as the halftime show warm-up number, and rival a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
choir the Dalton Academy Warblers perform Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
's "Bills, Bills, Bills
Bills, Bills, Bills
"Bills, Bills, Bills" is a 1999 hit single by Destiny's Child, released as the first single from their second album The Writing's on the Wall. It echoed the female empowerment sentiments of TLC's single "No Scrubs", and featured the same producer and songwriter...
", led by Blaine. A mash-up of Jackson's song "Thriller" with "Heads Will Roll" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was used as the final number. In early reports relating to the episode, Lynch claimed that Couric and Morrison would perform a dance number to "Tea for Two
Tea for Two (song)
"Tea for Two" is a song from the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette with music by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Irving Caesar. It is a duet sung by Nanette and Tom in Act II as they imagine their future.-Analysis:...
", Vincent Youmans
Vincent Youmans
Vincent Youmans was an American popular composer and Broadway producer.- Life :Vincent Millie Youmans was born in New York City on September 27, 1898 and grew-up on Central Park West on the site where the Mayflower Hotel once stood. His father, a prosperous hat manufacturer, moved the family to...
and Irving Caesar
Irving Caesar
Irving Caesar was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written. He was born and died in New York.Caesar, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew, was...
's song from the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette
No, No, Nanette
No, No, Nanette is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play My Lady Friends...
. This rumor was later dispelled by Murphy.
Commentary
Musical performances also attracted mixed commentary. Though Perry was reportedly excited by the performance of her "California Gurls", it was poorly received by critics. VanDerWerff found it surprisingly "weak and lifeless", and Fallon called it "slow, unfunny, and, quite frankly, boring." Reiter also deemed it boring, describing it as "an elaborate smorgasbord without flavor", and Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Erica Futterman criticized the uninspired, over-the-top choreography.
The performance of "Need You Now" was praised by 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....
, though he branded it a "disastrously tactless" song choice. Both he and Jenna Mullins of E! Online questioned the likelihood of a country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
ballad enthusing the football players toward glee club. Entertainment Weekly Breia Brissey graded the performance "B+", enjoying the union of Puck and Rachel, but finding it lacking in originality. She gave the same grade to "She's Not There", appreciating the way the song choice complemented the episode's Finn/Quinn storyline. VanDerWerff also received the performance positively, calling it one of the season's better numbers, and Futterman felt that Monteith's vocals were a "perfect fit" for the song, appreciating the initially odd choreography for making the performance more interesting. Reiter was frustrated by the costuming, writing that the zombie makeup made the choreography difficult to follow.
Brissey's lowest grade, a "B−", went to "Bills, Bills, Bills". Though she enjoyed the a cappella cover, Brissey found it incongruous in context, opining that Glee best performances are those linked to the storylines, allowing viewers to invest in their message. Several critics voiced similar complaints while enjoying the song itself, including Mullins, Futterman and 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...
Bobby Hankinson. Tucker felt that it had "more snap and vigour" than the final number, but also disapproved of its awkward inclusion, writing that it impacted negatively on the episode's momentum. Fallon gave the track an entirely positive review, suggesting that it should have been the episode's opening number and lauding it as "surprising, oozing with charm, and actually kind of joyous." CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Lisa Respers France embraced the "completely random and bizarre" song choice, writing that it reminded her of the first season, "when [she] never knew what to expect and [...] was often happily surprised." Reiter too reviewed it favorably, calling it the best performance of the show. She appreciated the focus on facial expressions during the performance, in contrast to the elaborate costuming which she felt distracted from other numbers.
Bianco preferred the intimacy of "Bills, Bills, Bills" to "Thriller / Heads Will Roll", which both he and Hyman criticized for its overproduction and editing. While Bianco found the final number anonymous, Hyman and Futterman approved of the performance overall, particularly for the makeup and costuming. Flandez and Brissey compared it favorably to the Super Bowl XLV halftime performances, with Brissey stating that the mashup did Jackson justice and giving it her highest grade of the episode, an "A−". Roberts wrote that the performance "lived up to the pre-show hype", but felt that the rest of the episode "paled in comparison". VanDerWerff commented favorably, "For the few minutes that number was on the screen, Glee was nearly everything it could be, blending fun music with insane production values and characters coming to certain emotional realizations in the moment, heightened as it is by the music."
Chart history
"Bills, Bills, Bills," "Need You Now," "She's Not There" and "Thriller / Heads Will Roll," were released as singles, available for digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
. The last three tracks are also included 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, and the first is also included on the seventh soundtrack 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...
. Each song charted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and all but "She's Not There" placed 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...
and Australian ARIA Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. In the US, three of the four tracks debuted on the February 10, 2011 issue: "Bills, Bills, Bills" entered at number 79, "Need You Now" at number 72, and "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" at number 75. The February 17, 2011 chart saw "She's Not There" debut at number 87, while "Bills, Bills, Bills" climbed to 44, "Need You Now" to 62 and "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" to 38.
In Canada, the three charting singles debuted on the February 11, 2011 chart. "Need You Now" entered at its peak position of number 51. "Bills, Bills, Bills" entered at number 86 and peaked the following week at 58. "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" entered at 76 and peaked at 30. The singles' Australian release saw them enter the charts on February 21, 2011: "Bills, Bills, Bills" at number 71, "Need You Now" at 46 and "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" at 17. Having previously dropped out of the chart, the original Lady Antebellum version of "Need You Now" re-entered at number 31 in the same week as the Glee cover. "Thriller / Heads Will Roll" also managed to chart in Ireland at number 37 and in New Zealand at number 38.
See also
- Michael Jackson's Thriller
- Thrill the WorldThrill the WorldThrill the World is an annual international dance event and world record breaking attempt, in which participants simultaneously emulate the zombie dance seen in the music video of Michael Jackson's "Thriller", and the title of the event is an allusion to another of Jackson's songs, Heal the World...
- Thriller (viral video)Thriller (viral video)Thriller is a viral video featuring the dancing inmates of a high-security penitentiary. In 2007, the inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center , a maximum security prison in Cebu, Cebu, the Philippines, imitated the zombie dance featured in the music video of Michael Jackson's...
External links
- "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" at Fox.com