You just can't look away.
Long before there was American Horror Story, Pose, or any of the many other TV series Ryan Murphy’s produced over the last decade, there was one TV show that was the shining jewel of his empire: Glee. It was one very loud shining jewel, filled with hundreds of musical numbers over the course of its six seasons. From Broadway standards, to classic rock oldies, to some iconic pop star moments (anybody remember the Britney episode?), Glee truly covered it all. With so many performances over the years, there were bound to be a few that went a little — or in most cases, a lot — off the rails.
Let’s be clear: Going off the rails isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to Gleeks and their love of the show. Sometimes, the most unhinged performances on Glee are some of the most memorable ones. Part of the show’s charm came from the fact that no matter the song, the New Directions fully committed to the bit and gave it their all. That resulted in some of the weirdest musical performances of all time. So grab a slushie, find your seat in the bleachers, and settle in for a little musical journey down memory lane.
“The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)”
Let’s start this list off strong with one of the most unhinged Glee performances of all time. It’s got something at least most of the other Glee numbers lack, something so mystifyingly weird, that it has to be at the top of the list. I’m talking about puppets. Combine that with the strange barnyard animal costumes, and you’ve got a wacky Glee performance for the ages.
“Gold Digger”
This entry begins a trend you’ll see a lot of on this list: Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) awkwardly rapping. It’s a musical element that never seems necessary, and yet he does a lot of it throughout Glee. This is one of the first instances of Mr. Schue’s illustrious and wildly inappropriate rap career.
“The Thong Song”
Here’s Mr. Schue at it again, this time using his musical talents to seduce his coworker and show off some dance moves that definitely don’t belong in the teachers’ lounge.
"It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World"
Having one pregnant teen croon a blues ballad is one thing. Having her backed up by a troupe of pregnant teen backup dancers takes this one to a whole other level.
“I Still Believe/Super Bass”
Sue Sylvester doing her best Nicki Minaj impression — need I say more?
"Let’s Have A Kiki/Turkey Lurkey Time"
This song hits all the Glee bingo card entries. Niche pop song mashed up with an even more niche Broadway number? You got it. Random celebrity cameo? Hello, Sarah Jessica Parker. Warning: This one will get stuck in your head on an insufferable loop.
“Hair/Crazy In Love”
Another strange mash-up, this performance earns a spot on the list thanks to its incomprehensible choreography, which is basically just comprised of the New Directions thrashing their heads around as hard as possible.
"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me"
Going full Rocky Horror Picture Show in the middle of a high school is a bold move, even for Glee. Nevertheless, they went all out for this campy tribute.
“Blurred Lines”
Glee has clearly established that Mr. Schue did not keep appropriate boundaries with his students, and this “Blurred Lines” performance cannot be beat when it comes to incredibly awkward performance choices for a high school teacher to make.
"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"
Rachel, Kurt, and Santana inhaling helium to sing a Christmas song with an exotic dancer sounds like a fever dream, but I assure you, it’s not.
All episodes of Glee are streaming on Hulu and Disney+ as of June 2022.
This article was originally published on
