If you frequent the pages of Movieline fairly often (thanks, by the way!), you've probably noticed my love/not love relationship with Glee. On the one hand, Ryan Murphy's series is always a threat to knock a scene totally out of the park (see: the Rachel and Blaine duet of "Don't You Want Me"); on the other, it's often pandering slop, unworthy of praise, adulation or even a permanent home on the DVR (see: Mr. Schuester singing "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"). When the news that Glee was planning to use original songs on an upcoming episode broke, I assumed they would fall into that latter category. Leaked on Friday morning though, this Gleek is happy to report that both "Loser Like Me" and "Get It Right" have total home run potential.
Which shouldn't be that surprising, especially to a trashy Top-40 fanatic like myself. Produced my Max Martin, "Loser Like Me" sounds like a blend of P!nk, Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, early Mandy Moore, and Kidz Bop. And that's a good thing! To wit: Who wants to listen to an original song on a television show that relies on covers unless it sounds like a cover itself? Not me. Not you.
As for "Get It Right," it's the type of thing you wouldn't be surprised to find out was in Stephen Schwartz's pile of rejected songs from Wicked. If you love Lea Michele's voice, you'll like "Get It Right." That the last 90 seconds sound like something Kelly Clarkson might have produced in the two years post-American Idol is purely coincidental.