The sensation of the Fox show Glee that premiered in 2009 has made a big mark in American culture across many several demographics.
So what is it that people love about Glee?
Glee follows the story of a young small town high school Spanish teacher and his quest as he tries to make something of the school's extra-curricular show choir. The musical group initially is made up of so called "misfits" from a boy in a wheel chair to a Gothic Asian girl with a stutter.
The choir does revamped versions of songs, making their first and biggest mark with a version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" which is partially performed a Capella.
Glee fans or "Gleeks" as they have come to be known vary from young teenagers to their parents. The song and genre choices in the show come from every era of 20th and 21st century music, so there is something enjoyable for every demographic.
What I've found very interesting in regards to the effect Glee has left can be seen in the music sales on iTunes. Millions of music downloads are made every week for the next week's songs. It is also enriching and introducing people to new music styles and eras that they were never before familiar with, which I imagine has made a dramatic effect on music sales other than just the Glee renditions. In addition to that, culturally Glee has touched on many important issues.
The characters on the show are human. Most of them have self image issues of some kind, some manifested in power hunger (in the case of the villain, the cheer leading coach, Sue Sylvester), a poor marriage (in the case of the Glee club coach Will Sheuster), and bullying (for many of the football players who join the club). The show also introduces awareness of homosexuality, teen pregnancy, parental roles, physical disability, racial issues and the overall human need to be loved.
Glee has left a mark on me, and I hope it stays around for a while. The first season is over, and I and all the other Gleeks are anxiously awaiting the beginning of season 2 which begins in September.
2 comments:
I love it because of the overtop performances and Finn.
This show obviously suffers from the same weird condition as High School Musical, which inexplicably drew enormous amounts of viewers for... no reason at all...; only Glee is more inscrutable (if that's possible). No clue why its popular, and probably never will have one.
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