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okk so i've been working on this for a while since it was so so so hard given how many amazing performances glee has. i had to cut out a lot of ones i love like valerie, loser like me, for good, make you feel my love, dont speak, dream on so consider those honourable mentions but anyway here's what i believe to be the top 20!!

20. Getting Married Today 4x14

Emma-nem!! Seriously though this is one of the most challenging songs on the entire show and Jayma Mays did this phenomenally. Her voice is so adorable and of course, really really fast. I love how this scene builds up the tension like with Will happily greeting the guests, Mercedes singing like an actual angel, and then you cut to Emma having a mental breakdown, then the bit of everyone saying “Amen” while glaring into the camera until she runs out of the chapel, it’s all perfectly cut together and dramatic and entertaining

19. Run Joey Run 1x17

I’ll defend this to the day I die yes it was dumb but like that’s the point. Rachel’s creative vision goes unappreciated, she had Brittana as angels, the creepy teacher as her overprotective father and put so much effort into this from the directing to her very over the top acting it’s hilarious. She does such a good job as do the boyfriends and Brittany and Santana and hell even Sandy. Cherry on top for this is the guys’s reactions as they slowly realise what she’s done meanwhile she’s completely oblivious the entire time admiring her work. And you know what, as she should! She managed to turn a crap song into a masterpiece.

18. Summer Nights 3x10

The accuracy to the original scene from Grease is great and it really suits Sam and Mercedes’s relationship. They’re so cute in this song and it’s easily my favourite Samcedes duet though I need to give props to everybody here!! Like Sugar’s voice is adorable and Kurt as Rizzo was perfect. Idkk i just love rewatching this scene because it’s so playful and sweet

17. I Wanna Dance With Somebody 3x17

This could have so easily and fittingly been a song for the whole club but I’m really happy they gave it to Brittana as they didn’t get nearly enough duets!! They’re so cute here I love Santana’s little “Come on baby!” and the dance they do together. Brittany getting a chance to show off her singing as well is always welcome she actually has a really sweet singing voice

16. More Than A Feeling 5x11

We were robbed of more Blaine and Tina duets. Their voices are so powerful but they don’t overpower each other which is very important. Not the biggest fan of the dancing here but this is such a banger of a song and they all sang really well so I don’t mind too much. 

15. You Can't Stop The Beat 3x01

When I was watching this for the first time and Rachel started singing it slowly and acoustically I was like oh please no because this is the upbeatiest song in the history of upbeat songs. But then it spins around and we get one of the show’s best!! It’s not in the episode version but I love Kurt and Artie’s verse and I can’t believe that’s the only time they sang together?? Anyways Mercedes is amazing Rachel is amazing everyone is amazing here!! Also appreciation for the shot of Quinn observing them from above which is a parallel to the pilot DSB

14. I Lived 6x13

Perfect song to end the show with, it really encapsulates the soul of Glee and everything that had happened throughout it. The way everyone gradually shows up and the stage gets more and more crowded is so emotional like there used to only be six people there :(( Now look at them!! 

13. ABC 3x08

Tina, Mike, Kurt and Quinn sounds very random until you realise just how well their voices bounce off each other. This song does them all so much justice like Tina carries the bulk of it, you see how much Mike’s singing has improved (it’s sorta attractive?), Kurt's voice great as always, and Quinn’s is just so cute!! this one is so slept on and needs more love pleasee

12. Let It Be 5x02

Okay I’m biased because this is my favourite beatles song and I’m just so happy they did it so well. Maybe it’s the meaning of the song but everyone sounds so angelic and warm here?? Even Kitty!! This is one of those rare Glee scenes where there’s no drama and everyone’s just getting along singing a song together and this might be one of my favourite examples of that. Kurtcheltana on the floor with Demi Lovato + the New Directions performing it’s all just really sweet and also visually stunning!! It just makes me really emotional like guys this is my family btw

11. I Feel Pretty/Unpretty 2x18

Peak Faberry right here. Their voices are so soft and blend together beautifully and it’s such good commentary on like insecurities and girls comparing themselves to each other, beauty standards etc. IFP is my favourite West Side Story song and I nearly screamed when they started singing it halfway through. Whoever came up with that mashup deserves a raise because that was a stroke of genius. Combining a song about idealised self-appreciation of your own beauty that comes from romantic love with a song about being insecure and constantly comparing yourself and who better to sing it than Little Miss Comphet and Little Miss Insecure??

10. Time Warp 2x05

The whole point of this scene was that they were literally just doing it for themselves for fun and they really delivered on that. It’s so silly and energetic like you can tell they’re all just having a really good time. Kurt really commits to his character and he kills it, and also can we talk about Finn and Quinn’s vocals here?? So underrated!! The costumes the stage everything it’s just such a peak performance

9. Rumour Has It/Someone Like You 3x06

These songs are so seamless together and of course it’s the Troubletones so of course it’s gonna be amazing. Star performer here of course is Santana like damn this is a real standout of Naya Rivera’s acting for me, her expressions here are so subtle but powerful. Troubletones deserved more songs honestly!!

8. The Scientist 4x04

The way I was SOBBING watching this for the first time and I only care about half the couples here because the acting was just that good. I love how they all gradually join in the song, each with their own lines talking about how downhill their relationship has gone, asking to go “back to the start”. And the blocking with all the couples standing right next to each other but not looking at each other like the symbolism of that is so on point. And the flashbacks. That was just mean!! In a good, emotionally devastating way. Im emotionally devastated

7. Don't Stop Believin' 1x01

The quintessential glee song of course. I love every version of this but nothing tops the pilot one!! This was the moment I knew I was going to love this show (and Finchel, seriously their chemistry in this scene was off the charts). The guitar riffs are so so good, Rachel’s vocals obviously, that bit where they all walk to the top of the stage, and the dah dah dah in the background. No wonder this is what got Mr Schue to stay

6. My Man 2x21

THE BEST SOLO ON GLEE! It’s so simple like it’s literally just Rachel standing on the stage alone. But to quote Kurt after this performance, “She may be difficult, but boy can she sing. Bravo!” AND HE’S RIGHT!! I get chills just thinking about it because she pours every ounce of soul and emotion that she has into this. For that I’d also argue this is Lea Michele’s best acting performance on the show because you can feel exactly what Rachel is feeling here. It’s angry and it’s raw and it’s incredible.

5. Total Eclipse of The Heart 1x17

I hate listening to this in public because I just want to scream it. The way Rachel sings “I don’t know what to do, I’m always in the dark, been living in a powder keg and giving off sparks” scratches my brain like she really Kelly Clarksoned the hell out of this. I’m team Finn always but I’ll be the first to admit there’s no one Rachel sounds better with than Jesse. Their voices blend together perfectly and the way he lifts her up into the air and spins her around and brings her down is so elegant. The context for this being the fallout from Run Joey Run only makes it better like there’s no reason for you guys to be acting this dramatic but also please keep doing it because I’m obsessed. 

4. Bohemian Rhapsody 1x22

Yeah there’s a reason the New Directions lost regionals how the hell were they supposed to top this. In my opinion Jesse is the best male singer on the show and this is my favourite performance by him and Vocal Adrenaline- it’s so dramatic and theatrical which is exactly what a song like this needs. This was already a perfect scene but then they splice it with Quinn giving birth and that 15 seconds or so, you know the one, changed my life. 

3. Start Me Up/Livin' On a Prayer 2x06

If I didn’t already know I was a lesbian this would have been my gay awakening. I love the original six glee girls with my whole heart and they're all so hot here. They seriously commit to the bit, the whole rock aesthetic with the outfits, the choreography, but most of all the VOCALS!! Rachel pounding on the floor and screaming into the mic!! The reactions from the boys. 10/10 no notes. They killed it and the boys did not stand a chance against this. 

2. Paradise By The Dashboard Light 3x21

THISSS is how you win Nationals not with crappy boring original songs but with an electric, fast-paced one that tells a story. I cannot express how much of an improvement this was to the s2 Nationals like no wonder they lost then but won here. There’s so much energy and I love the costumes and the dancing so much. I think this is Finn’s best performance, this song was made for him though I also think it does a good job dividing the spotlight like I really enjoy Puck’s bit near the start, Klaine’s, Brittana’s etc. It makes me so emotional because it’s just really that good like you can tell how much work they’ve put in and how much they’ve grown since the pilot!! 

Love Shack 3x13