Finding The Gleeful Side of America

Glee. A word that is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “great delight” but now embodies a whole extended culture and passion. The world of American show choirs and glee clubs, previously “a weird little niche-y thing”, as described by lead-writer Ian Brennan, has been exposed by the hit American television show, Glee. In today’s society, you’d be hard-pushed to find somebody who hasn’t heard of it, regardless of their opinion of it. First broadcast by Fox Network in May 2009, the Glee phenomenon has erupted on a truly global scale, revolutionising the way that music is presented and sold on television. But why has this culture exploded on such a massive scale, and why is this all-singing, all-dancing television series so popular?

The extent of the fan base (otherwise known as ‘Gleeks’) is extraordinary. Those that love the show really love it. I mean, really love it. Everyone loves an underdog and I can’t think of a better examples than those in Glee.

I started off as a cynic; I refused to watch it on the basis that I assumed it was just another cheese-infested High School Musical spin-off. However, after much persuasion by my flatmate during the first term of Freshers, I eventually agreed to give it a go. Oh dear, I watched the whole of the first series in less than two weeks and I can personally vouch that no matter what defences you may put up against Glee, one episode in and you’re hooked. There’s something addictive about the feel-good, serotonin-filled songs and the gloriously likeable and undeniably talented ensemble cast.

The main focus of the show is tolerance and acceptance. Series creator, Ryan Murphy, explains that the program was intended as a form of escapism, highlighting outcasts of society and one young teacher’s goal to turn a bunch of high school misfits into a show-stopping choir. Yes, Glee’s quirky, offbeat nature is engaging and charming, but just when it seems to be veering too far into overly dramatic American sugary cheese, Glee hits the audience with a blast of dark humour, snarky sarcasm and intensely relevant story lines. It’s the controversial, intelligently-written plot that addresses so many key themes concerning adolescence that makes the show so wonderfully unique. Nestled within half a dozen toe-tapping musical numbers, topics such as teenage pregnancy, alcohol abuse, bullying, homosexuality, religion versus atheism, and both mental and physical disabilities, are tackled in each episode with delicacy and subtlety.

Displaying a somewhat refreshing quality, the show manages to make people aware of life lessons and the inevitable heart-breaking trials and tribulations along the way, whilst making you feel good in the process. The most controversial episode is argued to be ‘Grilled Cheesus’, as it focuses on religion and what God means to the various members of New Directions. When the father of Kurt, one of the leading club members, suffers a heart attack and is left in a coma, the rest of the misfits rally together to support Kurt through their various faiths and beliefs. Depicting a very balanced picture of religion, the episode ensures equality between pro and anti-religious attitudes, and despite the sombre tone, successfully leaves viewers feeling uplifted and rejoicing in the exploration of the power of faith in a democratic society.

First and foremost, though, there’s no doubting that Glee is known for its songs and performances. It never seems to lose its central focus on the culture of show choir competitions, with the over-arching story lines based on the club’s fight to win the national competition. While the notion of show choir is practically unknown here in the UK, over in America, it’s a staple of high school and college lives. Real-life show choirs perform sets of a variety of songs, areprofessionally choreographed and fast-paced and schools compete fiercely on local, regional and national levels. In this respect, Glee is not far off from portraying reality. The real question now is whether this tough America show choir competition will make its way across the Atlantic and infiltrate British schools. Or is this already the case? It’s no lie that many schools across the UK are beginning to show signs of traditional singing groups being transformed into show choirs. In some cases, the indoctrination process has started very early on with primary and secondary schools nationwide jumping on the bandwagon. Is this necessarily a bad influence from America? Surely encouraging people to get involved with the arts, teamwork, and inspiring them to give something a go is a positive result of Glee. For the moment, in the UK, there is little of the intensely competitive nature of the American show choir scene, yet that may be already changing. The official UK Choir of the Year competition has announced a National Glee Competition in 2012.

Personally, I feel that Glee is something to be celebrated. Granted, it’s not to everybody’s taste and there is the strong argument that the song covers are both ruining the originals and tainting the music industry. Having said this, the show has built a whole new promotional platform, with respected artists clamouring and begging to have their songs featured on the show. What can be concluded is that this worldwide hit television show is not going anywhere any time soon. Glee can impressively boast 32 Emmy nominations (6 wins), 11 Satellite nominations (5 wins), 9 Golden Globe nominations (4 wins), 25 Teen Choice Awards (6 wins), 3 Writers Guild of America Awards and 3 Directors Guild of America Awards. Whatever Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan are doing, they’re doing it right in a triumphant manner. Star of the show, Chris Colfer, was recently awarded with a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Kurt. He explained that the appeal was down to three things: “There’s something everyone can relate to, whether it’s a character or a situation; it’s the music – it just has this magical way of connecting everybody; and it promotes emotion. High school is such a trying, horrible time for everybody. Your hormones are crazy, your body’s changing, all kinds of things are happening. It’s the one hostage situation that everyone can relate to.”

I will be eagerly tuning in next time.