Gleeking Out

The songs performed by the cast of hit TV show Glee have always been remakes of some other known song.  However, for the first time, they are performing their own original song (co-written by Max Martin)

For those who don't know, Glee follows the struggles the students in the glee club at McKinley High School have in trying to fit in and climb the proverbial social ladder.  Many of the members are bullied and alienated by the other students for being in the glee club, and most of them feel like they need to step up and prove themselves to the rest of the school.

This original song is a great anthem not only for the glee club, but for the many, many people who are or were bullied while growing up.  I can see the anti-bulling messages within the song reaching a whole new adolescent audience.  When I was growing up, me and my classmates would always be told things like, "treat others how you would like to be treated" and "the 'nerd' that you bullied will one day be your boss," and other sayings with the same messages.  For some, the messages sunk, but for others, bulling was not a horrible thing to do.

This song has the same messages within it, but sang in a catchier tune than your elementary school teacher probably said it.  This song also takes a different perspective than traditional lectures about bulling - it is told from the victim's point of view.  All the members of the glee club know what it's like to be bullied, so they are able to connect with this song, saying that bullies will not get them down.  This is an important message because it tells bullies that their victims will not take being belittled sitting down, and that they will be the ones to amount to something because studying hard and, in this case, having a passion for singing, will lead to great careers in the future, while bullies will be the real losers in the end.