Blame It on the Alcohol
Encyclopedia
"Blame It on the Alcohol" is the fourteenth episode of the second season
of the television series Glee
, and the 36th overall. The episode was written by Ian Brennan
, directed by Eric Stoltz
and first aired in the United States on Fox
on February 22, 2011. This episode mainly centers around the issues of underage drinking, as the students of McKinley High School are coming drunk to school in increasing numbers. Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
) plans an assembly to warn the students about the dangers on underage drinking, and asks glee club director Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
) to have his students perform a song that send positive messages about avoiding alcohol. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
) throws a party exclusively for the glee club where almost everyone gets drunk; the partygoers wake up to hangover
s, and must perform various songs about alcohol while still under the influence. The assembly ends abruptly when a song that seems to glorify alcohol ends with two of the singers vomiting over the others, which scares the entire high school into avoiding drunkenness.
"Blame It on the Alcohol" was met with a mostly positive reception from critics on its initial airing. Katie Morgan of Billboard
praised most of the musical numbers
, while Robert Canning of IGN
called the episode "comical" and "human". This episode featured cover versions of four songs, including a cover of "Tik Tok
" by Kesha
and "Blame It
" by Jamie Foxx
featuring T-Pain
. Most of the musical performances and covers received a mixed to generally positive reception from critics. All songs were released as singles and made available for digital download
.
Upon its premiere, the episode was watched by over 10.58 million American viewers, and it garnered a 4.4/12 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The episode's total viewership and ratings were slightly up from the previous episode, "Comeback
", which was watched by 10.53 million American viewers, and acquired a 4.2/12 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic upon first airing on television.
) holds a cautionary assembly and commissions the glee club
to perform a song about the dangers of alcohol. Lead singer Rachel (Lea Michele
) needs inspiration to write a song for Regionals, so throws a house party for the club, which is also attended by former member Kurt
(Chris Colfer
) and his crush Blaine
(Darren Criss
). Most attendees get drunk, and Rachel and Blaine share a long kiss during a game of Spin the Bottle
, then perform "Don't You Want Me
" as a karaoke duet. Blaine spends the night in Kurt's bed, fully clothed. Kurt's father Burt
(Mike O'Malley
) is not pleased about this level of intimacy under his roof and tells Kurt to ask for permission first next time. Kurt grudgingly agrees, but asks Burt to educate himself on gay relationships so Kurt can come to him for advice in the future.
On Monday, the glee club members arrive at school hungover, and perform the song "Blame It
". Club director Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
) is impressed with their "realistic acting", but thinks the song is inapproriate for the assembly as it glorifies drinking. Football coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) prevails on Will to join her in a night out at a cowboy bar to reduce their stress; they perform the song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
". Will gets drunk and once home, he drunkenly grades all his students A+, then drunk dials the school's guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury
(Jayma Mays
) and leaves a message.
Rachel asks Blaine out, and to Kurt's dismay he accepts. They argue, as Blaine suggests he might be bisexual, while Kurt refutes the existence of bisexuality. Kurt visits Rachel after the date, and warns Rachel that Blaine is indeed gay, if temporarily confused. At the assembly, New Directions perform Kesha
's "Tik Tok
", but the song comes to an abrupt end when Brittany
(Heather Morris) and Santana
(Naya Rivera
) throw up from intoxication. Later, cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) publicly humiliates Will by playing the message he left on her voice mail—not Emma's, as he had meant to do—over the school PA system while classes are in session. Embarrassed, Will realizes that it is hypocritical to tell the students not to drink when he does so himself. Principal Figgins rewards the club members with frozen yogurt coupons, in the belief that they were acting during the assembly. Will later convinces the whole club to sign a pledge to not drink until after their upcoming Nationals competition, and tells them he will also abstain; in case they do drink, he gives them his phone number so they can call him at any time to safely drive them home. Rachel kisses a sober Blaine, which makes him realize he is indeed gay. Instead of being disappointed by this, she is elated, and tells Kurt that she is inspired by having had a relationship with a man who turned out to be gay—she calls it "songwriting gold".
s of "Don't You Want Me
" by The Human League
, "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
" by Rudy Toombs
, as recorded by George Thorogood
, "Tik Tok
" by Kesha
and "Blame It
" by Jamie Foxx
and T-Pain
. "One Bourbon" marked Dot-Marie Jones
' singing debut on Glee. There was also an original song: "My Headband", ostensibly written by Rachel.
praised the casts' performance of "Blame It
", writing, "We honestly think this version might be better than the original." However, Todd VanderWerff of The A.V. Club
gave a negative review on the cover, saying that it was "one of the least enjoyable numbers of the season." Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave praised the New Directions' cover of "Tik Tok
", writing, "Ke$ha might be able to out-drink the Glee members, but their cover of her song was phenomenal." She would go on to praise Brittany's choreography
and voice, calling it "mad" and "awesome". Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
praised all of the musical performances and cover of the episode. In her review, she graded the covers of "Blame It" and "Don't You Want Me" the highest, giving each one an A. For her review of the cover of "Blame It", she wrote, "I'm not a fan of the original song. And at the risk of sounding like a proponent of underage drinking [...] this was one of the better R&B performances we've seen from the Glee gang in a while." In her review for the cover of "Don't You Want Me", Gonzalez wrote, "I'm happy [...] to report that I love '80s music as much as I love a Rachel Berry power ballad. So the mere idea of this song being covered had me more excited than words can properly express [...]. The result met — if not exceeded — my expectations. Blaine needs to join New Directions so we can get more duets between him and Rachel." She wrote a positive review on the cover version of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", writing, "Will Schuester is about as country as Beiste is a dress-wearing kind of gal, and I was totally prepared to hate this song. In fact, I wasn't a fan of the first few minutes. But by the time the chorus hit, it was clear that Dot Marie Jones and Matthew Morrison had fun recording this song. And because country is 70 percent attitude, it grew on me." She went on to give the cover a B. She went on to praise Brittany's choreography and overall performance in "Tik Tok", going on to write, "The huge star of this number was clearly Brittany, who more and more every week proves that she needs to be moved to the forefront of this show's big performances and storylines." Gonzalez gave the cover version of "Tik Tok" a B, and wrote a positive review on the performance. She wrote, "It was pure, fun entertainment up until we got to the part straight out of the mind of Gordie LaChance. So even though the purple vomit was a bit too much for this weak viewer, the performance made me add a Ke$ha song to my iTunes
, which I never thought would happen."
Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone gave the cover version of "Tik Tok" a mostly positive review, writing, "Love Brittany as we do, we wish Rachel or Mercedes stepped up to the mic. The performance is less risqué than their Pep Rally "Push It" but winds up causing more controversy when Brittany pukes on Rachel and Santana also vomits up grey slush. It's a fitting end to the song, and the episode." She praised the duet performed by Rachel and Blaine, going on to write, " It's fun, it's flirty, it's great to hear them do something that's not a musical [...] or a recent Top 40 hit [...] and it pits Glee's most well-rounded pop vocalists against each other.
, and appeared on other musical charts. On the Hot 100, the show's rendition of "Don't You Want Me" debuted at number forty-nine; it was at number fifty on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. The other two songs on the Hot 100 were "Blame It" at number fifty-five, which also made number sixty-one on the Canadian Hot 100, and "Tik Tok" at number sixty-one, which also made number fifty-six on the Canadian Hot 100. "Don't You Want Me" was also featured on the sixth soundtrack album
of the series, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" did not chart.
. The episode garnered a 4.4/12 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, tied for the highest of the night with NCIS
. The episode's total viewership and ratings slightly increased from the previous episode, "Comeback
", which was watched by 10.53 million American viewers and received a 4.2/12 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic during its original airing. In Australia, the episode was watched by 1.02 million viewers, making Glee the sixth most-watched show of the night and twentieth of the week. In the UK, the episode was broadcast on April 11, 2011. It attained 2.53 million viewers—2.05 million on E4, and 483,000 on E4+1—and was the most-watched show on cable for the week. Viewership was marginally down from "Comeback", attracting 40,000 fewer viewers.
gave the episode a positive review, calling the main storyline "comical" and "human". He went on to give the episode an 8 out of 10. New anchors on WTTG
, the Fox
-affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.
, gave the episode positive reception in a video. Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave gave the episode an 8, and went on to give the episode a positive review. She wrote, "This week’s Glee puts on the beer goggles to put alcohol-related issues in perspective. The result is humorous and ironic, but leaves something to be wanted." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
gave off mostly positive reception towards the episode. In a review, he wrote, "“Alcohol” has bad moments [...] but the underpinnings of the episode aren’t terrible, just overstuffed. On the list of Glee atrocities, having too much to say isn’t such a bad one, and when the lack of self-editing is mixed in with some funny scenes and performances and a return of the best possible interpretation of Will, well, it made for an episode that wasn’t great but was still mostly a good time." He went on to write a mixed review about the storyline, writing, "It got out of the genuinely complicated Blaine/Kurt/Rachel triangle [...] by having Blaine realize he was gay and having Rachel not be mad because the experience was “songwriting gold!” [...] The storyline started out as something that seemed like it might be an interesting, complicated look at teenage sexuality
and how it can seem formed but might be more fluid than most teens would give it credit for, then lost its nerve and took the easy way out." However, he went on to praise Lea Michele's
role as Rachel, calling her "an underrated comic actress." Scott Pierce of The Salt Lake Tribune
praised the script, writing, "It had some lines that were just laugh-out-loud funny. Funny enough so that I had to pause the DVR
until I was finished laughing." Luciana Mangas of TV Overmind wrote, "Glee did a brave thing in last night’s episode. It was controversial and polemic and a lot of people were offended by it from what I have read around the internet. However, I have to say it worked. They treated a delicate subject very well and with a very, very funny approach."
Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
praised the episode, going on to write, "Leave it to Glee to tackle a potentially joyless, didactic topic like teenage drinking and somehow manage to entertain and surprise and get its important life lessons across. Tuesday night's episode was as funny, startling—and yes, at times cringe-inducing—as a certain curly-haired choir director's slurry drunk dial. Perhaps its message will be heard as widely and resonate as strongly." Aly Semigran of MTV
gave the episode a negative review. She went on to write, "The theme of last night's Glee was supposed to be about the dangers of underage teens getting wasted, but instead it turned into a wasted opportunity for Ryan Murphy and Co. to shed some light on a very serious issue." In conclusion of her review, she wrote, "In case you couldn't tell Gleeks, this episode left something of a sour taste in my mouth. While Ryan Murphy always combines humor with serious life lessons, it seems there were none to be found here. Besides some embarrassing moments, nobody in the episode faced any real consequences. The episode simply took the approach of 'We can't stop them from drinking, but we can make them aware', which is a very reasonable way to look at it. That is, if there's some awareness in the first place." Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone praised the episode for its solid storylines. She went on to write, "With this, Glee continues along its newfound trend of solid episodes that pair music loosely based around a theme with just enough plot to keep momentum going. There were great moments that didn't revolve around music, too: Kurt and his dad working to find a middle ground in their relationship and Becky and Sue's homage to Rydell High's Principal McGee and Blanche was on point." Richard Corliss of Time
wrote a very positive review for the episode, and stated, "Last night's hour of Glee was of the level a superior series sticks in mid-season between its "important" episodes. If this is coasting, take me along for the ride.
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
of the television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, and the 36th overall. The episode was written by Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
, directed by Eric Stoltz
Eric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
and first aired in the United States on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on February 22, 2011. This episode mainly centers around the issues of underage drinking, as the students of McKinley High School are coming drunk to school in increasing numbers. Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba is a Pakistani-American actor. Theba currently has a recurring role as Principal Figgins in the show Glee.-Life and career:Theba became a familiar face in the 1990s when he appeared in various TV shows and commercials in the United States....
) plans an assembly to warn the students about the dangers on underage drinking, and asks glee club director Will Schuester
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
) to have his students perform a song that send positive messages about avoiding alcohol. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) throws a party exclusively for the glee club where almost everyone gets drunk; the partygoers wake up to hangover
Hangover
A hangover describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most commonly reported characteristics of a hangover include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, dysphoria, diarrhea and thirst, typically after the...
s, and must perform various songs about alcohol while still under the influence. The assembly ends abruptly when a song that seems to glorify alcohol ends with two of the singers vomiting over the others, which scares the entire high school into avoiding drunkenness.
"Blame It on the Alcohol" was met with a mostly positive reception from critics on its initial airing. Katie Morgan of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
praised most of the musical numbers
Number (music)
A number in music is a self-contained piece that is combined with other such pieces in a performance. In a concert of popular music, for example, the individual songs or pieces performed are often referred to as "numbers." The term is applied also to sections of large vocal works when the...
, while Robert Canning of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called the episode "comical" and "human". This episode featured cover versions of four songs, including a cover of "Tik Tok
TiK ToK
"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American recording artist Kesha. The song was produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke and co-written by Blanco, Dr. Luke and Kesha. It was released on August 7, 2009 as the lead single from Kesha's debut studio album, Animal...
" by Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
and "Blame It
Blame It
"Blame It" is a song by American singer Jamie Foxx, released as the second official single from his third studio album, Intuition. It features singer T-Pain and was written by Christopher "Deep" Henderson, Nate Walker, James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., and Brandon Melanchon and produced by...
" by Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
featuring T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
. Most of the musical performances and covers received a mixed to generally positive reception from critics. All songs were released as singles and made available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
.
Upon its premiere, the episode was watched by over 10.58 million American viewers, and it garnered a 4.4/12 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The episode's total viewership and ratings were slightly up from the previous episode, "Comeback
Comeback (Glee)
"Comeback" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 35th overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox on February 15, 2011...
", which was watched by 10.53 million American viewers, and acquired a 4.2/12 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic upon first airing on television.
Plot
Concerned about recent underage drinking incidents at McKinley High, Principal Figgins (Iqbal ThebaIqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba is a Pakistani-American actor. Theba currently has a recurring role as Principal Figgins in the show Glee.-Life and career:Theba became a familiar face in the 1990s when he appeared in various TV shows and commercials in the United States....
) holds a cautionary assembly and commissions the glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
to perform a song about the dangers of alcohol. Lead singer Rachel (Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) needs inspiration to write a song for Regionals, so throws a house party for the club, which is also attended by former member Kurt
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
(Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
) and his crush Blaine
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
(Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
). Most attendees get drunk, and Rachel and Blaine share a long kiss during a game of Spin the Bottle
Spin the bottle
Spin the Bottle is a party game in which several players sit/stand/kneel in a circle. One player spins a bottle and must kiss the person to whom the bottle points, who then spins the bottle in turn...
, then perform "Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me
"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
" as a karaoke duet. Blaine spends the night in Kurt's bed, fully clothed. Kurt's father Burt
Burt Hummel
Burt Hummel is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mike O'Malley, and first appeared on Glee in the fourth episode of the first season, "Preggers". Burt was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Mike O'Malley
Mike O'Malley
Michael Edward "Mike" O'Malley is an American actor and playwright who has appeared in films and television series. He hosted Nickelodeon GUTS, and he starred in the CBS comedy Yes, Dear...
) is not pleased about this level of intimacy under his roof and tells Kurt to ask for permission first next time. Kurt grudgingly agrees, but asks Burt to educate himself on gay relationships so Kurt can come to him for advice in the future.
On Monday, the glee club members arrive at school hungover, and perform the song "Blame It
Blame It
"Blame It" is a song by American singer Jamie Foxx, released as the second official single from his third studio album, Intuition. It features singer T-Pain and was written by Christopher "Deep" Henderson, Nate Walker, James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., and Brandon Melanchon and produced by...
". Club director Will Schuester
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
) is impressed with their "realistic acting", but thinks the song is inapproriate for the assembly as it glorifies drinking. Football coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) prevails on Will to join her in a night out at a cowboy bar to reduce their stress; they perform the song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" or "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" is a call and response blues song written by Rudy Toombs and recorded by Amos Milburn in 1953. It is one of several drinking songs recorded by Milburn in the early 1950s that placed in the top ten of the Billboard R&B chart...
". Will gets drunk and once home, he drunkenly grades all his students A+, then drunk dials the school's guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Jayma Mays, Emma has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Emma was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Jayma Mays
Jayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
) and leaves a message.
Rachel asks Blaine out, and to Kurt's dismay he accepts. They argue, as Blaine suggests he might be bisexual, while Kurt refutes the existence of bisexuality. Kurt visits Rachel after the date, and warns Rachel that Blaine is indeed gay, if temporarily confused. At the assembly, New Directions perform Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
's "Tik Tok
TiK ToK
"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American recording artist Kesha. The song was produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke and co-written by Blanco, Dr. Luke and Kesha. It was released on August 7, 2009 as the lead single from Kesha's debut studio album, Animal...
", but the song comes to an abrupt end when Brittany
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Heather Morris) and Santana
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
) throw up from intoxication. Later, cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
(Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
) publicly humiliates Will by playing the message he left on her voice mail—not Emma's, as he had meant to do—over the school PA system while classes are in session. Embarrassed, Will realizes that it is hypocritical to tell the students not to drink when he does so himself. Principal Figgins rewards the club members with frozen yogurt coupons, in the belief that they were acting during the assembly. Will later convinces the whole club to sign a pledge to not drink until after their upcoming Nationals competition, and tells them he will also abstain; in case they do drink, he gives them his phone number so they can call him at any time to safely drive them home. Rachel kisses a sober Blaine, which makes him realize he is indeed gay. Instead of being disappointed by this, she is elated, and tells Kurt that she is inspired by having had a relationship with a man who turned out to be gay—she calls it "songwriting gold".
Music
The episode featured cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of "Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me
"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
" by The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
, "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" or "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" is a call and response blues song written by Rudy Toombs and recorded by Amos Milburn in 1953. It is one of several drinking songs recorded by Milburn in the early 1950s that placed in the top ten of the Billboard R&B chart...
" by Rudy Toombs
Rudy Toombs
Rudolph "Rudy" Toombs , born in Monroe, Louisiana, was an American black songwriter who wrote "Teardrops from My Eyes", Ruth Brown's first number one R&B successful song...
, as recorded by George Thorogood
George Thorogood
George Thorogood is an American blues rock vocalist/guitarist from Wilmington, Delaware, United States, known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and John Lee Hooker's "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One...
, "Tik Tok
TiK ToK
"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American recording artist Kesha. The song was produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke and co-written by Blanco, Dr. Luke and Kesha. It was released on August 7, 2009 as the lead single from Kesha's debut studio album, Animal...
" by Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
and "Blame It
Blame It
"Blame It" is a song by American singer Jamie Foxx, released as the second official single from his third studio album, Intuition. It features singer T-Pain and was written by Christopher "Deep" Henderson, Nate Walker, James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., and Brandon Melanchon and produced by...
" by Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
and T-Pain
T-Pain
Faheem Rasheed Najm , better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor, currently signed to Young Money Entertainment. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released in 2005. In 2007, T-Pain released his second studio album Epiphany,...
. "One Bourbon" marked Dot-Marie Jones
Dot Jones
Dorothy-Marie "Dot" Jones is an athlete and actress who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion...
' singing debut on Glee. There was also an original song: "My Headband", ostensibly written by Rachel.
Critical response
The musical covers and performances for the episode were met with mostly positive reception from critics and fans alike. Katie Morgan of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
praised the casts' performance of "Blame It
Blame It
"Blame It" is a song by American singer Jamie Foxx, released as the second official single from his third studio album, Intuition. It features singer T-Pain and was written by Christopher "Deep" Henderson, Nate Walker, James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., and Brandon Melanchon and produced by...
", writing, "We honestly think this version might be better than the original." However, Todd VanderWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave a negative review on the cover, saying that it was "one of the least enjoyable numbers of the season." Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave praised the New Directions' cover of "Tik Tok
TiK ToK
"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American recording artist Kesha. The song was produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke and co-written by Blanco, Dr. Luke and Kesha. It was released on August 7, 2009 as the lead single from Kesha's debut studio album, Animal...
", writing, "Ke$ha might be able to out-drink the Glee members, but their cover of her song was phenomenal." She would go on to praise Brittany's choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
and voice, calling it "mad" and "awesome". Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised all of the musical performances and cover of the episode. In her review, she graded the covers of "Blame It" and "Don't You Want Me" the highest, giving each one an A. For her review of the cover of "Blame It", she wrote, "I'm not a fan of the original song. And at the risk of sounding like a proponent of underage drinking [...] this was one of the better R&B performances we've seen from the Glee gang in a while." In her review for the cover of "Don't You Want Me", Gonzalez wrote, "I'm happy [...] to report that I love '80s music as much as I love a Rachel Berry power ballad. So the mere idea of this song being covered had me more excited than words can properly express [...]. The result met — if not exceeded — my expectations. Blaine needs to join New Directions so we can get more duets between him and Rachel." She wrote a positive review on the cover version of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", writing, "Will Schuester is about as country as Beiste is a dress-wearing kind of gal, and I was totally prepared to hate this song. In fact, I wasn't a fan of the first few minutes. But by the time the chorus hit, it was clear that Dot Marie Jones and Matthew Morrison had fun recording this song. And because country is 70 percent attitude, it grew on me." She went on to give the cover a B. She went on to praise Brittany's choreography and overall performance in "Tik Tok", going on to write, "The huge star of this number was clearly Brittany, who more and more every week proves that she needs to be moved to the forefront of this show's big performances and storylines." Gonzalez gave the cover version of "Tik Tok" a B, and wrote a positive review on the performance. She wrote, "It was pure, fun entertainment up until we got to the part straight out of the mind of Gordie LaChance. So even though the purple vomit was a bit too much for this weak viewer, the performance made me add a Ke$ha song to my iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, which I never thought would happen."
Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone gave the cover version of "Tik Tok" a mostly positive review, writing, "Love Brittany as we do, we wish Rachel or Mercedes stepped up to the mic. The performance is less risqué than their Pep Rally "Push It" but winds up causing more controversy when Brittany pukes on Rachel and Santana also vomits up grey slush. It's a fitting end to the song, and the episode." She praised the duet performed by Rachel and Blaine, going on to write, " It's fun, it's flirty, it's great to hear them do something that's not a musical [...] or a recent Top 40 hit [...] and it pits Glee's most well-rounded pop vocalists against each other.
Chart history
Of the four cover versions released as singles—the original song "My Headband" was not released—three debuted on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and appeared on other musical charts. On the Hot 100, the show's rendition of "Don't You Want Me" debuted at number forty-nine; it was at number fifty on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. The other two songs on the Hot 100 were "Blame It" at number fifty-five, which also made number sixty-one on the Canadian Hot 100, and "Tik Tok" at number sixty-one, which also made number fifty-six on the Canadian Hot 100. "Don't You Want Me" was also featured on the sixth soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
of the series, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" did not chart.
Ratings
"Blame It on the Alcohol" was first broadcast on February 22, 2011 in the United States on Fox. It received over 10.58 million American viewers upon its initial airing, according to the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The episode garnered a 4.4/12 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, tied for the highest of the night with NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
. The episode's total viewership and ratings slightly increased from the previous episode, "Comeback
Comeback (Glee)
"Comeback" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 35th overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox on February 15, 2011...
", which was watched by 10.53 million American viewers and received a 4.2/12 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic during its original airing. In Australia, the episode was watched by 1.02 million viewers, making Glee the sixth most-watched show of the night and twentieth of the week. In the UK, the episode was broadcast on April 11, 2011. It attained 2.53 million viewers—2.05 million on E4, and 483,000 on E4+1—and was the most-watched show on cable for the week. Viewership was marginally down from "Comeback", attracting 40,000 fewer viewers.
Critical response
"Blame It on the Alcohol" was met with general acclaim from critics and fans alike upon its initial airing. Robert Canning of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode a positive review, calling the main storyline "comical" and "human". He went on to give the episode an 8 out of 10. New anchors on WTTG
WTTG
WTTG, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
, the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
-affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, gave the episode positive reception in a video. Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave gave the episode an 8, and went on to give the episode a positive review. She wrote, "This week’s Glee puts on the beer goggles to put alcohol-related issues in perspective. The result is humorous and ironic, but leaves something to be wanted." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave off mostly positive reception towards the episode. In a review, he wrote, "“Alcohol” has bad moments [...] but the underpinnings of the episode aren’t terrible, just overstuffed. On the list of Glee atrocities, having too much to say isn’t such a bad one, and when the lack of self-editing is mixed in with some funny scenes and performances and a return of the best possible interpretation of Will, well, it made for an episode that wasn’t great but was still mostly a good time." He went on to write a mixed review about the storyline, writing, "It got out of the genuinely complicated Blaine/Kurt/Rachel triangle [...] by having Blaine realize he was gay and having Rachel not be mad because the experience was “songwriting gold!” [...] The storyline started out as something that seemed like it might be an interesting, complicated look at teenage sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
and how it can seem formed but might be more fluid than most teens would give it credit for, then lost its nerve and took the easy way out." However, he went on to praise Lea Michele's
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
role as Rachel, calling her "an underrated comic actress." Scott Pierce of The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
praised the script, writing, "It had some lines that were just laugh-out-loud funny. Funny enough so that I had to pause the DVR
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
until I was finished laughing." Luciana Mangas of TV Overmind wrote, "Glee did a brave thing in last night’s episode. It was controversial and polemic and a lot of people were offended by it from what I have read around the internet. However, I have to say it worked. They treated a delicate subject very well and with a very, very funny approach."
Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
praised the episode, going on to write, "Leave it to Glee to tackle a potentially joyless, didactic topic like teenage drinking and somehow manage to entertain and surprise and get its important life lessons across. Tuesday night's episode was as funny, startling—and yes, at times cringe-inducing—as a certain curly-haired choir director's slurry drunk dial. Perhaps its message will be heard as widely and resonate as strongly." Aly Semigran of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
gave the episode a negative review. She went on to write, "The theme of last night's Glee was supposed to be about the dangers of underage teens getting wasted, but instead it turned into a wasted opportunity for Ryan Murphy and Co. to shed some light on a very serious issue." In conclusion of her review, she wrote, "In case you couldn't tell Gleeks, this episode left something of a sour taste in my mouth. While Ryan Murphy always combines humor with serious life lessons, it seems there were none to be found here. Besides some embarrassing moments, nobody in the episode faced any real consequences. The episode simply took the approach of 'We can't stop them from drinking, but we can make them aware', which is a very reasonable way to look at it. That is, if there's some awareness in the first place." Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone praised the episode for its solid storylines. She went on to write, "With this, Glee continues along its newfound trend of solid episodes that pair music loosely based around a theme with just enough plot to keep momentum going. There were great moments that didn't revolve around music, too: Kurt and his dad working to find a middle ground in their relationship and Becky and Sue's homage to Rydell High's Principal McGee and Blanche was on point." Richard Corliss of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
wrote a very positive review for the episode, and stated, "Last night's hour of Glee was of the level a superior series sticks in mid-season between its "important" episodes. If this is coasting, take me along for the ride.
External links
- Blame It on the Alcohol at Fox.comFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.