Loser Like Me
Encyclopedia
"Loser Like Me" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee
, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5
. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, Swedish pop music
producer Max Martin
, and Peer Åström
, Savan Kotecha
, and Johan Schuster. Anders and Martin produced the track. The song, with another track "Get It Right
", were the first two original songs to be featured on the show. The song is their first official single, being sent to US radio on March 1, 2011. In order for the song to have radio appeal, Anders recruited Martin to produce "Loser Like Me" while he was in the United States working on Britney Spears
' Femme Fatale
(2011).
Lea Michele
and Cory Monteith
front the song, with Michele providing lead vocals in the chorus and a verse, and Monteith having a verse. Other cast members provide vocals in the chorus and in a rap breakdown. Naya Rivera
and Heather Morris has some vocalises and some solos during the Chorus. Musically, the song is a dance-pop
song with pop rock
elements, and it features a "pop funk" guitar. The production drew comparisons to similar Max Martin productions released at the time, notably Pink
's "Raise Your Glass
" (2010). Lyrically, it follows in the footsteps of previous self-empowerment anthems released around the same time, with the incorporation of lines about revenge fantasies.
Critics generally praised the song in Glee's first step at original music. Positivity was directed at its production, lyrics, and vocals of Lea Michele. However, common criticisms were that the song sounded like a cover of another song, and that it would have been better suited for another artist Martin usually works with such as Pink or Avril Lavigne
. The song debuted at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100
and became the cast's third top-ten hit. It reached number thirty-six on the US Adult Pop Songs chart, becoming their first song other than a Christmas song to appear on an airplay chart. Internationally, it reached the top thirty in at least three other markets. The song's performance was featured in the Glee episode "Original Song
" which first aired on March 15, 2011 which featured choreography and the group throwing confetti-filled slushie cups at the audience.
" on their March 15, 2011 episode. The series' music producer, Adam Anders, called the song a "Gleek anthem," and it was "It’s a very uptempo, kind-of-summery hit." It was also revealed that pop music producer, Max Martin
, known for his work with Britney Spears
, among other singers, would produce "Loser Like Me." Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly
called this a "major pop music coup" by Glee. Anders also went on to comment, "The thing about Max is that he’s a huge fan of pop culture and he just loved the idea of being part of something that’s such a cultural phenomenon. So it was actually not hard to convince him at all. He was all about it."
According to Anders, the Swedish-based Martin was in the United States at the time working on Spears' then-new record
, and then was "exposed to exactly how enormous [Glee] is." According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers database, co-writers on the song include Anders, Peer Åström
, Savan Kotecha
, and Johan Schuster. "Loser Like Me" and "Get It Right" both premiered on On Air with Ryan Seacrest
on February 25, 2011, and were performed in the episode "Original Song
", on March 15, 2011. The song was also released on iTunes
in the United States on March 15, 2011.
and Hot AC stations. Pete Cosenza, senior vice president of promotion and adult formats for Columbia Records told Billboard
,
Barb Richards, director of music for WAJI
said that the cast's introduction of new music prompted the station to finally add music from the cast. Richards referenced the 21.9 million downloads and 5.2 million albums sold since the series since its May 2009 premiere, but commented, "Still, I believe that people want to hear originals over remakes, so up until the 'Glee' cast's original music it didn't make sense for us to play each latest cover, other than to spotlight it the day of the show."However, Richards complimented the original "Loser Like Me" saying its lyrics would "resonate with kids and parents" and said that she liked it when she first heard it and when she saw it on the show. She also commented "The song is good on its own, and having the 'Glee' name on it gives it a leg up." Dave McKay, program director at WPST
also echoed Richards' sentiments that the Glee sales were reason to add them to airplay, adding "Not many artists or songs enjoy the type of exposure that 'Glee' provides. Plus, the audience that watches the show is the audience we target, so the fit seems perfect [...] since 'Glee' music sells, there is definitely an appetite for it."
Responding to the song being an original as opposed to their traditional covers, McKay said, "If 'Loser Like Me' were a bad song, then it wouldn't matter whether it was original or a cover: we wouldn't be playing it. That the song is good, and that it has the 'Glee' reach, makes it an easy song to play." Keith Kennedy, program director at WKDD
said the single made him ponder why they haven't played Glee songs prior to "Loser Like Me." Kennedy said, "How many times have you heard radio programmers claim that they use sales numbers to shape their stations' playlists? Look at iTunes every Wednesday: 'Glee' often dominates the top 10." Kennedy's station, WKDD, holds a "Glee O'clock" segment daily and he said "While some of the remakes have leaned toward show tunes, several probably should have received more airplay."
. The song features "pop-funk chicken-scratch guitars," and according to Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone
, a hopped-up beat. The song is fronted by Lea Michele
singing lead on the chorus and a verse, with Cory Monteith
providing an additional verse. Other Glee cast members back the two up the chorus and a rap breakdown. It bears resemblance to then-recent Max Martin-produced singles, particularly "Raise Your Glass
", which contains a similar guitar-intro. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
even called "Loser Like Me" a sequel to "Raise Your Glass."
After the guitar riffs, Michele sings about becoming a future superstar, "Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero/ But hey, everyone you wanna be/ Probably started off like me." Jason Lipshutz of Billboard
said "Loser Like Me" is "a sunny pop track that finds Lea Michele and Cory Monteith railing against conformity and celebrating their individuality in their verses." Other cast member lyrics include the lyric "You may think I'm a freak show," responded by Naya Rivera
with the spoken "I don't care." The song features self-empowerment lyrics which revolve around revenge fantasies, such as in Monteith's lines - "I could be a superstar / I'll see you when you wash my car." According to Melinda Newman of HitFix
the song is about "being a loser now, but turning in to a winner now who never, ever looks back." Aly Semigran of MTV News
said the lyrics of the "peppy pop ditty" keep "in tune with the themes of the show."
gave the song four out of five stars, calling it "predictably fizzy." Rosen said that the song was "belted out with bright-sided earnestness by Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, distills the shows' theme: the mystical power of a good tune and a well-choreographed jazz hands routine to turn geeks into gods." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
said "Max Martin and Shellback chuck the Pinks, Ke$has and Katy Perrys into the kitchen sink and add a generous coat of gloss and shimmer (and Auto-Tune) to create what is ultimately an audacious, unabashed and, crucially, authentic pop stomper that remains true to what Glee is all about." Melinda Newman of HitFix liked the song, but said that it could have had "more of an edge." Newman also said "For any kid who’s ever been bullied or adult who remembers being bullied, it’s a bulls-eye." Newman wrote that that Michele, who opens the song, had a "classic voice" but it had no "grit" to it, and recommended that Pink
cover it. Becky Bain of Idolator said that the song could have been a track for Pink or Avril Lavigne
, two common artists who work with Martin. Bain said the song fit in with "Raise Your Glass," and better yet, Kesha
's "We R Who We R
." Christopher Rosen of Movieline
said the song had "total home run potential" writing that it "sounds like a blend of Pink, Katy Perry
, Avril Lavigne, early Mandy Moore
, and Kidz Bop
. And that’s a good thing!" On the point that the song sounds like a cover itself, Rosen questioned, "who wants to listen to an original song on a television show that relies on covers unless it sounds like a cover itself?"
Upon first listen, Kirsten Coachman of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
said that she was "semi-horrified" at the song, but since it was a Max Martin-produced track she "gave it another chance," and commented that "It’s definitely a Max Martin song. It has a good beat and cheesy, yet catchy lyrics." However Coachman said that the song should have been sung by Mark Salling (Puck) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina
) rather than Monteith and Michele. Coachman liked that the fact the songs fit in with the episode, saying "I think both songs are pretty good anthems, and hopefully they do speak to the audience. however she reiterated "for me, I probably won’t be singing along to them in my car anytime soon." In an album review giving Glee: The Music, Vol. 5 a total of two out of five stars, Andrew Leahey of Allmusic said that the new Glee songs "aren’t good enough to make much of a difference." Brett Berk of Vanity Fair
gave the song four stars just based on lyrics, commenting the "tune sucked." Bill Lamb of About.com
was unfavorable of the song, criticizing its lyrics, calling them "mean spirited and petty," and said they were "nowhere near as thoughtful" as the lyrics of recent mass empowerment anthems such as "Firework," "Born This Way
," and "Raise Your Glass
." Lamb commented that the song sounded like a Glee parody of one of Glee' s own cover songs, and said that Martin and Glee belong on different paths, and show should stick to what they were doing before and not become "corporate."
selling 210,000 downloads in its first week. The debut was the cast's largest sales frame since their cover of Katy Perry
's "Teenage Dream
," which sold 214,000 downloads. The song became their third top-ten US hit, following "Teenage Dream," which debuted at number eight, and their first cover, "Don't Stop Believin'
" which debuted at number four. On the week ending April 9, 2011, the song debuted on the US Adult Pop Songs chart at number thirty-seven. "Loser Like Me" became the first entry on the Adult Pop chart, and became their first song to appear on an airplay chart since a string of Christmas songs from Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album
charted on the Adult Contemporary Songs chart in 2009 and 2010. Outside the United States, the song appeared on several other charts worldwide, debuting at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100
, as well as appearing at number fifteen on the Australian Singles Chart,, number twenty-five on the Irish Singles Chart
,, and number eighty on the UK Singles Chart
.
" first aired on March 15, 2011 and is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the television series. The episode's plot revolves around McKinley High's glee club, New Directions, decides to prepare original songs for the Regionals competition. In order to do better in the competition, due to Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)'s assistance the group decided to sing original songs. "Loser Like Me" falls in line after Rachel performs her solo ballad "Get It Right
." In the performance the Glee club girls donned light-blue dresses tied with black ribbons, and black boots. The guys wore black dress shirts and slacks with black ties. During the performance, the group performs sectional and group choreography. Midway, it is received by a standing ovation led by Kurt (Chris Colfer
). The performance ends with the club throwing slushie cups filled with confetti at the audience, alluding to the numerous slushie cups taken in the face by them earlier in the show.
Bobby Hankinson of Houston Chronicle said "It's fun and summery and it's all capped off with a confetti slushee attack to the crowd. Loved it." Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone
said "It's a true anthem, and it ends triumphantly, with the New Directions tossing confetti-filled Slushie cups into the crowd — and then going on to win regionals." Brett Berk of Vanity Fair
commented "the lovable dorks sing about being the lovable dorks we fell in love with (even if we often no longer recognize them as such)."
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...
, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5
Glee: The Music, Volume 5
Glee: The Music, Volume 5 is the sixth soundtrack album by the cast of the musical television series Glee. Released on March 8, 2011 through Columbia Records, it was produced executively by Dante Di Loreto and Brad Falchuk. In addition to fourteen cover versions from its second season,...
. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, Swedish pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
producer Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, and Peer Åström
Peer Åström
Peer Åström Peer Åström Peer Åström (born in Ljusdal, Sweden is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Anders Bagge. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer. They have together written and produced songs for Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Madonna,...
, Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
, and Johan Schuster. Anders and Martin produced the track. The song, with another track "Get It Right
Get It Right (Glee Cast song)
"Get It Right" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. It is sung by Lea Michele who portrays the series' lead character, Rachel Berry. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, who...
", were the first two original songs to be featured on the show. The song is their first official single, being sent to US radio on March 1, 2011. In order for the song to have radio appeal, Anders recruited Martin to produce "Loser Like Me" while he was in the United States working on Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' Femme Fatale
Femme Fatale (Britney Spears album)
Femme Fatale is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears. The album was released on March 25, 2011 by Jive Records . Recorded between 2009 and 2011, the album featured Spears working mainly alongside longtime collaborators Max Martin and Dr. Luke, who served as the...
(2011).
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...
and Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
front the song, with Michele providing lead vocals in the chorus and a verse, and Monteith having a verse. Other cast members provide vocals in the chorus and in a rap breakdown. 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:...
and Heather Morris has some vocalises and some solos during the Chorus. Musically, the song is a dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song with pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
elements, and it features a "pop funk" guitar. The production drew comparisons to similar Max Martin productions released at the time, notably Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
's "Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
" (2010). Lyrically, it follows in the footsteps of previous self-empowerment anthems released around the same time, with the incorporation of lines about revenge fantasies.
Critics generally praised the song in Glee
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
. The song debuted at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard 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 became the cast's third top-ten hit. It reached number thirty-six on the US Adult Pop Songs chart, becoming their first song other than a Christmas song to appear on an airplay chart. Internationally, it reached the top thirty in at least three other markets. The song's performance was featured in the Glee episode "Original Song
Original Song
"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2011...
" which first aired on March 15, 2011 which featured choreography and the group throwing confetti-filled slushie cups at the audience.
Background
On February 23, 2011, it was announced that Glee, for the first time, would feature two original songs, entitled "Loser Like Me" and "Get It RightGet It Right (Glee Cast song)
"Get It Right" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. It is sung by Lea Michele who portrays the series' lead character, Rachel Berry. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, who...
" on their March 15, 2011 episode. The series' music producer, Adam Anders, called the song a "Gleek anthem," and it was "It’s a very uptempo, kind-of-summery hit." It was also revealed that pop music producer, Max Martin
Max Martin
Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
, known for his work with Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, among other singers, would produce "Loser Like Me." Tim Stack 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...
called this a "major pop music coup" by Glee. Anders also went on to comment, "The thing about Max is that he’s a huge fan of pop culture and he just loved the idea of being part of something that’s such a cultural phenomenon. So it was actually not hard to convince him at all. He was all about it."
According to Anders, the Swedish-based Martin was in the United States at the time working on Spears' then-new record
Femme Fatale (Britney Spears album)
Femme Fatale is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears. The album was released on March 25, 2011 by Jive Records . Recorded between 2009 and 2011, the album featured Spears working mainly alongside longtime collaborators Max Martin and Dr. Luke, who served as the...
, and then was "exposed to exactly how enormous [Glee] is." According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers database, co-writers on the song include Anders, Peer Åström
Peer Åström
Peer Åström Peer Åström Peer Åström (born in Ljusdal, Sweden is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer and partner with Anders Bagge. The two songwriters / producers are known as Bagge & Peer. They have together written and produced songs for Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Madonna,...
, Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha
Savan Kotecha is an American songwriter and vocal producer from Austin, Texas of Indian descent. Kotecha has sold over 60 million records with artists such as Usher, Enrique Iglesias, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, One Direction and Celine Dion...
, and Johan Schuster. "Loser Like Me" and "Get It Right" both premiered on On Air with Ryan Seacrest
On Air with Ryan Seacrest (radio)
On Air with Ryan Seacrest is the name of an American syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. As of 2010, the daily morning radio show airs on Los Angeles top 40 station KIIS-FM and was launched at the same time as the television show with the same name, although Seacrest had hosted a...
on February 25, 2011, and were performed in the episode "Original Song
Original Song
"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2011...
", on March 15, 2011. The song was also released on 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....
in the United States on March 15, 2011.
Radio impact
"Loser Like Me" became the first radio single for Glee, and was sent to radio on March 1, 2011 for mainstreamContemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
and Hot AC stations. Pete Cosenza, senior vice president of promotion and adult formats for Columbia Records told 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...
,
"We've promoted 'Glee' music to radio for the past couple of years and week-by-week, programmers have embraced the show and its music more and more. (Adult radio) has created weekly, and, in some cases, daily, features, and played snippets of songs. Now, more have put 'Loser Like Me' into regular rotation. 'Glee' is one of the biggest shows on television and it's a music show. What a win for us and radio."
Barb Richards, director of music for WAJI
WAJI
WAJI is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, the station is currently owned by Sarkes Tarzian, Inc...
said that the cast's introduction of new music prompted the station to finally add music from the cast. Richards referenced the 21.9 million downloads and 5.2 million albums sold since the series since its May 2009 premiere, but commented, "Still, I believe that people want to hear originals over remakes, so up until the 'Glee' cast's original music it didn't make sense for us to play each latest cover, other than to spotlight it the day of the show."However, Richards complimented the original "Loser Like Me" saying its lyrics would "resonate with kids and parents" and said that she liked it when she first heard it and when she saw it on the show. She also commented "The song is good on its own, and having the 'Glee' name on it gives it a leg up." Dave McKay, program director at WPST
WPST
WPST is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 format. Licensed to Trenton, New Jersey, USA, the station serves the Philadelphia, Central Jersey area. The station is currently owned by Nassau Broadcasting Ii, LLC and features programing from Westwood One...
also echoed Richards' sentiments that the Glee sales were reason to add them to airplay, adding "Not many artists or songs enjoy the type of exposure that 'Glee' provides. Plus, the audience that watches the show is the audience we target, so the fit seems perfect [...] since 'Glee' music sells, there is definitely an appetite for it."
Responding to the song being an original as opposed to their traditional covers, McKay said, "If 'Loser Like Me' were a bad song, then it wouldn't matter whether it was original or a cover: we wouldn't be playing it. That the song is good, and that it has the 'Glee' reach, makes it an easy song to play." Keith Kennedy, program director at WKDD
WKDD
WKDD — branded The New 98.1 'KDD — is a commercial hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Munroe Falls, Ohio serving the Akron and Canton metro areas. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications...
said the single made him ponder why they haven't played Glee songs prior to "Loser Like Me." Kennedy said, "How many times have you heard radio programmers claim that they use sales numbers to shape their stations' playlists? Look at iTunes every Wednesday: 'Glee' often dominates the top 10." Kennedy's station, WKDD, holds a "Glee O'clock" segment daily and he said "While some of the remakes have leaned toward show tunes, several probably should have received more airplay."
Composition
"Loser Like Me" is a uptempo, upbeat dance-pop song which includes elements of pop rockPop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
. The song features "pop-funk chicken-scratch guitars," and according to Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, a hopped-up beat. The song is fronted by 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...
singing lead on the chorus and a verse, with Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
providing an additional verse. Other Glee cast members back the two up the chorus and a rap breakdown. It bears resemblance to then-recent Max Martin-produced singles, particularly "Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
", which contains a similar guitar-intro. Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
even called "Loser Like Me" a sequel to "Raise Your Glass."
After the guitar riffs, Michele sings about becoming a future superstar, "Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero/ But hey, everyone you wanna be/ Probably started off like me." Jason Lipshutz 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...
said "Loser Like Me" is "a sunny pop track that finds Lea Michele and Cory Monteith railing against conformity and celebrating their individuality in their verses." Other cast member lyrics include the lyric "You may think I'm a freak show," responded by 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:...
with the spoken "I don't care." The song features self-empowerment lyrics which revolve around revenge fantasies, such as in Monteith's lines - "I could be a superstar / I'll see you when you wash my car." According to Melinda Newman of HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
the song is about "being a loser now, but turning in to a winner now who never, ever looks back." Aly Semigran of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
said the lyrics of the "peppy pop ditty" keep "in tune with the themes of the show."
Critical reception
Jody Rosen of Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the song four out of five stars, calling it "predictably fizzy." Rosen said that the song was "belted out with bright-sided earnestness by Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, distills the shows' theme: the mystical power of a good tune and a well-choreographed jazz hands routine to turn geeks into gods." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
said "Max Martin and Shellback chuck the Pinks, Ke$has and Katy Perrys into the kitchen sink and add a generous coat of gloss and shimmer (and Auto-Tune) to create what is ultimately an audacious, unabashed and, crucially, authentic pop stomper that remains true to what Glee is all about." Melinda Newman of HitFix liked the song, but said that it could have had "more of an edge." Newman also said "For any kid who’s ever been bullied or adult who remembers being bullied, it’s a bulls-eye." Newman wrote that that Michele, who opens the song, had a "classic voice" but it had no "grit" to it, and recommended that Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
cover it. Becky Bain of Idolator said that the song could have been a track for Pink or Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, two common artists who work with Martin. Bain said the song fit in with "Raise Your Glass," and better yet, 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 "We R Who We R
We R Who We R
"We R Who We R" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha from her first extended play , Cannibal . The song was released as the EP's lead single on October 22, 2010. It was written by Kesha, with Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco and Ammo. Production of the song was...
." Christopher Rosen of Movieline
Movieline
Movieline is a website, formerly a Los Angeles-based film and entertainment magazine, started in 1985 as a local magazine and went national in 1989. Known for its cult status and popularity among film critics, the magazine eventually was retooled and named Movieline's Hollywood Life. The magazine...
said the song had "total home run potential" writing that it "sounds like a blend of Pink, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, Avril Lavigne, early Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...
, and Kidz Bop
Kidz Bop
Kidz Bop is a brand of compilation albums featuring child session musicians performing contemporary music. The series was developed by Razor & Tie co-founders Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam in 2001...
. And that’s a good thing!" On the point that the song sounds like a cover itself, Rosen questioned, "who wants to listen to an original song on a television show that relies on covers unless it sounds like a cover itself?"
Upon first listen, Kirsten Coachman of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
said that she was "semi-horrified" at the song, but since it was a Max Martin-produced track she "gave it another chance," and commented that "It’s definitely a Max Martin song. It has a good beat and cheesy, yet catchy lyrics." However Coachman said that the song should have been sung by Mark Salling (Puck) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
) rather than Monteith and Michele. Coachman liked that the fact the songs fit in with the episode, saying "I think both songs are pretty good anthems, and hopefully they do speak to the audience. however she reiterated "for me, I probably won’t be singing along to them in my car anytime soon." In an album review giving Glee: The Music, Vol. 5 a total of two out of five stars, Andrew Leahey of Allmusic said that the new Glee songs "aren’t good enough to make much of a difference." Brett Berk of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
gave the song four stars just based on lyrics, commenting the "tune sucked." Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
was unfavorable of the song, criticizing its lyrics, calling them "mean spirited and petty," and said they were "nowhere near as thoughtful" as the lyrics of recent mass empowerment anthems such as "Firework," "Born This Way
Born This Way (song)
"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her second studio album, Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Jeppe Laursen and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour...
," and "Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
." Lamb commented that the song sounded like a Glee parody of one of Glee
Chart performance
On the week ending March 26, 2011, "Loser Like Me" debuted at number six on the US 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...
selling 210,000 downloads in its first week. The debut was the cast's largest sales frame since their cover of Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song)
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010 through digital distribution. Perry and Bonnie McKee wrote many songs with a youthful theme in mind, but they were rejected by...
," which sold 214,000 downloads. The song became their third top-ten US hit, following "Teenage Dream," which debuted at number eight, and their first cover, "Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin is a popular song by the American rock band Journey, originally released as a single from their 1981 album Escape, which became a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2009 as a result of increased prominence of digital...
" which debuted at number four. On the week ending April 9, 2011, the song debuted on the US Adult Pop Songs chart at number thirty-seven. "Loser Like Me" became the first entry on the Adult Pop chart, and became their first song to appear on an airplay chart since a string of Christmas songs from Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album
Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album
Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album is the fourth soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee. The album was released on November 9, 2010 and accompanies the season two Christmas episode "A Very Glee Christmas", aired December 7, 2010. Dante Di Loreto and Brad...
charted on the Adult Contemporary Songs chart in 2009 and 2010. Outside the United States, the song appeared on several other charts worldwide, debuting at number nine on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
, as well as appearing at number fifteen on the Australian Singles Chart,, number twenty-five on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
,, and number eighty on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Glee performance
"Original SongOriginal Song
"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2011...
" first aired on March 15, 2011 and is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the television series. The episode's plot revolves around McKinley High's glee club, New Directions, decides to prepare original songs for the Regionals competition. In order to do better in the competition, due to Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)'s assistance the group decided to sing original songs. "Loser Like Me" falls in line after Rachel performs her solo ballad "Get It Right
Get It Right (Glee Cast song)
"Get It Right" is a song performed by the cast of American television series Glee, taken from their sixth soundtrack album, Glee: The Music, Volume 5. It is sung by Lea Michele who portrays the series' lead character, Rachel Berry. The song was written by the series' music producer Adam Anders, who...
." In the performance the Glee club girls donned light-blue dresses tied with black ribbons, and black boots. The guys wore black dress shirts and slacks with black ties. During the performance, the group performs sectional and group choreography. Midway, it is received by a standing ovation led by Kurt (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...
). The performance ends with the club throwing slushie cups filled with confetti at the audience, alluding to the numerous slushie cups taken in the face by them earlier in the show.
Bobby Hankinson of Houston Chronicle said "It's fun and summery and it's all capped off with a confetti slushee attack to the crowd. Loved it." Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said "It's a true anthem, and it ends triumphantly, with the New Directions tossing confetti-filled Slushie cups into the crowd — and then going on to win regionals." Brett Berk of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
commented "the lovable dorks sing about being the lovable dorks we fell in love with (even if we often no longer recognize them as such)."
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
28 |
| US Adult Pop Songs | 37 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard 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... |
6 |