Yesterday the web got its first taste of the songs that will be featured in next week’s season finale of Glee. Among them was an all female acappella rendition of Usher’s “Yeah!” The cover is a rousing, empowered track, especially when sung by a female group. All this would have been fine and dandy, if it weren’t seemingly ripped off a hard working, student run collegiate acappella group.  

Take a listen to Glee’s version of “Yeah”

Now listen to the track by University of Oregon’s Divisi, originally released in 2005.

Eerily similar. Almost uncomfortably so. And yet there would be no apparent reason to believe foul play is at work. The Glee producers have worked with college acappella groups in the past. Take for example their set up with the Tufts Beelzebubs, who provide the arrangements for the Warblers. 

On the contrary though, sources within acappella circles with ties to Divisi have confirmed to me that the show did not have the full cooperation of the group and original arranger. Glee had reached out to Divisi and were working on a deal only for it to fall apart last minute, with Glee going ahead and doing their version of the song anyway. Leading one to believe that there may be something more sinister afoot.

Glee strolls a fine line between honoring music and bastardizing it. The acappella community is a tight knit, but not often heard subculture that has benefited greatly from its recent exposure on shows like Glee and The Sing Off. Hopefully network television and acappella can continue to work together for the betterment of both.