Cover Story: How Darren Criss’ Cover of “Cough Syrup” on Glee Made The Original Song More Relevant
“Glee” may not be known for its serious moments, but it is always unforgettable when they tackle something heavy.
Written by Olivia Abercrombie
Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox Television and Spotify
Content Warning: This article contains discussion of attempted suicide.
During its six-season run from 2009 to 2015, popular music lived in fear of being commandeered by the musical comedy-drama series “Glee,” and getting absolutely bodied by its vocalists — well, the good ones at least. Of course, not every cast member would make it past an American Idol audition round, but the stars who shined made every one of their covers count. While declaring any “Glee” cover as better than the original is almost blasphemous, Darren Criss’ crystal clear tone in his version of “Cough Syrup” by Young The Giant in the show’s third season is enough to beat the original in popularity.
In its six years on air, “Glee” covered a whopping 738 songs. For all the cringe and problematic moments the show gave us, there was an equal number of absolutely iconic performances like “Smooth Criminal,” “I’m A Slave 4 U,” and “Vogue.” Darren Criss’ cover of “Cough Syrup” — as his character Blaine Anderson — falls into that category. The vocals are incredible, but the shocking scene that accompanied the episode deepens the original song, turning it into a poignant reflection on homophobia and mental health.
Young The Giant rose to popularity in the indie-rock scene with the release of their self-titled debut album in 2011. The six-piece band led by vocalist Sameer Gadhia made waves in the alternative scene, but did not break into the mainstream until their "Glee" feature.
The history behind the original version of “Cough Syrup” is interesting — “Glee” was not the track’s first revival. Before becoming Young The Giant, the band was known as The Jakes and released the first version of “Cough Syrup” on their 2008 EP Shake My Hand. Three years later, the band rereleased “Cough Syrup” under Young The Giant, which inspired the “Glee” cover less than a year later.
The “Cough Syrup” episode has a much heavier storyline than most episodes of “Glee.” While the show doesn’t shy away from serious topics, this was one of the first times creator Ryan Murphy pushed the boundaries of its content. Season 3, episode 14, titled “On My Way,” introduces the heartbreaking plot that leads into the “Cough Syrup” sequence. The former McKinley High School bully Dave Karofsky — who had just transferred schools — is outed at his new school and mercilessly bullied by his peers in person and online, a cruelly ironic parallel to the way he treated Kurt Hummel earlier in the series. Facing merciless harassment from his classmates and unprepared to process his feelings about his sexuality, Karofsky attempts suicide.
Although critics had varying opinions about the scene, the band was receptive to the song’s use in the show. “I don’t think we ever had the intent of the song… (to be used) in such a serious scene,” Gadhia told Billboard. “It’s very, very intense, very, very impactful, and we most definitely empathized with that. All of us have been victims of bullying — and been bullies at some point in time. It’s something that hits everyone.”
While the use of the song in the show created a new narrative for the piece, the original meaning is dark enough on its own. Lyrically, the song describes a person’s last call for help as they are finally giving up and “waiting for [the] cough syrup to come down.” The song’s message was always powerful, but the meaning was still ambiguous before Criss’ cover was released — and left no room for a lighter interpretation. “Glee” typically didn’t change the lyrics of songs they covered, so using a song with clear parallels to Karofsky’s plight in the show is quintessential. Following the lyrics as they unfold alongside the sequence, Criss croons out the opening verse, “I'm losing my mind, losing my mind, losing control,” as Karofsky realizes that he was outed. He rushes home to open his computer and finds his secret splashed all over Facebook. Sobbing, he paces around his room in anguish as he contemplates what to do while the line “A dark world aches for a splash of the sun” rings out. The scene ends with an allusion to Karofsky’s suicide attempt as the dark line “One more spoon of cough syrup” repeats in Criss’s mesmerizing tone.
The arrangement of the original and cover are similar. Both open with soft guitar picking and a solemn serenade of strings to ground the song before it’s juxtaposed with a more upbeat melody later in the track. Both songs also feature a looping drum beat that fluctuates between peaks and valleys during the verses and chorus. However, the songs differ sonically in the tone of Criss’s voice as opposed to Gadhia’s. Criss is known for unbelievably clean and crisp vocals, and he begins the song with exactly that. On the other hand, Gadhia’s voice leans raspier in classic alt-rock style, which lends to a slightly less clear understanding of the lyrics due to his choppier, more rapid delivery. The Young The Giant frontman continues with the same tone throughout the track, channeling the resigned tone of the song’s subject. While Criss’ slightly poppier version builds in intensity along with the song's desperation, his pure tone gets grittier to mimic that anguish. The original song is far more powerful instrumentally; Criss' in-show interpretation makes its meaning come across more forcefully through vocals alone.
The majority of songs “Glee” tackled were already big hits as the show tended to capitalize on popular music. “Cough Syrup” was an exception, but after Criss’ performance, the cover charted at No. 65 on the Billboard Top 100, marking the first time the song had ever hit the Hot 100 and one of only two Young The Giant songs to do so. Rather than fall into indie-rock obscurity, the exposure “Glee” gave “Cough Syrup” in one of the most memorable scenes of 2010s television led to further success outside of the show.
“Glee” may not have the best reputation for delivering consistent show-stopping performances. Still, this specific storyline and the interwoven cover had an impact on those who witnessed it, specifically leading to a spike in traffic to The Trevor Project for people seeking guidance about their queer identity. Using a more obscure song for this heart-breaking sequence gave space for the message to really sink in. Rather than focusing on the fact that your favorite “Glee” character is singing a top 40 hit, you can sit in the track’s obscurity and contemplate the scene free of distraction. Even for a show riddled with controversy, the choice to tackle such a difficult topic with a song as meaningful as “Cough Syrup” makes this episode unforgettable.