Just three episodes into their second season, the cast of Glee have smashed one of the Beatles' most enduring musical records, chalking up the most top 100 US hits by a non-solo act. As of this week, the fictional high-school glee club has amassed 75 top 100 singles, trouncing the Beatles' record of 71.
Glee came in through the bathroom window. While many bands strive for years, trying to grace the Billboard Hot 100 with another original single, the cast of the US TV show simply recorded dozens of covers. They began flooding the market in September 2009, and by the time we were counting down the seconds to 2010, Glee's cast had already scored 25 hits in the top 100, coming second to the Beatles who had 31 hits in 1964.
But the Fab Four weren't able to hold Glee off for long. Buoyed by a blockbuster new episode starring Britney Spears, the series saw six new singles chart this week. Glee easily pipped the Beatles for the Hot 100 record. The only artists ahead of them now are solo acts – James Brown, who has 91 top 100 singles, and Elvis Presley, who has 108. Ironically, the cast of Glee owes some of their success to John, Paul, George and Ringo: among their hits are covers of Hello Goodbye and I Want to Hold Your Hand.
The Glee cast has sold an impressive 2.8m albums and 11.5m downloads, according to sales source Nielsen Soundscan. Paul McCartney has even expressed interest in making a cameo.