Acapella hit a peak of popularity in 2012 alongside the release of the movie Pitch Perfect. The style had been swelling for a few years as several of the most popular videos on YouTube were acapella covers done by performance groups like Pentatonix. This success gave rise to an interesting moment in pop culture where acapella versions of songs began charting.
The Pitch Perfect series is known for its cover songs, comedic prowess, and reaffirmation of Anna Kendrick’s career as one of America’s sweethearts. Filled with talented vocalists and a lot of mashups, the songs of the series stand out as their pride and joy. These are the top 10 covers from the series, based on their impact on the franchise and how good they sound.
10 Since You Been Gone
Taking an iconic song such as Kelly Clarkson’s hit single “Since You Been Gone” and turning it into an audition montage was a perfect way to highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly of auditions. While this song wasn’t perfect in the movie, it is the only time fans get to see a realistic moment in the movie.
This song perfectly highlights several voices, such as Skylar Astin, Ester Dean, and Ben Platt. It was entertaining and relatable in a way that much of the rest of the film might not be for general audiences. Luckily there are plenty of amazing moments and runs that take the sting away from the joke auditions in the movie.
9 Anyway You Want It
The World Championship section of Pitch Perfect 2 had to make the competition feel bigger than just the Bellas and Das Sound Machine. The way they achieved this was to have a montage of several other countries singing the same song. The song chosen was “Anyway You Want It” by Journey.
The cover of Anyway is significant since it not only is a great cover not done by the Bellas or one of their rival teams, but it was a well-translated piece too. Using groups like Pentatonix as the Canadian team, Filharmonic as the Philippines team, and Penn Masala as the Southeast Asian group took the cover over the edge, while also giving a lot of personality to a montage that didn’t need to be that good.
8 We Belong
This is one of the most extra songs in the entire series, which isn’t surprising since it is a Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and Bumper (Adam Devine) number. Taking place as Fat Amy rows across a lake to meet up with Bumper to confess her feelings, it is a musically scored piece (meaning not acapella), but it still slaps.
Through most of the song, fans get a taste of Rebel Wilson’s awe-inspiring vocal range which was recently seen in Cats. Since the two singers are arguably the top comedians in the series, it makes sense that this scene also had some of the funniest moments including a car interrupting the scene. It proves that the characters do belong together, especially given the fact that their relationship is the only one talked about after Beca and Jesse’s doesn’t really pop up after the first movie.
7 Toxic
Pitch Perfect 3 took a lot of risks with its storyline, including a lot of action, world travel, and a DJ Kaled heavy main plot. Where it shined was in the connectedness of the girls as they sang. This is apparent in their cover of Brittany Spear’s “Toxic.”
This scene sees the Bellas pull out the smash hit while trying to distract Fat Amy’s dad who has kidnapped them. The lead-up and action backdrop of this number is a little jarring, but once you get passed the first viewing, the vocals and choreography are well done. The best part is hearing how the techno sounds translate into acapella because they do it beautifully.
6 Pool Mash-Up
Marking the first time the Bellas truly come together as a team, the pool mash-up of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” and Nelly’s “Just A Dream” was a perfect rendition and example of just what the movies are about. The vocal harmonies coming together to form a great tune.
The merging of Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, and Anna Kendrick’s distinct voices brings out their personalities and musical talents in a nice, clean way. The story beats that lead to this moment and the song itself work perfectly giving fans a mash-up they didn’t soon forget.
5 Treblemakers Finale
Even today, 8 years after the release of Pitch Perfect, Skylar Astin and Ben Platt are powerhouses of the stage and screen for good reason. Their voices are amazing. Adding in the rap and beatboxing talents of Utkarsh Ambudkar only made this mashup of “Bright Lights” and “Magic” that much better.
This cover was great for several reasons including it being an evolution of the Treblemakers and a happy ending point for both Jesse and Benji’s characters. The whole scene looks and feels fun as the boys dance around the stage. It makes you wish there were more songs by the three of them in the film.
4 World Championship-Bellas
The World Championship performance by the Bellas was an evolution of what the series started out as and what it had become to that point. Focusing on the girl aspect of the group, this mashup of “Run the World,” Where Them Girls At,” “Timber,” “We Belong,” “Lady Marmalade,” and ending on Jessie J’s “Flashlight,” this song made its stand clear.
Not only were the vocals amazing throughout, but the acapella pieces, including the snap and clap opening, was integral in making this song good. Ester Dean’s leading of the number cannot go unnoticed since she brings her amazing talent to the songs.
3 Bella’s Finale
As the finale of the first movie, this mashup worked perfectly. Featuring “Price Tag” by Jessie J, “Don’t You” by Simple Minds, and “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull, this song was a great way to end the movie. It had callbacks earlier scenes and tied each of the plotlines together in a nice bow.
The most shocking about this mash-up is how well each song works with the others. While “Price Tag” and “Give Me Everything” were modern pop hits, “Don’t You” was a hit in the 80s the merged in seamlessly, giving fans a great sing-a-long song.
2 Riff Offs 1 and 3
While noticing that the riff-off from the second movie isn’t included in this list, the other two riff-offs were a grand example of why this series found its legs for audiences. The first riff-off was everything fans wanted about Pitch Perfect. It was funny, entertaining, and it was memorable. So memorable in fact that it is one of three songs that charted form the soundtrack.
Where the first riff-off was about the fun of acapella, the third riff-off was about the fun of music. The rules are broken immediately, but all of the teams coming together for a wild menagerie of songs like “Zombie,” “Wake Me Up,” and even “If I Were A Boy” was necessary for the movie and memorable. Plus, we can all admit that we tried to have riff-offs, but they weren’t quite as good as the movies.
1 Cups
If there is a song that singlehandedly represents this franchise, it would be “Cups” also titled “When I’m Gone.” Ignoring the fact that Beca would have known “Since You Been Gone” she showed up to auditions and gave one of the best performances in the film.
As the number one selling song from the whole series, “Cups” has earned its place in the annals of musical history. There was a time in 2012 when you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Anna Kendrick singing this song while doing the trademark cup flipping that was popularized with the movie. Even its return in the sequel marked an emotional moment, signifying its impact on the characters and the series.
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