Do you remember when Glee was good?

Series 1 was unquestionably its heyday from a musical perspective. It had high ratings because you didn’t need Sky One to watch it, and the songs covered were – more often than not – classics that were well overdue a rehash. And, excitingly, every now and again would be a contemporary US chart track that’d failed to register this side of the pond.

Jazmine Sullivan’s Bust Your Windows is one such song. It’s a brilliantly overdramatic, heart-wrought mid-tempo song all about getting your own back on your cheating lover by hitting him where it hurts: the garage. Think of it as Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!) with anger management issues and you can probably guess the words. It differs primarily in one important detail: acknowledgement that the revenge fantasy doesn’t stop the pain.

It would have undoubtedly been a huge hit had it been released in modern R&B’s heyday (anywhere between 1999 and 2002) rather than in 2008. It’s got everything: menacing strings, a mega vocal, call-and-response. Even the video is chock-a-block with genre tropes from the time: coloured smoke-and-light combo? Check. Hyper-stylised house? Check. Cristal splashed about with wanton abandon? Check check check. It’s a thing of nostalgic beauty.

That was a bit good, wasn’t it?

Bust Your Windows has actually charted twice in the UK: the first time was Glee’s version in 2010, performed by Amber Riley as Mercedes (the irony is not lost), who belted it out after failing to pinpoint that the object of her affections – Chris Colfer’s character Kurt – preferred the company of men. The second was Jazmine’s version in 2013, a week after a girl from Preston sang it for her blind audition on The Voice. Jessie J sang along, and turned. So did enough of the nation for it to limp in at no.63.

“After five whole years…” indeed, Jazmine.

Entered chart: 18/05/2013

Chart peak: 63

Weeks on chart: 1

Who could sing this today and have a hit? Imagine for a moment what it’d be like if Adele included this on 25…

Published by Luke Geoffrey

Luke is a 36-year-old copywriter who lives and loves - and loves to live - in Manchester. He sews, cooks and obsesses about pop music. And his waistline. View all posts by Luke Geoffrey