Lea Michele Reveals Why She Sang ‘Make You Feel My Love’ for Cory Monteith in ‘Glee’
Glee was a television series that defined a generation and created a loyal and dedicated fan base during its six-season run. So when Cory Monteith died in 2013, fans were devastated, as was his co-star and girlfriend, Lea Michele. Glee decided to honor Monteith and his character, Finn, in the fifth season, and Michele picked out a special song for her character to sing during the hour.
Cory Monteith died in 2013
Cory Monteith played Finn Hudson in Glee for four seasons, and Lea Michele played Rachel Berry throughout the show’s entire run. Finn was a seemingly dumb jock who discovered the joys of the glee club. And Rachel was a talented, self-involved singer who had no friends. Finn and Rachel became a couple in Glee, and their portrayers dated in real life.
Sadly, Monteith died from a toxic combination of heroin and alcohol on July 13, 2013. The actor was only 31 years old.
Almost a month later, at the Teen Choice Awards, Michele made her first appearance since Monteith’s death when she accepted an award. She was surrounded by other Glee cast members, and in her speech, she spoke about her late boyfriend.
“I wanted to dedicate this award to Cory,” Michele shared. “For all of you out there who admired and loved Cory as much as I did, I promise that, with your love, we’re going to get through this together.”
She continued, “He was very special to me and also to the world, and we were very lucky to have witnessed his incredible talent, his handsome smile, and his beautiful, beautiful heart. So whether you knew him personally or just as Finn Hudson, Cory reached out, and he became a part of all of our hearts — and that’s where he’ll stay forever.”
Lea Michele shares her thought process behind picking a song for Cory Monteith’s ‘Glee’ tribute episode
Glee Season 5 Episode 3, “The Quarterback,” was dedicated to Cory Monteith and Finn Hudson, and Lea Michele sang Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” during the hour.
On July 20, 2022, Michele started a new tour in Washington DC, where she sang the song from Glee. But before performing, Michele explained why she chose to sing “Make You Feel My Love” back in 2013.
Per HuffPost, she told the crowd, “How can I pick a song that says everything? I don’t even remember what I was listening to at the time. Like, nothing. I just was in such a hole. I’m grateful that [Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy] asked me. I really, really am. Because it needed to be something that felt real for me. But it was also so hard to just think of what song … What could it be? And then I just was immediately like, ‘Oh. That’s it.'”
“I think we maybe listened to the song one time because I know Rachel says in the show we would listen to it, and that’s real,” Michele explained. “A lot of what I say to [Matthew Morrison’s] character in that classroom were exact words that I said to Ryan after everything.”
She concluded, “Then I got to sing [‘Make You Feel My Love’]. And I remember filming it. It was really hard. I would film it, and then I would run off, and then I would come back. And it was wild and hard. But we healed together. And this song helped.”
Lea Michele hasn’t watched Cory Monteith’s episode
Before singing “Make You Feel My Love” at her concert, Lea Michele shared some more information regarding Cory Monteith’s Glee tribute episode.
“I have never watched the episode,” she revealed. “It’s the only one I have not seen. Because I think if I don’t watch it, it just kind of feels like Finn is still there. So this [song] is really special. So let’s try to get through it.”
Glee, starring Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
