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You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray is featured in The Purple Piano Project, the first episode of Season Three. It is sung by the New Directions with solos from Artie, Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel, and Tina.

The performance begins in The Choir Room as Rachel gets up to perform. The New Directions watch as she begins with a slow ballad and it then cuts to the auditorium where the New Directions sing and dance in purple, the song now up-beat. During the song, an envious Quinn watches New Directions perform this song from backstage.

Lyrics

Rachel:
You can't stop an avalanche,
As it races down the hill,
You can try to stop the seasons 
But you know you never will
And you can try to stop my dancin' feet
But I just cannot stand still
'Cause the world keeps spinnin'
Round and round
And my heart's keeping time
To the speed of sound
I was lost 'til I heard the drums
And I found my way
'Cause you can't stop the beat

Five, six, seven, eight!

Rachel with Finn:
Ever since this old world began 
A woman found out if she shook it 
She could shake up a man 
And so I'm gonna shake and shimmy it 
The best that I can today
'Cause you can't stop
The motion of the ocean
Or the sun in the sky
You can wonder if you wanna
But I never ask why
If you try to hold me down
I'm gonna spit in your eye and say
That you can't stop the beat!

Kurt: 
You can't stop a river 
As it rushes to the sea

Artie: 
You can try to stop the hands of time
But ya' know it just can't be

Kurt: 
And if they try to stop us, Artie

Artie and Kurt:
I'll call the N-double-A-C-P

Kurt:
'Cause the world keeps spinning
'Round and 'round (Artie: 'Round and 'round)
And my heart's keeping time
To the speed of sound (Artie: Speed of sound, yeah!)
I was lost 'til I heard the drums

Artie and Kurt:
Then I found my way!

Kurt:
'Cause you can't stop the beat

Artie and Kurt:
Ever since we first saw the light
A man and woman liked to shake it
On a Saturday night
So I'm gonna shake and shimmy it
With all of my might today

Kurt:
'Cause you can't stop

Artie and Kurt:
The motion of the ocean
Or the rain from above
You can try to stop the paradise
We're dreamin' of
But you cannot stop the rhythm
Of two hearts in love to stay
'Cause you can't stop the beat!

New Directions:
Badababa ba ba...

Mercedes (Tina with New Directions):
You can't stop today (No!)
As it comes speeding down the track (Ooo ooo ooo)
(Child yeah!) Child, yesterday is hist'ry (He's gone!)
And it's never coming back (Don't look back!)

Mercedes (Finn and Tina with New Directions):
Cause tomorrow (Tomorrow) is a brand new day (Brand new day)
And it don't know white from black (Yeah!)

Mercedes (with New Directions):
'Cause the world (keeps spinning' round and 'round)
And my heart's (keeping time to the speed of sound)
I was lost ('til I heard the drums, then I found my way)
'Cause you can't stop the beat!

Finn with New Directions Boys (Tina with New Directions Girls):
Oh.. (oh, oh!)
Oh.. (oh, oh, oh!)

Tina with New Directions (Mercedes):
(Yeah!) Ever since we first saw the sun (Saw the sun!)
A man and woman liked to shake it
When the day is done (Day is done!)
So I'm gonna shake and shimmy it
And have some fun today (Today!)
'Cause you can't stop
The motion of the ocean
Or the rain from above
You can try to stop the paradise
We're dreaming of (Dreaming of!)
But you cannot stop the rhythm
Of two hearts in love to stay (To stay!)

Rachel:
You can't stop the beat! (New Directions: You can't stop the beat)

Mercedes and Rachel with New Directions:
You can't stop the beat! (New Directions: You can't stop the beat)
You can't stop the (Rachel: Beat!)

Mercedes:
Yeah..., yeah..., hey...!

New Directions:
Badababa ba ba...

Trivia

  • This is the first and only New Directions song where only the original 6 members have solos.
  • Matthew Morrison was in the original Broadway cast of Hairspray, playing Link Larkin, the lead male role.
  • The Glee version is shorter than the original version since it removed one verse and chorus (Edna Turnblad's solo).
  • You Can't Stop the Beat was sung as a homework assignment during "Glee-ality", the last episode of The Glee Project's second season.
  • Tina's lead in the last chorus is often mistaken for Rachel because of the similarity between their voices, however Alex Anders, the music producer for Glee confirmed that it was in fact Jenna singing and not Lea.
  • This is Blaine's first performance as a member of the New Directions.

Errors

  • At the end, Brittany lands in a split with her arm in the air. In the next shot, she is saluting with the same hand.
  • At the end of the song, Blaine and Kurt jump on the piano however Kurt slips off but quickly recovers and jumps back on.
  • When Rachel starts singing, the piano Brad plays on is dirty, then clean, from shot to shot.

Gallery

Videos

Hairspray_-_You_Can't_Stop_the_Beat

Hairspray - You Can't Stop the Beat

Glee_You_Cant_Stop_the_Beat_Full_Performance

Glee You Cant Stop the Beat Full Performance

You_Can't_Stop_The_Beat_-_Glee_HD_Full_Studio_Sub_eng

You Can't Stop The Beat - Glee HD Full Studio Sub eng

Glee_-_You_Can't_Stop_The_Beat_(Acapella)

Glee - You Can't Stop The Beat (Acapella)

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