The Tonight Show: The five best Wheel of Musical Impressions performances

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’s Wheel of Musical Impressions has provided some impressive performances.

Music has always been a big part of late night television. Singers and musicians have moved from performing to being interviewed as the top guest on some of the biggest shows. Today, no late night show pays more attention to music than The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Jimmy Fallon helped build up his own fan following on Saturday Night LIve through musical performances at the “Weekend Update” desk. That talent helped him land the Late Night job and then The Tonight Show.

Another strength of Fallon’s as a comedian is his impressions. Again, this helped him become a star on Saturday Night Live and proved he had the skills to host a late night show that would incorporate sketches and improv night in and night out.

So those two skills combined with a love of games made something like “Wheel of Musical Impressions” inevitable on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The recurring bit is by far one of the show’s most popular and routinely racks up millions and millions of views online.

Here now we count down the five best “Wheel of Musical Impressions” performances. It wasn’t easy so be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

5. Celine Dion

In this edition from July 2016, Celine Dion not only reminded everyone how impressive her voice is but also showed a sense of humor many didn’t know she had. But that is what you get with Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.

Dion has an iconic and instantly recognizable voice. In fact, don’t be surprised to see “Celine Dion” come up as an impression later in the countdown. Even with that famous voice, Dion is able to pull off some convincing impressions of Cher, Rihanna, and Sia.

4. Demi Lovato

It takes a special kind of talent to play “Wheel of Musical Impressions.” The singer must not only have a few impressions up his or her sleeve but also be comfortable singing on the spot. Singing right next to Jimmy Fallon the couch is much different than singing from the stage during a set.

Demi Lovato proved that she has the right kind of talent to pull off a memorable performance. The Tonight Show didn’t exactly make it easier on her with challenges like Fetty Wap and Christina Aguilera singing “Spongebob Squarepants.”

Fans of Lovato were not surprised to see the singer nail it. Anyone else was shown that Lovato has a powerful voice while not taking herself too seriously.

3. Christina Aguilera

Speaking of Christina Aguilera, she comes in at number three on the countdown. Once again we have a singer with an instantly recognizable voice able to transform it into equally famous voices.

Nobody should really be surprised to see Aguilera crush a singing challenge. This edition of “Wheel of Musical Impressions” gets credit for the combinations it throws at Aguilera.

You’ve probably noticed the trend that no game of “Musical Impressions” is complete without Cher being on the list. Aguilera shows that she may do a better Cher than Cher at this point.

But the real highlight is Aguilera doing Britney Spears. The two singers hit at around the same time and were constantly compared and contrasted through the start of their respective careers. You can tell by the audience reaction what it meant for Britney Spears to come up on the “random” generator. And you can tell by Jimmy Fallon’s reaction just how good Aguilera did with her impression.

2. Adam Levine

Once again we have a singer with a very unique and well-known voice. Adam Levine of Maroon 5 put that impressive voice to work with these impressions.

Frank Sinatra probably wasn’t someone anyone would guess Adam Levine could replicate. But Levine set the bar pretty high right out of the gate.

Michael Jackson may seem a little bit closer to Adam Levine but nobody could have expected him to be that good. The reaction from Jimmy Fallon and the Roots prove that Levine surprised just about everyone in the room with that impression.

Levine caps off his run with a fantastic version of Eddie Vedder. Again, that is a pretty recognizable voice and not at all similar to Levine’s singing voice. But the Maroon 5 frontman kills it and gets a nice ovation from the crowd.

1. Ariana Grande

You knew this was coming. Nobody has been able to do “Wheel of Musical Impressions” quite like Ariana Grande. She is the undisputed queen of this Tonight Show game.

Grande is arguably Jimmy Fallon’s best returning guest not named Justin Timberlake. Every appearance features Grande doing something different and being up for any bit, sketch, or singing challenge.

This edition of “Musical Impressions” from 2015 boasts 136 million views on YouTube. And after watching it, it is obvious why. The video doesn’t get this popular just on the strength of Ariana Grande’s fans alone.

No other singer brought the same level of humor and performance as Grande. She understands that if you’re doing an impression on a late night show, you should probably try to get some laughs from the audience. The singer does just that with the first sound she makes as Britney Spears

Christina Aguilera once again pops up as a challenge. Grande takes it on with ease, delivering perhaps the greatest rendition of “Wheels on the Bus” ever heard.

Things come full circle as Grande closes out the best edition of “Wheel of Musical Impressions” with an impression of Celine Dion. Again, Grande adds a little extra to the performance and solidifies her position as the best at this game.

Who was your favorite singer in “Wheel of Musical Impressions?” Who should have made the list? Be sure to let us know in the comment section.  Keep watching The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for more musical bits like this one.