Has anyone been listening to the Wicked Part 1 soundtrack on repeat recently? Wicked: For Good comes out super soon, so everyone is preparing by playing the songs on replay. Overall, it’s a masterpiece, but let’s dig a little deeper.
Firstly, all of the background information has to be covered, and the soundtrack does it through song. The movie opens strong with “No One Mourns the Wicked”. Glinda (Ariana Grande) sings about the Wicked Witch of the West’s childhood and upbringing. At the beginning, the munchkins are celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch. Throughout the song, pieces of the witch’s past are revealed. This song is incredible in the vocals, and has great storytelling. I probably listen to this track the most. Next up is “Dear Old Shiz”. More of a forgettable song because it only has a 1:11 run time, and nothing particularly stands out. This song introduces the school, Shiz, where Glinda met Elphaba, the Wicked Witch.
“The Wizard And I” is underrated in my honest opinion. Cynthia Erivo, the actress of Elphaba, has wonderful, powerful vocals in this song that paint all of the emotions Elphaba is dealing with in this moment. The song reveals that Elphaba has a dream to see the wizard, and to have him make her admirable. You can really feel the passion in this track, which makes this song stand out to me.
This next song is about the rivalry between Elphaba and Glinda when they first meet. “What Is This Feeling?” is an upbeat, classic musical theater song. The two girls are trying to navigate their emotions after being assigned the same room, with polar opposite personalities. This song has become an ear-worm for me and many others.
Throughout the girl’s school year their professors that are animals start becoming suppressed. This leads us to the track “Something Bad” A goat shares that he is leaving before they can fully take him away. Although it’s an influential song, it is kind of mundane.
The next two songs are my all-time favorite. In “Dancing Through Life” we meet the main love interest, Fiyero. He encourages everyone to not think as much and ‘dance through life’. With the song almost being 10 minutes long, this is the longest track. Next, “Popular” shows the beginnings of Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship. It radiates girlhood and glamour. If you’re looking for something to dance around in your room to, this is the song for you.
Taking a slower turn, “I’m Not That Girl” expresses Elphaba’s longing for Fiyero, but he is in love with Glinda. This track is filled with solemnity and jealousy, making it very easily relatable to a lot of people. I really love this song. I just forget about it sometimes.
“One Short Day” takes place when Glinda and Elphaba finally reach The Emerald City. The two witches rave over the grand city and everything it has to offer. It also gives some background information on how the Wizard of Oz came to be. Something really cool that they added was bringing back the original Elphaba and Glinda, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, to sing a part. In the next track, “A Sentimental Man” , my personal least favorite, is the Wizard of Oz singing to Elphaba. He convinces her that he can change her life for the better.
For the closing song, “Defying Gravity” portrays how the wizard was a fraud and now Elphaba is fleeing because of this realization. Elphaba and Glinda are disagreeing on how to handle the situation, but are happy for each other in the end. This song, and rightfully so, is the most popular of the soundtrack. Finally, “Ozdust Duet” is a bonus instrumental track on streaming platforms. This is some of the music from the Ozdust ballroom scenes.
The two strongest elements they showed throughout the soundtrack was the storytelling and invoking emotions in listeners. These are what really tie together the soundtrack as a whole and make it so addicting to listen to. Stay tuned for the second round of songs when Wicked: For Good comes to theaters November 21!
