When I posted my review of the movie, I checked my blog to see what else I’d written about Wicked and was surprised to find only one other post, a review of the book. I really haven’t written about the show at all! I suppose I was long past my teenage Wicked years by the time I started this blog, but I still hadn’t expected that. It’s all right, though—it just means I can write all kinds of stuff about the movie without doubling up from old posts! It turns out one good reason that Wicked was split into two movies is that now I’ll be able to do two different Top Five Songs write-ups.
“No One Mourns the Wicked” – Strong opening number. Ariana Grande is just instantly Glinda from head to toe, her singing lovely and her acting fantastic. I love the needle she threads as Glinda moves through the celebrating crowd, especially when she sees the giant effigy the Munchkinlanders have built of Elphaba.
Best lyric: “Yes, goodness knows the wicked’s lives are lonely. / Goodness knows the wicked cry alone. / Nothing grows for the wicked, they reap only / What they’ve sown.”
“What Is This Feeling?” – This is a really entertaining number, Elphaba and Galinda going toe-to-toe in song while their roommate squabbles escalate onscreen. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sound terrific together, and I like how their feud about Galinda’s trunks taking over the room carries into the dining hall and their classrooms. The choreography toward the end is a lot of fun!
Best lyric: “Though I do admit it came on fast, / Still I do believe that it can last. / And I will be loathing, / Loathing you / My whole life long!”
“Dancing Through Life” – Love! I enjoyed this song in the Broadway cast recording, but I adore it in the movie. In terms of staging and choreography, it’s one of the best set pieces in the film—those revolving circular bookcases, my god! It’s easy to see everyone falling in love with Fiyero throughout the number, and Jonathan Bailey plays the role to a tee. The more story-driven second half of the song comes off really well too, flowing from location to location, with the music weaving in and out between the dialogue.
Best lyric: “Dancing through life down at the Ozdust / If only because dust is what we come to. / Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters, / It’s just life, / So keep dancing through.”
“Popular” – It might be an obvious crowd-pleaser, but for good reason! It’s an utter delight to watch Galinda attempt to make Elphaba over while espousing her philosophy—she’s so gloriously extra and kooky! I also like that, even though Elphaba is overwhelmed and apprehensive about this whole thing, we do see her getting into the spirit of it at different points.
Best lyric: “It’s all about popular. / It’s not about aptitude— / It’s the way you’re viewed. / So it’s very shrewd to be / Very, very popular / Like me!”
“Defying Gravity” – If I was going purely off the soundtrack, there’d definitely be more Elphaba on this list—Cynthia Erivo’s voice, my god! But I’m looking at the numbers as a whole within the film, and as much as I love “The Wizard and I” and “I’m Not that Girl,” the visuals on those songs don’t pull me in as strongly as the others on this list do. If there’s a quintessential showcase for Elphaba, though, it’s obviously “Defying Gravity.” And wow, does she stun! Some fans have complained about how protracted the larger scene is, but I like the way the song swells in and out, with bits of action and dialogue interspersed within it. Erivo is at the absolute top of her game—she and Grande are both heartbreaking in the quieter parts, and Erivo blows the roof off the big finish. This whole scene was a moment, and a breathtaking way to end the film.
Best lyric: “Too long I’ve been afraid of / Losing love, I guess I’ve lost. / Well, if that’s love, if comes at much too high a cost.”
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