Wicked Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play (2024)

Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Wicked: Part 1!

The Wicked: Part 1 soundtrack – featuring actors Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande – offers a new take on the beloved Broadway songs, making the album appealing long after leaving the movie theater. Since their official announcement back in 2012, the Wicked movies were highly anticipated on a global scale due to the A-list actors and the story connected to The Wizard of Oz. The popularity of Wicked’s OBC album also increased excitement. After the Broadway show was released in 2003, the original soundtrack became the fifth-best-selling cast recording of all time (via Playbill).

As such, the songs in the two-part Wicked movie adaptation needed to be perfect. Luckily, the producers mainly chose cast members with musical theater backgrounds, giving them the skills necessary to handle the challenging music composed by Stephen Schwartz. The choice paid off with all the songs in Wicked: Part 1 bolstering the magical ambiance and exciting storyline.

When Every Song On The Wicked Soundtrack Plays In The Movie

The Wicked: Part 1 Soundtrack Features All The Lead Actors

“No One Mourns The Wicked (featuring Andy Nyman, Courtney Mae-Briggs, Jeff Goldblum, Sharon D. Clarke, & Jenna Boyd)” by Ariana Grande: The song “No One Mourns The Wicked” starts the movie with the Wicked Witch of the West’s hat on a puddle of water and the flying monkeys swooping over the landscape. The song is intercut with Glinda’s introduction and a flashback of Elphaba’s childhood, providing foundational information about the Wicked main character.

“Dear Old Shiz (featuring Ariana Grande)” by Shiz University Choir: Glinda arrives at Shiz University by boat, and a choir sings the school song when she gets to land with the rest of the crowd. During the song, Elphaba walks through the crowd, and the other students recoil.

“The Wizard & I (featuring Michelle Yeoh)” by Cynthia Erivo: Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible starts singing the song after asking Elphaba how long she’s had magic. When Elphaba takes over the song, she hops across stones, looks at flowers, and stares at a carving of The Wizard. She ends the song after running through a wheat field and standing at the edge of a cliff. “The Wizard & I” is essential to understanding Elphaba’s desire to be respected and embraced for the person she is on the inside.

“What Is This Feeling?” by Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo: Like in the musical, this song starts in Wicked: Part 1 with both Elphaba and Glinda (called Galinda at this point) writing letters to their parents. Their duet continues as they figuratively fight over the space in the room and the desks in the classroom and literally fight in martial arts class.

“Something Bad (featuring Cynthia Erivo)” by Peter Dinklage:Peter Dinklage’s Dr. Dillamond starts during a secret meeting of the animal resistance group. Throughout the song, the events are shown through shadow puppets. Part of the way through “Something Bad,” the group hears Elphaba watching from outside, and she’s brought in for the song's ending.

“Dancing Through Life (featuring Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, & Cynthia Erivo)” by Jonathan Bailey: After Fiyero meets Boq in the library, he decides he must corrupt his classmate. He starts singing “Dancing Through Life,” gradually getting more students to dance with him, disrupting everyone else’s studies. The song continues as all the students get ready to sneak out to the Ozdust Ballroom. The group of students ends the song after Elphaba arrives at the party, finally connecting with Glinda.

“Popular” by Ariana Grande: Elphaba and Glinda bond while sitting on the floor talking about secrets. As the sun rises, Glinda sings to her roommate that she will help her become popular now that they are friends. This starts a hilarious makeover montage where the bubbly young woman tries to force her outcast friend to become more conventionally attractive. In the middle of the song, Glinda tries to do magic but gets frustrated when it doesn’t work. By the end of “Popular,” Elphaba gets overwhelmed and runs out.

“I’m Not That Girl” by Cynthia Erivo: Fiyero and Elphaba have a moment of connection, and he leaves to take the lion cub to safety. Then, Elphaba starts singing “I’m Not That Girl” to herself while walking through the forest, trying to convince her that she can’t imagine a romantic relationship with him. The song ends when the young woman watches Fiyero, Glinda, Boq, and Nessa in the distance.

“One Short Day (featuring Michael McCorry Rose)” by Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Kristin Chenoweth, & Idina Menzel: After Elphaba and Glinda get on the train to The Emerald City, “One Short Day” starts. The song continues when they arrive, showing a montage of them visiting the sites in the capital city. The version of the song in Wicked: Part 1 includes a new section written specifically for the film that outlines the way that The Wizard came to power in Oz, sung by the original Broadway actors Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel – an exciting cameo for fans.

“A Sentimental Man” by Jeff Goldblum: The Wizard starts singing “A Sentimental Man” while standing in the model of Oz with Elphaba and Glinda. Partway through, he goes behind a curtain and dances to the music, appearing as a shadow to the young women.

“Defying Gravity (featuring Ariana Grande)” by Cynthia Erivo: After the hot air balloon pops at the end of Wicked, Glinda and Elphaba jump onto the top level of the tower. Glinda starts to get angry, and “Defying Gravity” starts. The song continues as Madame Morrible announces to Oz that Elphaba is evil and the one hurting the animals. The action builds up with Elphaba enchanting her broom and leaving Glinda for the skies. As Screen Rant’s Wicked review points out, the sequence goes on for an extended time, ending Wicked on a high note.

Where To Listen To Wicked's Soundtrack

The Wicked: Part 1 Soundtrack Is Available In Many Formats

Wicked: Part 1 offers a new take on the beloved musical, interpreting the songs by Stephen Schwartz in a fresh way. As such, movie fans might want to listen to the songs again after getting out of the theater. Luckily, all eleven songs from the film are available in an album called Wicked: The Soundtrack. As of November 22, 2024, the soundtrack is accessible on all major streaming platforms, including but not limited to Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

For those who want more permanent ownership of the songs, Variety announced in October 2024 that Republic Record and Verve Record would release Wicked: The Soundtrack for digital download, CD, LPs, and picture disc. Multiple variants and alternative covers featuring Glinda, pink vinyl, Elphaba, and green vinyl are available. The record labels released exclusive versions of the CD at Barnes and Noble and Target, and the latter has an exclusive half-pink and half-green vinyl as well. With so many different formats available, Wicked: Part 1 fans will be able to relive the magic as often as they want.

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9/10

76

8.3/10

Wicked

PG

Adventure

Fantasy

Musical

Director

Jon M. Chu

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Studio(s)

Marc Platt Productions

Distributor(s)

Universal Pictures

Writers

Gregory Maguire , Winnie Holzman , Dana Fox , L. Frank Baum

Cast

Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande , Michelle Yeoh , Jeff Goldblum , Jonathan Bailey , Ethan Slater , Marissa Bode , Bowen Yang , Bronwyn James , Keala Settle , Peter Dinklage , Aaron Teoh , Grecia De la Paz , Colin Michael Carmichael , Adam James , Andy Nyman , Courtney Mae-Briggs , Sharon D. Clarke , Jenna Boyd

Character(s)

Elphaba Thropp , Glinda Upland , Madame Morrible , The Wizard , Fiyero Tigelaar , Boq , Nessarose Thropp , Pfannee , ShenShen , Miss Coddle , Doctor Dillamond (voice) , Avaric Tenmeadows , Gilligan , Professor Nikidik , Glinda's Father , Governor Frexspar Thropp , Melena Thropp , The Midwife

Runtime

160 Minutes

Main Genre

Musical