- Wicked features more than 20 musical numbers and reprises, including “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” “The Wizard and I,” “Dancing Through Life,” and “For Good.”
- The score follows Elphaba and Glinda from their first meeting at Shiz University through the choices, relationships, and events that shape their lives in Oz.
- Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for Wicked, which opened on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre in 2003.
For more than 20 years, the songs of Wicked have been a defining part of the Broadway musical, from Elphaba’s soaring “Defying Gravity” to Glinda’s playful “Popular” and the friends’ emotional duet “For Good.”
With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, the Wicked Broadway score follows Elphaba and Glinda from their first meeting at Shiz University through the events that shape their lives in Oz. Here’s a guide to all the songs in Wicked on Broadway and where they appear in the story.
Note: The following contains spoilers for Wicked.
What songs are in ‘Wicked’ on Broadway?
The Broadway score of Wicked includes more than 20 musical numbers and reprises across two acts. Some of the best-known Wicked songs include “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” “The Wizard and I,” “Dancing Through Life,” “No Good Deed,” and “For Good.”
Here is the complete song list from the Broadway musical.
‘Wicked’ Act I songs
“No One Mourns the Wicked”
Wicked begins after the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, with the citizens of Oz celebrating the news. Glinda joins them but raises a question that sits at the heart of the musical: How does someone come to be considered wicked?
The story then moves into the past to reveal the life of Elphaba, the woman who would eventually become known as the Wicked Witch.
“Dear Old Shiz”
The story travels back to Shiz University, where Elphaba and Glinda first meet. The number introduces the school and sets up the beginning of their very unlikely relationship.
The Wizard and I”
Elphaba imagines what could happen if her magical abilities bring her to the attention of the Wizard of Oz. The song gives audiences an early look at her ambitions and her hope that being recognized for her talents could transform her life.
“The Wizard and I” is one of Elphaba’s major solo numbers in the Broadway musical.
“What Is This Feeling?”
Elphaba and Glinda have become roommates, but friendship is still a long way off. In “What Is This Feeling?,” they enthusiastically describe their immediate dislike for each other, with their fellow students soon joining in.
“Something Bad”
Doctor Dillamond tells Elphaba that something troubling is happening to the Animals of Oz. The number introduces a conflict that becomes increasingly important to Elphaba and helps drive her desire to meet the Wizard.
“Dancing Through Life”
“Dancing Through Life” introduces Fiyero and his carefree approach to life at Shiz. The ensemble number brings several of the musical’s relationships together and leads to an important turning point in Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship.
“Popular”
One of the best-known songs from Wicked, “Popular” sees Glinda decide that her new friend Elphaba could benefit from some of her expertise.
It is Glinda’s signature solo in the musical and marks just how far the relationship between the two roommates has come since “What Is This Feeling?”
“I’m Not That Girl”
Elphaba realizes that she has developed feelings for Fiyero but believes that he could never feel the same way about her. The quieter ballad reveals another side of Elphaba as her friendship with Glinda and relationship with Fiyero become more complicated.
“One Short Day”
Elphaba and Glinda arrive in the Emerald City, where they take in the sights before Elphaba’s long-awaited meeting with the Wizard.
The colorful ensemble number provides one of the musical’s biggest celebrations of Oz before the story takes a dramatic turn.
“A Sentimental Man”
Elphaba finally meets the Wizard, who presents himself as an ordinary man whose desire to be a father helped shape the leader he became.
“Defying Gravity”
“Defying Gravity” closes Act I and is one of the most recognizable songs in Wicked. After discovering the truth behind what is happening in Oz, Elphaba must decide whether to follow the Wizard or stand against him.
Her decision changes the course of the story and culminates in one of Wicked’s signature theatrical moments as Elphaba rises above the stage.
‘Wicked’ Act II songs
“Thank Goodness”
Act II finds Glinda celebrated by the people of Oz while Elphaba has been publicly branded the Wicked Witch. Beneath the celebrations, however, Glinda begins to question whether getting everything she once wanted has actually made her happy.
“Wonderful”
Elphaba meets the Wizard again and is offered another opportunity to join him. “Wonderful” explores how reputation and perception can shape the way people and their actions are remembered.
“I’m Not That Girl” (Reprise)
Glinda reprises Elphaba’s earlier song as the relationships between Elphaba, Fiyero, and Glinda shift.
“As Long As You’re Mine”
Elphaba and Fiyero share this duet as they acknowledge their feelings for each other while facing an uncertain future.
“No Good Deed”
“No Good Deed” is Elphaba’s final major solo. Frustrated by the consequences of her attempts to help others, she questions whether doing good has achieved anything at all and begins to embrace the identity Oz has created for her.
“March of the Witch Hunters”
The citizens of Oz gather to hunt Elphaba, bringing the story closer to the events audiences may recognize from The Wizard of Oz.
“For Good”
Elphaba and Glinda meet again and reflect on how profoundly their friendship has changed them both.
“For Good” is one of the best-known songs in Wicked and brings the relationship at the center of the musical toward its emotional conclusion.
“Finale”
The finale returns the story to where Wicked began, following the reported death of the Wicked Witch of the West. As the people of Oz celebrate, the musical reveals the final consequences of Elphaba and Glinda’s choices.
Who wrote the songs in ‘Wicked’?
The music and lyrics for Wicked were written by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose Broadway credits also include Godspell and Pippin. Winnie Holzman wrote the musical’s book.
Wicked opened on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre in 2003, with Idina Menzel originating the role of Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth originating the role of Glinda.
Want to learn more about the story behind the songs? Read our Everything You Need to Know Before You Go: Wicked on Broadway.
You can also find Wicked Broadway tickets through Broadway Direct and hear “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” “For Good,” and the rest of the score live at the Gershwin Theatre.
