Wicked: The Soundtrack Explained

Wicked: The Soundtrack
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
Cover:Wicked The Soundtrack.jpeg
Studio:
Length:53:58

Wicked: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2024 epic musical fantasy film Wicked by Jon M. Chu, the first of the two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. It was released by Republic Records and Verve Records on November 22, 2024, the same date as the film's theatrical release in the United States. Along with the film cast, the soundtrack is billed to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the film's two main stars, who each appear on seven tracks out of eleven on the standard release. An album of the film's score is scheduled to be released on December 6, 2024.

Background

The soundtrack album comprises 11 songs from the film, with all songs from the first act of the original stage musical being included.[1] [2] Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, each appear on seven songs.[3] The majority of the vocals were recorded live on set, rather than in a recording studio.[4]

It was produced by Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz, Greg Wells, and Stephen Oremus, and was mixed by Wells.[5] [6] All songs were orchestrated by Jeff Atmajian. Mike Knobloch, President of Music and Publishing at NBCUniversal, stated that Schwartz, Wells, Oremus, and the production team wanted the album to be "a standalone and complete aural experience" from the film itself.[7] He further stated:

Production

Work on the soundtrack began early in the film's pre-production process, as the musical numbers would largely drive production. The process began by developing the songs' instrumental tracks and recording demos in phases. The film employed a large orchestra, in contrast to the smaller pit orchestras used in Broadway productions. Schwartz stated, "There's this huge, magical world that Jon Chu has created and the music needed to have the size to occupy that world. . . .Songs needed to be adjusted based on the action we're seeing on the screen. In some cases, things were expanded."[8]

Cast vocals were recorded throughout filming, which required the work of sound engineer Simon Hayes, who worked as a live sound mixer. Each actor was equipped with three microphones: one boom mic and two lavalier microphones. They were also fitted with in-ear monitors that would play a live keyboard or the pre-recorded music. When certain filming restrictions did not allow the actors to sing the entire piece live, their live performances were intercut with their pre-recorded studio vocals. Schwartz stated, "The way their voices sounded in the recording studio needed to match how they sounded when they were on a soundstage, and that was tricky. We had a strong technical team and we were very aware going in that we were going to mix and match."

Musical numbers

"Popular" was the first musical number shot for the film.[9] Schwartz, Wells, and Oremus proposed modifying its rhythm from the stage musical version and "hip-hop[ping] it up a little bit", but Grande insisted that the song stay true to the original.[10] [11] The song features an extended ending with additional key changes.[12] [13]

In the song "One Short Day", Schwartz wrote a new section "to show more of the propaganda that the Wizard was disseminating and really understand better this magic book — the Grimmerie".[14] The new section was performed by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda on Broadway, respectively.[15] [16]

The "Defying Gravity" sequence was filmed about a year into production, having been delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[17] Erivo stated that she wanted the character's voice to grow throughout the song.[18] When recording rehearsal tracks of the song, Erivo first sang the ending battle cry "by the book" before Schwartz encouraged her to try different variations.[19] She stated, "I was always looking forward to that moment, just because everything builds to there. Your body and your brain and your mind – and your heart, really – are waiting to be able to release that one final note, because it's the ultimate moment where [Elphaba] can become herself."[20]

"Ozdust Duet", a new orchestral track, is included as a bonus track on digital versions of the album.[21] [22] It combines elements from "Dancing Through Life" and "For Good", the latter of which is expected to be included in the second film.[23]

Release

The soundtrack album was released on November 22, 2024.[24] [25] In addition to digital download and streaming, it was also released on CD, LP, and picture disc.[26] [27] Exclusive variants of the CD and LP were released at Target and Barnes & Noble.[28] [29] Upon its release, soundtrack album listening parties were held at music stores throughout the United States from November 22 to 24, 2024.[30]

Singles

On November 21, 2024, Hits Daily Double reported that "Popular" and "Defying Gravity" were expected to be released as singles.[31] "Popular" made its radio debut in the United States on November 22, 2024, the same date as the film and soundtrack's release, as the album's mainstream radio single.[32] [33]

Commercial performance

Wicked: The Soundtrack became the most-streamed musical soundtrack on Amazon Music within the first 24 hours of its release.[34] Within the first three days of its release, "Defying Gravity" had been streamed on Spotify 4.9 million times; "Popular" followed suit with 4.6 million streams.[35]

In the U.S., the album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 with 139,000 album-equivalent units, and topped the Top Album Sales chart with 85,000 sales. It marks the highest debut for a soundtrack of a musical stage-to-film adaptation.[36] [37] Seven of its songs made their debuts on the Billboard Hot 100: "Defying Gravity" at number 44, "Popular" at number 53, "What Is This Feeling?" at number 68, "No One Mourns the Wicked" at number 86, "Dancing Through Life" at number 90, "The Wizard and I" at number 93, and "I'm Not That Girl" at number 94.[38]

On the British charts, the album debuted at number 1 on the compilations chart, album downloads chart, and soundtrack albums chart.[39] It was biggest debut week for a musical soundtrack in the 2020s, and earned the largest weekly vinyl sales for a musical soundtrack in the 21st century.[40] On the British singles chart, "Defying Gravity" debuted at number 7, "Popular" debuted at number 13, and "What Is This Feeling?" debuted at number 17.

On the Australian charts, the soundtrack debuted at number 3 on the albums chart, while "Defying Gravity" debuted at number 42 on the singles chart.[41]

Critical reception

The soundtrack received praise from critics, with Variety's Chris Willman writing that "the album puts a further exclamation point on Schwartz's rare brilliance as both melodist and lyricist, a la [Stephen] Sondheim".[42] In addition to commending the vocal performances of Erivo and Grande, Billboard's Stephen Daw praised the updated "poppy" orchestration and vocals provided by Jonathan Bailey in "Dancing Through Life", noting that it is a particular improvement from its original Broadway cast recording counterpart.

Personnel

All music is composed by Stephen Schwartz.[43]

Musicians

Vocalists

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[44] 3
French Albums (SNEP)[45] 38
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[46] 27
Italian Albums (FIMI)[47] 42
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[48] 11
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[49] 47
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[50] 3
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[51] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[52] 37

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)Editions(s)Label(s)
VariousNovember 22, 2024Standard
December 6, 2024Fan edition[53]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Keates . Emma . Well, it doesn't look like there are any new songs on the Wicked soundtrack . . 9 October 2024 . 9 October 2024.
  2. Web site: Anderton . Joe . Wicked movie soundtrack confirms which songs are in first movie . . 9 October 2024 . 9 October 2024.
  3. Web site: Cremona . Patrick . Wicked movie soundtrack: All the songs featured in Part One . . 23 November 2024 . 21 November 2024.
  4. Web site: Culwell-Block . Logan . How Sound Mixer Simon Hayes Captured the Wicked Movie's Live Singing . . 25 November 2024.
  5. Wells . Greg . sirgregwells . Greg Wells . C_hrfErRnjo . Spent the last 25 months building this music day and night. The first of two Wicked movies comes out this Nov. 22 along with the first of two soundtrack albums, that I mixed and produced with the incredible Stephen Oremus and legendary composer Stephen Schwartz. . 5 September 2024 . 3 November 2024.
  6. Web site: Lazarenko . Arlette . How a Newfoundland producer helped shape the music in upcoming blockbuster Wicked . . 3 November 2024 . 27 October 2024.
  7. Web site: Rys . Dan . How the Music of 'Wicked' Came to Life, From Broadway to the Big Screen . subscription . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024.
  8. Web site: Scheps . Leigh . 'Wicked' Composer Stephen Schwartz Details His Journey Down The Yellow Brick Road . . 26 November 2024 . 21 November 2024.
  9. Web site: Lee . Ashley . Inside the 'Wicked' musical number that could win Ariana Grande an Oscar . . 26 November 2024 . 25 November 2024.
  10. Web site: Gutterman . Annabel . Stephen Schwartz on Wicked's Biggest Songs . . 21 November 2024 . 15 November 2024 . November 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241120185422/https://time.com/7175030/wicked-songs-stephen-schwartz-interview/ . live .
  11. Web site: Sharf . Zack . 'Wicked' Team Considered Making 'Popular' More Hip-Hop. Ariana Grande Refused: 'Absolutely Not. I Want to Be Glinda, Not Ariana Playing Glinda' . . 27 November 2024 . 26 November 2024 . November 26, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241126221648/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/wicked-ariana-grande-refused-popular-hip-hop-version-1236223606/ . live .
  12. Web site: Sharpe . Josh . 'Popular' Number Features Extended Ending in WICKED Movie . . 22 November 2024 . 7 November 2024 . November 9, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241109005509/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Popular-Number-Features-Extended-Ending-in-WICKED-Movie-20241107 . live .
  13. Web site: Prance . Sam . Wicked fans are obsessed with Ariana Grande's huge lyric change in 'Popular' . . 29 November 2024 . 28 November 2024 . November 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241129181228/https://www.capitalfm.com/news/tv-film/wicked-popular-ariana-grande-glinda-lyrics-right/ . live .
  14. Web site: Ellis . Maddie . Composer Stephen Schwartz on how that electric 'Wicked' cameo came to be . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024 . November 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241122192500/https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/wicked-kristin-chenoweth-idina-menzel-cameo-rcna181053 . live .
  15. Web site: Hall . Margaret . Behind the Broadway Cameos and the New Song in the Wicked Movie . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024 . November 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241123025916/https://playbill.com/article/behind-the-cameos-and-the-new-song-in-the-wicked-movie . live .
  16. Web site: McCluskey . Megan . All About That Major Surprise Cameo in the 'Wicked' Movie . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024.
  17. Erivo . Cynthia . Cynthia Erivo . . Cynthia Erivo says trust with co-star Ariana Grande helped them tell story of 'Wicked' . . 23 November 2024 . . 24 November 2024 . November 24, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241124015934/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5197807 . live .
  18. Web site: Richlin . Harrison . Cynthia Erivo Says 2023 Strikes Shutting 'Wicked' Production Down Kept Her from Shooting the 'Defying Gravity' Sequence for Six Months . . 22 November 2024 . 10 November 2024.
  19. Web site: Lenker . Maureen Lee . Original 'Wicked' witches join movie stars for a 'once-in-a-lifetime situation' (exclusive) . . 29 November 2024 . 25 November 2024 . November 29, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241129202205/https://ew.com/wicked-cynthia-erivo-ariana-grande-idina-menzel-kristin-chenoweth-share-memories-exclusive-8748434 . live .
  20. Web site: Linton . Siena . Cynthia Erivo underwent 'cardiovascular conditioning' to play Elphaba in 'Wicked' . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024.
  21. Wicked: The Soundtrack är ute nu!. sv. November 22, 2024. Universal Music Sweden. Mynewsdesk. November 22, 2024.
  22. Web site: Daw . Stephen . Every Song From the 'Wicked' Soundtrack, Ranked From Worst to Best . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024.
  23. Web site: Wood . Alex . Wicked movie: every musical easter egg we spotted in the film . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024.
  24. Web site: Aniftos . Rania . 'Wicked: The Soundtrack' Has a Release Date: Here's Where to Pre-Order . . 9 October 2024 . 9 October 2024.
  25. Web site: Paul . Larisha . 'Wicked: The Soundtrack': Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Perform Half of the Musical's Track List . . 9 October 2024 . 9 October 2024 . limited . November 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241120205348/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wicked-soundtrack-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-1235129666/ . live .
  26. Web site: Betancourt . Emiliana . 'Wicked: The Soundtrack' Release Date Announced; Album Includes the 11 Songs from Act One of the Musical . . 9 October 2024 . 9 October 2024.
  27. Web site: Sharpe . Josh . WICKED Movie Soundtrack Available Now . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024 . November 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241122193005/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/WICKED-Movie-Soundtrack-Available-Now-20241122 . live .
  28. Web site: Lassner . Erin . The 'Wicked' Movie Soundtrack Is Available for Pre-Order — Here's How to Snag the Limited-Edition Vinyl, CD and Fold-Out Poster . . 3 November 2024 . 18 October 2024.
  29. Web site: Sharpe . Josh . Elphaba and Glinda Vinyl Editions for WICKED Soundtrack Now Available for Pre-Order . . 29 October 2024 . 22 October 2024.
  30. Web site: Sharpe . Josh . U.S. Music Stores to Host Official WICKED Movie Soundtrack Listening Parties . . 12 November 2024 . 11 November 2024.
  31. Web site: Bad . I.B. . Witching Hour . . 22 November 2024 . 21 November 2024.
  32. Web site: Fields . Taylor . Ariana Grande's 'Popular' Gets Nationwide Radio Debut . . 22 November 2024 . 22 November 2024.
  33. Web site: Cantor . Brian . "Wicked" Songs "Popular" and "Defying Gravity," Rosé’s "Number One Girl" Make Top 100 On US Spotify . . 23 November 2024 . 23 November 2024.
  34. amazonmusic . Amazon Music . 1861190146139308235 . the amount of times we listened to this soundtrack = unliiiiimited . 25 November 2024.
  35. Web site: Masunaga . Samantha . Will 'Wicked' box-office success rejuvenate the tricky business of Broadway adaptations? . . 25 November 2024 . 25 November 2024.
  36. Web site: Caulfield . Keith . 'Wicked' Soundtrack Tops Multiple Billboard Charts, Makes Historic Start on Billboard 200 . . 4 December 2024 . 2 December 2024.
  37. Web site: Evans . Greg . 'Wicked' Soundtrack Debuts At No. 2 On Billboard 200 Chart, Making History For Broadway-To-Film Adaptations . . 2 December 2024 . 2 December 2024 . December 3, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241203013357/https://deadline.com/2024/12/wicked-soundtrack-billboard-chart-1236191273/ . live .
  38. Web site: Zellner . Xander . Hot 100 First-Timers: Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum & More ‘Wicked’ Cast Score Their First Chart Entries . . 4 December 2024 . 4 December 2024.
  39. Web site: Levine . Nick . Wicked storms to Number 1 on the Official Compilations Chart with record-breaking debut . . 29 November 2024 . 29 November 2024 . November 30, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20241130180740/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/wicked-storms-to-number-1-on-the-official-compilations-chart-with-record-breaking-debut/ . live .
  40. Web site: Paine . Andre . Wicked casts its spell with biggest streaming debut for a musical soundtrack in UK chart history . . 29 November 2024 . 29 November 2024.
  41. Web site: Kendrick wins another battle . 29 November 2024 . . 29 November 2024.
  42. Web site: Willman . Chris . 2024-11-23 . 'Wicked: The Soundtrack' Album Review: Stephen Schwartz's World-Beating Song Score Gets Its Due, and So Do the Divas Who Deliver It . 2024-11-24 . . en-US.
  43. Wicked: The Soundtrack . Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande . 2024 . booklet . Universal Studios, Republic Records, Verve Records.
  44. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. December 2, 2024. November 29, 2024. December 2, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241202141122/https://www.aria.com.au/charts/albums-chart/2024-12-02. live.
  45. Web site: Tops de la Semaine – Top Albums (Semaine du 29 novembre 2024). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. French. December 2, 2024. December 7, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221207022448/https://snepmusique.com/les-tops/le-top-de-la-semaine/top-albums/?semaine=48. live.
  46. Web site: Tónlistinn – Plötur – Vika 48 – 2024 . Plötutíðindi . is. The Music – Albums – Week 48 – 2024. November 30, 2024. November 30, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241130034156/https://plotutidindi.is/tonlistinn/. live.
  47. Web site: Album – Classifica settimanale WK 48 (dal 22.11.2024 al 28.11.2024). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. it. November 29, 2024. February 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190205044056/https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/classifiche.kl#/charts/1/2024/48. live.
  48. Web site: Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: December 2, 2024. Oricon. ja. November 27, 2024.
  49. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of November 27, 2024. Billboard Japan. ja. November 27, 2024.
  50. Web site: Official Top 40 Albums. Recorded Music NZ. November 29, 2024. November 29, 2024.
  51. Web site: Top 100 Albums – Week 48. El Portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. December 2, 2024.
  52. Web site: Veckolista Album, vecka 48. Sverigetopplistan. November 30, 2024.
  53. Web site: Sharpe . Josh . New WICKED Soundtrack Fan Editions Available for Pre-Order . . 30 October 2024 . 30 October 2024.

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