Defying Gravity (song)
Encyclopedia
"Defying Gravity" is the signature song from the musical Wicked
, composed by Stephen Schwartz
, originally recorded by Idina Menzel
and Kristin Chenoweth
on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003. It is mostly a solo
sung by the main character of the show, Elphaba
(the Wicked Witch of the West
), with two small duets at the beginning and in the middle of the song between Elphaba and her friend Glinda, and a chorus part in the end in which the citizens of Oz sing. It was performed on the BBC
television programme I'd Do Anything
, and as a result the song charted at no. 60 on the official UK Singles chart.
In Wicked, the song is the finale for the show's first act, when Elphaba discovers that The Wizard of Oz
is not the heroic figure she had originally believed him to be. Realizing this, and despite Glinda's attempts to dissuade her, Elphaba vows to do everything in her power to fight the Wizard and his sinister plans against the Animals of Oz. She sings of how she wants to live without limits, going against the rules that others have set for her. During the song, Elphaba enchants a broomstick to levitate and, pursued by the Wizard's guards, rises from the stage above the angered citizens of Oz, who try in vain to "bring her down."
The song is heavily cinematic and comes to a climax for the final verse. The staging of this climax features several special effects. The actress playing Elphaba is lifted up into the air by a hydraulic launch system. The sequence relies heavily on around 60 moving lights, smoke, and wind effects.
, having reprised her role as Elphaba in the London production of Wicked in 2006, recorded a remixed "pop mainstream" version of the song. It was released as a single on March 1, 2007 and was later included on the UK
and iTunes versions of her 2008 album I Stand
. The remix of "Defying Gravity" was also the anthem at the 2007 Gay Pride
Parade and Festival in Los Angeles
, and appears on the official CD from the event.
Digital single
Digital maxi single
Digital maxi single (DJ version)
as Elphaba and Lucy Scherer as Glinda.
The Tokyo
cast of Wicked also recorded a version of the song, the title of which translates to "For Freedom." Featuring Megumi Hamada as Elphaba and Miyuki Numao as Glinda.
Kerry Ellis
, who played Elphaba in the West End and Broadway productions of Wicked, released a rock version of the song arranged by Brian May
in 2008 as part of her extended play Wicked in Rock
. She performed this version at the 2008 Royal Variety Performance alongside May on guitar. This version of the song is also included on her debut album Anthems
. Ellis also released a remixed version of her rock version of "Defying Gravity in March 2011.
Philos, a Nashville based band arranged a pop rock version of the song, and released the single on iTunes
on October 26, 2008.
The song was performed by Lea Michele
and Chris Colfer
on the FOX show, Glee
, on November 11, 2009. In the episode "Wheels
", Kurt
and Rachel
audition to perform this song, with Rachel ultimately winning, after Kurt purposely misses the high F out of concern for his father being harassed about his son's sexual orientation. Kurt tells his father, "I love you more than I love being a star." Two versions were featured in the episode: solo versions by Michele and Colfer, and was re-recorded as a duet by both to be on one of the soundtracks
. Those versions cut out the bridge and climax from the original recording. Both versions are available to listen to on Glee The Music.com Curiously, Idina Menzel plays the role of Rachel Berry's mother in the series. Kristin Chenoweth also has a role on the show.
Andi Kitten & Madeline Powell of "The Cactus Cuties" performed this track at "Cactus Cuties Live at the Cactus" in 2009. This was recorded at the Cactus Theater
in Lubbock, Texas
& released via iTunes
& CD available at their website. It also appears on their live DVD of the same concerts."
The song was used to wake up astronauts aboard space shuttle mission STS-131 in April 2010 for astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger
in honor of the day's planned extra-vehicular activity
.
Tony
-award winning Broadway actor and singer Lea Salonga
included this song in her 2005 benefit concert at the Carnegie Hall
in New York City
for the Diverse City Theater Company. She also sang Popular
from the same musical but was sung by the character Glinda
.
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, composed by Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
, originally recorded by Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
and Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003. It is mostly a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
sung by the main character of the show, Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
(the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
), with two small duets at the beginning and in the middle of the song between Elphaba and her friend Glinda, and a chorus part in the end in which the citizens of Oz sing. It was performed on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television programme I'd Do Anything
I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series)
I'd Do Anything is a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and broadcast on BBC One. It premièred on 15 March 2008...
, and as a result the song charted at no. 60 on the official UK Singles chart.
Context and analysis
Wizard (Oz)
The Wizard of Oz, known during his reign as The Great and Powerful Oz, is the epithet of Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
is not the heroic figure she had originally believed him to be. Realizing this, and despite Glinda's attempts to dissuade her, Elphaba vows to do everything in her power to fight the Wizard and his sinister plans against the Animals of Oz. She sings of how she wants to live without limits, going against the rules that others have set for her. During the song, Elphaba enchants a broomstick to levitate and, pursued by the Wizard's guards, rises from the stage above the angered citizens of Oz, who try in vain to "bring her down."
The song is heavily cinematic and comes to a climax for the final verse. The staging of this climax features several special effects. The actress playing Elphaba is lifted up into the air by a hydraulic launch system. The sequence relies heavily on around 60 moving lights, smoke, and wind effects.
Idina Menzel single
Idina MenzelIdina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
, having reprised her role as Elphaba in the London production of Wicked in 2006, recorded a remixed "pop mainstream" version of the song. It was released as a single on March 1, 2007 and was later included on the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and iTunes versions of her 2008 album I Stand
I Stand
-External links:* *...
. The remix of "Defying Gravity" was also the anthem at the 2007 Gay Pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
Parade and Festival in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and appears on the official CD from the event.
Formats and track listings
U.S. CD single- "Defying Gravity" (Tracy Young's Flying Monkey's Club Mix) – 8:02
- "Defying Gravity" (Eddie Baez Club Mix) – 8:42
- "Defying Gravity" (Hani Flying So High Club Mix) – 7:04
- "Defying Gravity" (Josh Harris Vocal Club Mix) – 7:16
- "Defying Gravity" (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Club Mix) – 6:22
- "Defying Gravity" (Single version) – 3:48
Digital single
- "Defying Gravity" (Album version) – 3:46
Digital maxi single
- "Defying Gravity" (Tracy Young's Flying Monkey's Radio Edit) – 3:45
- "Defying Gravity" (Eddie Baez Radio Edit) – 4:54
- "Defying Gravity" (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Radio Edit) – 4:36
- "Defying Gravity" (Hani Flying So High Short Mix) – 4:55
- "Defying Gravity" (Josh Harris Radio Edit) – 3:53
Digital maxi single (DJ version)
- "Defying Gravity" (Tracy Young's Flying Monkey's Club Mix) – 8:02
- "Defying Gravity" (Eddie Baez Club Mix) – 8:42
- "Defying Gravity" (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Club Mix) – 6:22
- "Defying Gravity" (Hani Flying So High Club Mix) – 7:04
- "Defying Gravity" (Josh Harris Vocal Club Mix) – 7:16
Official versions
- "Defying Gravity" (Album version) – 3:46
- "Defying Gravity" (Single version) – 3:48
- "Defying Gravity" (Eddie Baez Club Mix) – 8:42
- "Defying Gravity" (Eddie Baez Radio Edit) – 4:54
- "Defying Gravity" (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Club Mix) – 6:22
- "Defying Gravity" (Funky Junction & Antony Reale Radio Edit) – 4:36
- "Defying Gravity" (Hani Flying So High Club Mix) – 7:04
- "Defying Gravity" (Hani Flying So High Short Mix) – 4:55
- "Defying Gravity" (Josh Harris Vocal Club Mix) – 7:16
- "Defying Gravity" (Josh Harris Radio Edit) – 3:53
- "Defying Gravity" (Tracy Young's Flying Monkey's Club Mix) – 8:02
- "Defying Gravity" (Tracy Young's Flying Monkey's Radio Edit) – 3:45
- "Defying Gravity" (Live from Soundstage) – 3:56
Chart performance
| Chart (2007-2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Other recordings
A German-language version of "Defying Gravity" (called "Frei und schwerelos," which translates to "free and weightless") was recorded on November 21, 2007 by the Stuttgart, Germany cast of Wicked featuring Willemijn VerkaikWillemijn Verkaik
Willemijn Verkaik , is a Dutch singer and actress. She was born in Son en Breugel, Netherlands, but grew up in Nuenen near Eindhoven. She graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatory....
as Elphaba and Lucy Scherer as Glinda.
The Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
cast of Wicked also recorded a version of the song, the title of which translates to "For Freedom." Featuring Megumi Hamada as Elphaba and Miyuki Numao as Glinda.
Kerry Ellis
Kerry Ellis
Kerry Jane Ellis is an English stage actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music...
, who played Elphaba in the West End and Broadway productions of Wicked, released a rock version of the song arranged by Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
in 2008 as part of her extended play Wicked in Rock
Wicked in Rock
- Credits and personnel :*Kerry Ellis - lead vocals, backing vocals*Brian May - arrangement, bass, guitars, keys, production, programming*Steve Sidwell - orchestral arranger, conductor*Taylor Hawkins - drums...
. She performed this version at the 2008 Royal Variety Performance alongside May on guitar. This version of the song is also included on her debut album Anthems
Anthems (Kerry Ellis album)
-Notes:* Tracks that were specifically written for this album.* Tracks that were originally songs by Queen.* Tracks 4, 5 and 10 were originally featured on Ellis' teaser album, Wicked in Rock....
. Ellis also released a remixed version of her rock version of "Defying Gravity in March 2011.
Philos, a Nashville based band arranged a pop rock version of the song, and released the single on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on October 26, 2008.
The song was performed by Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
and Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
on the FOX show, Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, on November 11, 2009. In the episode "Wheels
Wheels (Glee)
"Wheels" is the ninth episode of the American television series Glee. Written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Paris Barclay, the episode premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 2009...
", Kurt
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
and Rachel
Rachel Berry (Glee)
Rachel Berry is a fictional character and de facto female lead from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Rachel was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad...
audition to perform this song, with Rachel ultimately winning, after Kurt purposely misses the high F out of concern for his father being harassed about his son's sexual orientation. Kurt tells his father, "I love you more than I love being a star." Two versions were featured in the episode: solo versions by Michele and Colfer, and was re-recorded as a duet by both to be on one of the soundtracks
Glee: The Music, Volume 1
Glee: The Music, Volume 1 is the debut soundtrack album by the cast of the musical television series Glee, which airs on Fox in the United States. It features cover versions from the first nine episodes of the first season and was released on November 2, 2009 by Columbia Records and 20th...
. Those versions cut out the bridge and climax from the original recording. Both versions are available to listen to on Glee The Music.com Curiously, Idina Menzel plays the role of Rachel Berry's mother in the series. Kristin Chenoweth also has a role on the show.
Andi Kitten & Madeline Powell of "The Cactus Cuties" performed this track at "Cactus Cuties Live at the Cactus" in 2009. This was recorded at the Cactus Theater
Cactus Theater
The Cactus Theater is a theater located in Lubbock, Texas, US. It hosts live music productions, musicals, and theatrical plays.-History:In 1938, Lubbock businessmen Joe H. Bryant, M. A. Sanders, and Glenn Woody, built Lubbock’s first suburban neighborhood movie theater. The Art Deco style theater...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
& released via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
& CD available at their website. It also appears on their live DVD of the same concerts."
The song was used to wake up astronauts aboard space shuttle mission STS-131 in April 2010 for astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger
Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger
Dorothy Marie "Dottie" Metcalf-Lindenburger was born on May 2, 1975 in Colorado Springs, Colorado and married Jason Metcalf-Lindenburger, a seventh grade teacher at the time, in 2000. She was a science teacher at Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Washington when she was selected in 2004 as an...
in honor of the day's planned extra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
.
Tony
Tony
Tony is a male name. It can be a short form of Anthony or Antonio. It may refer to:* Anthony , includes a list of people with this name* Kawasaki Ki-61, a Japanese WWII-era fighter aircraft, code-named "Tony"...
-award winning Broadway actor and singer Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and...
included this song in her 2005 benefit concert at the Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for the Diverse City Theater Company. She also sang Popular
Popular
Popular may in various ways refer to:*an adjective referring to any people or population*Social status, the quality of being well-liked or well-known*Popularity, the quality of being well-liked...
from the same musical but was sung by the character Glinda
Glinda
Glinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
.
See also
- Wicked (musical)Wicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
- Broadway TheatreBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
- West End TheatreWest End theatreWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
- Stephen SchwartzStephen Schwartz (composer)Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
- Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the WestWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the WestWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995 written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. It is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and the...