Popular (Wicked song)
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| "Popular" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Kristin Chenoweth | |
| from the album Wicked | |
| Released | December 16, 2003 |
| Recorded | November 10, 2003[1] |
| Genre | Show tune |
| Label | Decca Broadway |
| Songwriter(s) | Stephen Schwartz |
"Popular" is a song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz. It was originally recorded on November 10, 2003 by American actress Kristin Chenoweth, who portrayed Glinda in the musical. The song was released as part of the accompanying cast recording on December 16, 2003. The song is about Glinda trying to help her roommate Elphaba become more popular. American singer Ariana Grande performed a version of "Popular" for the 2024 film adaptation of the musical, which was released as a single.
Composition
[edit]"It's [the song] meant to be as shallow as possible. And I think that's why people enjoy it, because it's real funny in that way. But it's also political. Glinda refers to the fact that politicians and heads of state get by not because they're particularly smart, but because people like to hang out with them."[2]
"Popular" was written by the composer Stephen Schwartz for the first act of the 2003 musical Wicked. It is sung by the character Glinda and is considered the character's definitive song, while also including brief dialogue interludes by Elphaba. While writing the song, Schwartz imagined one of "those cheerleaders" — "She was the most popular girl at school, and she always went out with the captain of the football team. She was always the homecoming queen, blonde with a perky nose – the whole thing." Schwartz has compared the song to the plot of the film Clueless.[2]
In "Popular", Glinda attempts to get Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, to conform to the accepted ideas of beauty and popularity as a means of establishing their newfound friendship. Schwartz described the lyrics as "empty calories" and shallow. The composition of the song is a more bubblegum sound than the rest of the musical, with Beatles influences. Glinda also yodels on the word "popular" because Schwartz was thinking of Oklahoman Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role of Glinda, while writing the song.[2]
On stage
[edit]
Stage performances of "Popular" are often accompanied with outlandish physical comedy and improv add-ons by Glinda that highlight her bubbly character and enthusiasm. Examples include exaggerated "hair toss", humorous dance routines, and the hysterical "pillow scream" popularized by Alli Mauzey. Occasionally, Glinda's antics may cause the actress playing Elphaba to lose composure and break character to the amusement of the audience and on-stage performers alike.
Reception and legacy
[edit]Laura Reineke of the blog Vulture ranked "Popular" as the second-best song from Wicked, calling it "bubbly and refreshingly self-aware" and praising it for showcasing Kristin Chenoweth's singing and comedic talent.[3]
"Popular" was sampled in "Popular Song" by English singer Mika featuring American singer Ariana Grande (who would later portray Glinda in the movie) from their albums The Origin of Love (2012) and Yours Truly (2013), respectively. It was also sampled by the producer Pheelz in his song "Popular" which features the artiste Vector for his "#A7" audio - visual album.
On July 31, 2013, Kristin Chenoweth performed a lyrically modified version of "Popular" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, about New York politician Anthony Weiner. In it, she tells Weiner how to be "the right kind of popular," and also his wife to "take a page from Hillary and become independent of her hubby, while [Weiner sports] a chat room chubby". Some of the original lyrics are also present.[4]
In late 2014, Chenoweth included a multilingual version of the song in her live album Coming Home. This new rendition includes lyrics from the Japanese and German versions of the song. In 2015, the song was covered in the sixth season of the TV series Glee. It was sung by Lea Michele and Chris Colfer as Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel in the episode "2009". Satirical singer Randy Rainbow made a version called "Unpopular", critical of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.[5]
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[6] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Ariana Grande version
[edit]| "Popular" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ariana Grande | ||||
| from the album Wicked: The Soundtrack | ||||
| Released | November 22, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Genre | Show tune | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Stephen Schwartz | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Ariana Grande singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
American singer and actress Ariana Grande performed a rendition of "Popular" as Glinda in the first part of Universal Pictures' two-part film adaptation of Wicked, which was released on November 22, 2024.[7] Her version of the song was released the same day on the soundtrack album Wicked: The Soundtrack (2024).[8] It was simultaneously sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States by Republic Records and Verve Records as the lead single from the album.[9][10]
Composition
[edit]For the film version, Stephen Schwartz, music producer Greg Wells, and musical supervisor Stephen Oremus wanted to modify the rhythm of the song from the stage musical version.[11] Schwartz confessed that "In the spirit of being open to new things for the movie, my music team and I thought, let's refresh the rhythm. Let's, maybe, I don’t know, hip-hop it up a little bit." However, Grande resisted and said that she wanted to "be Glinda, not Ariana Grande playing Glinda."[12] She insisted that the song stay true to the original and that all changes to the song felt like they came from Glinda’s motivations and not her own vocal stylings. According to Schwartz, Grande added "little inventive things within it, but I think they are strongly character-based."[11] The song's climax was also extended with additional key changes and vocal extensions as part of the expansion of the film's plot, while also to showcase the range of Grande's talents.[13] Though initially hesitant about performing the extended ending, after Schwartz explained to her how it matched Glinda's behavior, especially visually on-screen, Grande was convinced and went along with the change "wholeheartedly."[11]
Filming
[edit]_2.jpg)
"Popular" was the first song shot for the film, and posed the challenge of creating a "huge, grand number" in the smallest set of a dorm room. Cinematographer Alice Brooks came up with the idea of "Popular" being one long sunrise as opposed to "Defying Gravity" being a sunset, leading to the addition of a skylight in the dorm’s dome ceiling to allow the sun to be the spotlight. For the sequence, costume designer Paul Tazewell created an outfit for Glinda that was a "pink, dotted peignoir with spiraling circles out of ruffles" to reflect the playful and frivolous vibe of the song. For the extended ending of the song, Grande freestyled a set of dance movements in a long hallway set, including a new high kick.[12]
Critical reception
[edit]Writing for Billboard, Stephen Daw named "Popular" the third-best song of the soundtrack album and expressed that Grande put all concerns to rest about whether her version would live up to Chenoweth's original. Daw praised the song as "campy", "hilarious", "technically impressive" due to "Grande’s killer voice." He also lauded Grande's "comedy chops" for giving Glinda the "outsized vapidity" required for the song and the "stratospheric key-changes" at the end that contributed to its maximalist feel.[14] Similarly, The Daily Telegraph noted that Grande made the song her own while paying homage to Chenoweth's performance and asserted that the song alone "proves that Grande was born to play Glinda."[15]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[16] | 52 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] | 77 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[18] | 54 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[19] | 26 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[20] | 8 |
| Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[21] | 46 |
| South Korea Download (Circle)[22] | 93 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[23] | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[24] | 53 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[25] | 27 |
| US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[26] | 29 |
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | November 22, 2024 | Contemporary hit radio | [9][27] | |
| Italy | December 13, 2024 | Radio airplay | Universal | [28] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Gans, Andrew (September 9, 2016). "Original Wicked Cast Recording Goes Vinyl". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
- ^ a b c David Cote (2005). Wicked: The Grimmerie. Hyperion. pp. 78–79. ISBN 1-4013-0820-1.
- ^ Reineke, Laura (October 30, 2013). "Wicked at 10: Ranking the Broadway Hit's Songs". Vulture. New York. New York Media, LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (July 31, 2013). "Kristin Chenoweth Sings Anthony Weiner-Inspired 'Popular' Parody (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "UNPOPULAR! - 🎶 Randy Rainbow Song Parody 💄". YouTube. May 2017.
- ^ "British single certifications – Kristin Chenoweth – Popular". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Anderton, Joe (9 October 2024). "Wicked movie soundtrack confirms which songs are in first movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ Paul, Larisha (9 October 2024). "'Wicked: The Soundtrack': Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Perform Half of the Musical's Track List". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ a b Fields, Taylor (November 22, 2024). "Ariana Grande's 'Popular' Gets Nationwide Radio Debut". iHeartRadio. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Cantor, Brian (23 November 2024). ""Wicked" Songs "Popular" and "Defying Gravity," Rosé's "Number One Girl" Make Top 100 On US Spotify". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ a b c Gutterman, Annabel (November 15, 2024). "Stephen Schwartz on Wicked's Biggest Songs". Time. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ a b Lee, Ashley (November 25, 2024). "Inside the 'Wicked' musical number that could win Ariana Grande an Oscar". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Sharpe, Josh (November 7, 2024). "'Popular' Number Features Extended Ending in WICKED Movie". Broadway World. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Daw, Stephen (22 November 2024). "Every Song From the 'Wicked' Soundtrack, Ranked From Worst to Best". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ Collins, Nicole (November 22, 2024). "Father John Misty produces an epic masterpiece – plus the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 9 December 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1814. Australian Recording Industry Association. December 9, 2024. p. 4.
- ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Saulo, Gabriel (December 4, 2024). "Cynthia Erivo's "Defying Gravity" and Ariana Grande's "Popular" From 'Wicked' Break Into The Philippines Hot 100". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ "Download Chart – Week 47 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved November 28, 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
- ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ "Hot New Releases". Hits. November 22, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-17.
- ^ Mompellio, Gabriel. "ARIANA GRANDE "Popular" | (Radio Date: 13/12/2024)" (Press release) (in Italian). Airplay Control. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
