The 2024 film Wicked—also presented onscreen as Wicked: Part I—uses 11 principal songs in the same order as the first act of the stage musical. The standard soundtrack, released November 22, 2024, runs 53:58. Here is what each song does in the story, from Glinda’s opening celebration to Elphaba’s escape in “Defying Gravity.”
The complete Wicked movie soundtrack in order
| # | Song | Performer(s) | Album length | When it plays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No One Mourns the Wicked | Ariana Grande with ensemble | 7:27 | After Oz learns that the Wicked Witch is dead; Glinda’s public image frames the story. |
| 2 | Dear Old Shiz | Shiz University Choir featuring Ariana Grande | 1:11 | Introduces Shiz University and its students before Elphaba arrives. |
| 3 | The Wizard and I | Cynthia Erivo featuring Michelle Yeoh | 5:36 | Madame Morrible notices Elphaba’s ability and promises to contact the Wizard. |
| 4 | What Is This Feeling? | Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo | 3:48 | New roommates Glinda and Elphaba express their immediate mutual hatred. |
| 5 | Something Bad | Peter Dinklage featuring Cynthia Erivo | 1:48 | Doctor Dillamond warns that Animals are losing the power of speech. |
| 6 | Dancing Through Life | Jonathan Bailey featuring Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode and Cynthia Erivo | 9:47 | Fiyero arrives, students gather at the Ozdust Ballroom, and Glinda gives Elphaba the pointed hat. |
| 7 | Popular | Ariana Grande | 4:01 | Glinda begins a makeover lesson intended to make Elphaba socially popular. |
| 8 | I’m Not That Girl | Cynthia Erivo | 3:57 | Elphaba privately accepts that the person she loves may never choose her. |
| 9 | One Short Day | Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth and ensemble | 6:32 | Elphaba and Glinda visit Emerald City before meeting the Wizard. |
| 10 | A Sentimental Man | Jeff Goldblum | 2:12 | The Wizard presents himself to Elphaba as a sympathetic leader. |
| 11 | Defying Gravity | Cynthia Erivo featuring Ariana Grande | 7:39 | After the Wizard’s betrayal, Elphaba rejects submission, levitates and escapes Oz. |
These listed lengths are the standard album tracks. A film stream, theatrical cut or end-credit presentation can place a song’s start and finish slightly differently, so the track order is more reliable than a universal timestamp.
What happens in each musical sequence?
1. “No One Mourns the Wicked”
The film opens after the citizens of Oz hear that the Wicked Witch has died. The celebratory number establishes how Glinda is seen by the public while raising the story’s central question: how does someone become “wicked”?
2. “Dear Old Shiz”
This short choral introduction shifts the setting to Shiz University. It establishes the school community and student culture before Elphaba enters that world.
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3. “The Wizard and I”
Madame Morrible recognizes Elphaba’s magical potential and says she will write to the Wizard. Elphaba imagines that an audience with him will transform her life. Composer Stephen Schwartz has described it as the first time Elphaba is valued for something beyond her green skin.
4. “What Is This Feeling?”
Forced into the same room, Glinda and Elphaba become instant enemies. Schwartz characterized the comic duet as a “falling in hate” song.
5. “Something Bad”
Doctor Dillamond tells Elphaba that Animals are being silenced. The warning broadens the plot from an awkward university relationship to a political threat affecting all of Oz.
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6. “Dancing Through Life”
Fiyero’s arrival draws the students to the Ozdust Ballroom. The long ensemble number advances several relationships at once: Glinda gives Elphaba the pointed hat, and the two share a wordless, emotionally important dance. Schwartz has said that the staging lets music and movement communicate a major story turn without dialogue.
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7. “Popular”
Following that breakthrough, Glinda offers to teach Elphaba how to become popular. The movie extends the song’s ending, while Grande’s performance keeps the comedy tied to Glinda’s character rather than treating the number as a detached pop showcase.
8. “I’m Not That Girl”
Elphaba’s quiet solo is the emotional counterpoint to “Popular.” She sings about loving someone she believes will never see her as the person he could choose.
9. “One Short Day”
The pair travel to Emerald City. Compared with the stage version, the film expands the number with more Oz history, material involving the Grimmerie and a clearer look at the Wizard’s propaganda before the audience with him.
10. “A Sentimental Man”
The Wizard introduces himself as understanding and humane. That presentation matters because the next sequence reveals the political deception beneath it.
11. “Defying Gravity”
When the Wizard betrays Elphaba and turns Oz against her, she refuses to comply. She levitates and escapes, making this the film’s closing musical sequence and its Act I cliffhanger. The soundtrack also contains an album-only passage, so the recording is not an exact duplication of the movie mix.
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How the film soundtrack differs from the stage recording
The film keeps the first act’s principal songs but presents them on a larger cinematic scale. The most notable changes are the extended ending of “Popular” and the expanded “One Short Day,” which adds Grimmerie and propaganda material. The performances are the film cast’s recordings, and the album mix can differ from what is heard in the finished movie.
Which Wicked soundtrack edition should you choose?
| Edition or format | What it contains | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard digital or streaming album | 11 songs, 53:58 total | Hearing the story in film order |
| CD | Standard 11-track program | A physical copy for regular listening |
| Double vinyl | Standard soundtrack on two records | Listeners who want a conventional vinyl edition |
| Picture disc | Standard soundtrack in a collector-oriented format | Display and collecting |
| Sing-along edition | Lead vocals removed; ensemble vocals and some dialogue remain | Karaoke or singing along with the film numbers |
| Digital/Japanese reissue | Adds radio edits of “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” | Listeners seeking shorter alternate edits |
| Digital editions with “Ozdust Duet” | Adds the orchestral bonus track | Instrumental and score-focused listening |
| Commentary edition | Adds spoken cast-and-crew commentary | Behind-the-scenes listening |
The standard album is distinct from the Broadway cast recording, the orchestral score album and the soundtrack for the 2025 sequel. Those releases should not be substituted when you are looking for the songs from the 2024 film.
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Is “Popular” on the Wicked soundtrack?
Yes. Ariana Grande’s “Popular” is track 7 on the standard 11-song album.
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![Wicked: For Good (Original Motion Picture Score)[2 CD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51QDuGq1inL._SL160_.jpg)
- With Wicked: For Good (Original Motion Picture Score), GRAMMY and Oscar-nominated composer John Powell once again joins forces with GRAMMY and Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz to expand the world of Oz through music that is both deeply rooted in stage-musical traditions and entirely cinematic
When does “Defying Gravity” start?
It is the final musical number, track 11, following “A Sentimental Man.” Exact on-screen start times vary by cut, platform and how credits are presented.
Does the album include every song from the whole story?
No. The 2024 film covers the first act of the story. Its standard soundtrack contains 11 songs; the sequel has a separate soundtrack.
Is the sing-along album the same recording?
It follows the same film song program but removes lead vocals, while retaining ensemble vocals and some dialogue.
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