Similar to the 2024 movie, the second installment of the “Wicked” soundtrack had big shoes to fill. The first “Wicked” soundtrack met the high expectations set by the iconic original Broadway cast recordings, even raising the bar in some areas — especially Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s version of “Defying Gravity,” which they famously sang live while filming. Unfortunately, the soundtrack to “Wicked: For Good” fails to reach the same heights as the first one with select lackluster vocals and uninspired new songs.
Composer Stephen Schwartz wrote two new songs for the film: “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble.” Erivo’s Elphaba sings “No Place Like Home” as she tries to convince the animals of Oz to keep fighting the corruption caused by Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). Erivo’s rich and buttery vocals work well on this sweet ballad. She repeatedly sings about Oz as a place worth fighting for merely because it’s home, adding no nuance to her argument: “It’s just a place that’s familiar / And home’s just what we call it / But there’s no place like home.” It simply isn’t strong enough lyrically or melodically to justify spending three and a half minutes on it.
Grande’s new solo for Glinda, “The Girl In The Bubble,” similarly fails to prove itself necessary. While Grande sounds unsurprisingly graceful with high, fluttery notes, the lyrics are almost laughable. The last lines of what is supposedly a character-defining song are “For the popular girl / High in the bubble / Isn’t it high time / For her bubble to pop?” For a piece that was crafted to add depth to Glinda’s character, the shallow lyrics retract all emotional weight.
Beyond the lukewarm new songs, the soundtrack also suffers from dull vocals. Yeoh sings far more in the second part, to the detriment of every song she contributes to. Granted, it’s hard to blame her since she initially expressed concern in joining the cast due to her poor singing. If anything, director Jon Chu is to blame for not taking more careful consideration of Morrible’s casting. Similarly, Marissa Bode’s performance as Nessarose falters like it did in part one. Her performance of “The Wicked Witch of the East” lacks the belt necessary for the song, resulting in an utterly underwhelming track. Her subpar singing is even more frustrating because this song was never released on the original Broadway soundtrack, meaning that this average rendition is the only version listeners can properly stream.
Amidst some underwhelming moments, there are expected showstopping performances. Ethan Slater’s venomous vocals as the Tin Man in “The March of the Witch Hunters” are gloriously terrifying. When he powerfully sings “So for once, I’m glad I’m heartless / I’ll be heartless killing her,” he steals the entire song, even in a role that’s not necessarily meaty. Once again, Erivo amplifies her performance as Elphaba with her incomparable vocal skill with her standout rendition of “No Good Deed.” Her strong belt and impressive riff when singing “Fiyero” is backed by visceral anger, creating one of the soundtrack’s most memorable moments.
Despite its duller moments, the soundtrack ends on a high note. “For Good,” a duet sung by Elphaba and Glinda as they reflect on their friendship, is undeniably the best song of the second act. Grande and Erivo bring their A-games vocally, with the proper emotional height to back it up. The instrumental arrangement, including sparkly woodwinds and piano that sonically grounds the piece, work perfectly with their captivating performances. As listeners heard during “Defying Gravity” in the first film, the duo’s voices are true magic together as they blend harmonies and sing in unison. After listeners bravely traverse the less bearable moments throughout the soundtrack, “For Good” feels like a much needed gift.
Given “Wicked: For Good” is weaker in song and story than its 2024 counterpart, the film’s cast did the best they could with its material. While stronger songs like “For Good” and “No Good Deed” feel akin to the performances of the first film and original production, several songs, especially the new additions, only add disappointment.
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