Warning: This article contains light SPOILERS for Wicked: For Good.
The Wicked: For Good soundtrack is officially on Spotify, and it boasts 11 songs, two of which were not on the original Broadway cast recording. Original Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz wrote the songs specifically for the sequel and, in doing so, has kicked open the door to two potential Oscar nominations for Best Original Song. The new music deepens Elphaba and Glinda’s character arcs, giving Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande one additional ballad each and helping For Good’s somewhat complicated plot make a bit more sense.
Unlike Wicked: Part One and the first act of the musical, Act II is not rife with toe-tapping showstoppers. With Elphaba deemed an enemy of Oz and Glinda grappling with her own goodness (or lack thereof), the stakes are immeasurably higher for every character, and the darker roster of songs reflects that. Peppy show tunes are replaced by heartfelt solos and meaty power ballads that stretch the characters in complex and largely life-altering ways. While Act 1 is arguably a more enjoyable aural experience, Act II contains a number of fan favorites, including the tear-jerking “For Good,” which lends the sequel its name and acts as the climactic moment both stories build to.
Wicked: For Good’s original songs are: “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble.”
Every Song on the ‘Wicked: For Good’ Soundtrack and When They Play
“Every Day More Wicked” – Performed by Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, and Ariana Grande: Wicked: For Good kicks off with the citizens of Oz still on high alert for any sign of Elphaba, now known throughout the land as the Wicked Witch of the West. Madame Morrible’s smear campaign is clearly working, and in this film version, Michelle Yeoh gets to sing a few lines typically reserved for Ozian ensemble members.
Additionally, several of Madame Morrible’s lines from the Broadway version have been cut, likely because “Every Day More Wicked” and “Thank Goodness” have been split into two different songs for storytelling reasons. This change means viewers are treated to a revitalized Act II opening that features unique callbacks to Wicked: Part One, with reprises of “The Wizard and I,” “What Is This Feeling,” and “Popular.”
“Thank Goodness / I Couldn’t Be Happier” – Performed by Ariana Grande, Wicked Movie Cast, and Michelle Yeoh: Serving as the manifestorium of Glinda’s inner conflict, “Thank Goodness / I Couldn’t Be Happier” begins with Glinda and Fiyero “celebrating” a day that’s Wicked Witch-free with the Ozian people. As they project an image of utter happiness, Madame Morrible takes the opportunity to explain that Fiyero is now the Captain of the Gale Force and has been tasked with finding and capturing Elphaba. She then reveals that Glinda and Fiyero are engaged, which surprises everyone, including Fiyero.
The song then segues into a private moment for Glinda, wherein she reveals the emotional toll that publicly lying about Elphaba has taken on her. Even though she senses Fiyero pulling away from her as he grapples with his own Elphaba demons, she continues to outwardly behave the way the Wizard, Madame Morrible, and society want her to.
“No Place Like Home” – Performed by Cynthia Erivo: The first of For Good’s new songs, “No Place Like Home” is a ballad Elphaba sings when she happens upon a horde of animals who are in the process of fleeing Oz. Though this song does not appear in the stage show, it makes perfect sense why Schwartz wanted to include it in the film. Elphaba’s intent at the outset of Wicked is to meet the Wizard of Oz and become “degreenified” so she can finally look like everyone else. However, after learning from Dr. Dillamond that the animals of Oz are disappearing and losing their ability to speak, her heart’s desire becomes to save them. “No Place Like Home” serves as her rallying cry to the animals, an attempt to convince them to stay in Oz and fight the persecution threatening their existence.
“The Wicked Witch of the East” – Performed by Marissa Bode, Cynthia Erivo, and Ethan Slater: While “The Wicked Witch of the East” does appear in the Broadway show, it was not included on the original Wicked cast recording, as it’s fairly dialogue-heavy and divulges one of Act II’s biggest twists. The film version gives viewers a clear sense of what has come of Nessarose and Boq, as well as what Nessa has done to earn her own “wicked witch” title. In the stage musical, Nessa asks Elphaba to make her able-bodied so that she and Boq can be happy together. In For Good, however, Nessa sings a different tune, instead asking Elphaba to give her the feeling of “floating on air” she experienced when Boq danced with her at the Ozdust Ballroom in Wicked: Part One. What ensues is a mix of what Nessa wants and, unfortunately, what she doesn’t.
“Wonderful” – Performed by Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, and Cynthia Erivo: Along with “Thank Goodness / I Couldn’t Be Happier,” “Wonderful” is the only other song in For Good that’s even remotely upbeat. It finds Elphaba back in Emerald City, attempting to convince the Wizard of Oz to come clean with the Ozian people that he’s a manipulative fraud. The Wizard uses the song to explain why he came to be revered by the Ozians in the first place, resulting in his moniker “the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
“Wonderful” is more cheerful than For Good’s other songs because it acts as a sort of spell the Wizard casts as he tries to gently charm Elphaba back toward his dastardly plan. If Elphaba stops her campaign against him, after all, he can use her for her power, maintain his carefully curated facade, and strip Oz’s remaining animals of their rights. Unlike the stage version, which only includes Elphaba and the Wizard, Glinda joins this number in a big way, further underlining her allegiance to the very lies Elphaba is trying to expose.
“I’m Not That Girl (Reprise)” – Performed by Ariana Grande: Unfortunately for Glinda, the reprise of the song first sung by Elphaba in Wicked: Part One finds that the tables of her love life have completely turned. Everything Glinda thought she knew about Fiyero, or wanted to believe, turns out to be nothing more than another delusion. Set against a heartbreaking backdrop, this solo finds Glinda more emotional than ever as she finally comes to terms with the fact that she can only fool herself for so long before reality sets back in. It’s the first of several major turning points for her character sprinkled throughout For Good, and one of the most devastating, but it’s also far from the only reminder that Grande is an entertainment powerhouse.
“As Long As You’re Mine” – Performed by Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey: In the steamiest song on Wicked’s soundtrack, Elphaba and Fiyero get nice and honest with each other about what they’ve been feeling since they first met in the woods outside Shiz University. Though For Good is rated PG, younger viewers might find themselves wondering why, at this point in the soundtrack, Wicked suddenly feels, shall we say, a bit more mature than the rest of the story. To those younger viewers, we say: “We’ll tell you when you’re older.” Until then, they can enjoy “As Long As You’re Mine” for what it is: a gorgeous duet between Elphaba and Fiyero that finds Elphaba feeling a bit wicked for the first time in her life.
“No Good Deed” – Performed by Cynthia Erivo: Audience members who say they can’t wait for the preceding songs to finish so they can hear this one are lying through their teeth. Second only to “For Good,” “No Good Deed” is easily the most beloved song from Wicked’s second act. After Fiyero is captured by the Wizard’s guards and punished for running away with Elphaba, the latter takes matters into her own hands and tries to cast a spell to save him.
With the Grimmerie open and winged monkeys flying around her, Elphaba recites an incantation she hopes will keep Fiyero’s blood from spilling and bones from breaking. When she grows unsure that the spell has worked, she surrenders to the namesake the Ozians have given her and vows to be wicked forevermore. Though it’s not included on the soundtrack, a major shock in the film occurs when someone else yells Fiyero’s name at the start of the song instead of Elphaba.
“March of the Witch Hunters” – Performed by Wicked Movie Cast and Ethan Slater: At this point in the film, the Ozians, now dubbing themselves witch hunters, have taken to the streets to quite literally find Elphaba and kill her. Joining them are Dorothy Gale, her dog Toto, a Scarecrow, a Tin Man, and a Cowardly Lion, all of whom have been tasked with bringing the Wicked Witch’s broomstick to the Wizard so he can grant their various wishes. The Ozians sadly learn one character’s horrible fate and vow to stop the wickedness that has been plaguing their city. Having heard the rumor that “pure water will melt her,” a bucket of water is one of the many weapons the witch hunters bring with them so they can end Elphaba once and for all.
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Performed by Ariana Grande: Serving as the penultimate song in For Good, “The Girl in the Bubble” is the second of Schwartz’s new songs, and it arrives just in time for Glinda’s biggest turning point. The song’s title makes perfect sense given that there are two bubbles Glinda navigates in For Good: the one gifted to her by the Wizard (presenting the illusion that Glinda possesses magic when she does not) and the bubble of privilege she’s spent her whole life blissfully living in. As she comes to terms with the fact that it’s time for at least one of those bubbles to pop, Glinda also realizes that she needs to “give the real world a try,” especially now that all of Oz is hell-bent on killing her best friend.
“For Good” – Performed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande: Last but most certainly not least is the song everyone spends Wicked’s second act waiting for, making it no surprise that director Jon M. Chu chose to name the sequel after it. “For Good” is more than just a gorgeous duet between Wicked’s protagonists: it’s a heartfelt reminder that two completely different people, from different backgrounds and belief systems, can still come together and find love for each other.
After everything they’ve been through, Elphaba and Glinda use this song as a way to thank one another for being a true friend at a time when they each needed one most. Come what may, they’ve both unlocked goodness in each other and have thus each been changed forevermore. Grande and Erivo have both been praised (and Oscar-nominated) for the emotional depth they brought to their characters, and this is reflected in the way their voices blend together in this all-important final number. Indeed, after this point, nothing in Glinda or Elphaba’s lives will ever be the same, making this song as much of a thank-you as it is an emotional goodbye.
- Release Date
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November 21, 2025
- Runtime
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137 Minutes
- Writers
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Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire
- Producers
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Marc Platt, David Stone