Defying Gravity (song)#Idina Menzel single
{{Short description|Song from the musical "Wicked"}}
{{For|the Jimmy Buffet song|Havana Daydreamin'}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Defying Gravity
| cover = Wicked - Defying Gravity.jpg
| caption = 2024 picture disc
| alt =
| artist = Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth
| album = Wicked
| released = December 16, 2003
| recorded = November 10, 2003{{Cite web|last=Gans|first=Andrew|date=September 9, 2016|title=Original Wicked Cast Recording Goes Vinyl|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/original-wicked-cast-recording-goes-vinyl|access-date=January 5, 2022|website=Playbill|language=en}}
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Show tune|operatic pop}}
| length = 5:56
| label = Decca Broadway
| writer = Stephen Schwartz
| producer =
}}
"Defying Gravity" is a song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz. It was originally recorded on November 10, 2003, by American actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who portrayed Elphaba and Glinda in the musical respectively. The song was released as part of the accompanying cast recording on December 16, 2003. It is mostly a solo sung by the main character of the show, Elphaba, with two small duets at the beginning and the middle of the song between Elphaba and her friend Glinda, and a chorus part at the end in which the citizens of Oz sing.
The song serves as the climax of the musical's first act, in which Elphaba realizes the truth about the Wizard of Oz and vows to fight him, beginning her evolution into the "Wicked Witch of the West". It has been covered and reinterpreted numerous times, including by the cast of Glee and for the 2024 film adaptation of the musical starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Context and sequence
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 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 climax of the song features Elphaba flying high above the stage. The staging of the song's in the original production relied heavily on special effects. The actress playing Elphaba was lifted up into the air by a hydraulic launch system, standing on a small platform with a safety restraint around her waist. Both the platform and restraints were concealed by a long false dress made of the same material as the actress's costume, which gave the illusion that she wasn't standing on anything. Black curtains (designed to look like Elphaba's cape billowing in the wind) and carefully designed lighting concealed the hydraulic arm lifting the platform. The sequence relied heavily on around 60 moving lights, smoke, and wind effects to give the illusion Elphaba was flying.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEGds1t9928 |title=Wicked: How Elphaba Defies Gravity on CBS Chicago News |date=May 30, 2009 |last=StephJBlockFans |access-date=October 25, 2024 |via=YouTube}}
The Act One finale is "calibrated to get everyone to stick around for Act Two".{{Cite news|url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/10/examining-the-silly-emotional-legacy-of-defying-gravity.html|title=Examining the Silly, Emotional Legacy of 'Defying Gravity'|last=McHenry|first=Jackson|date=October 26, 2017|work=Vulture|access-date=June 22, 2018|language=en}}
Lyrics and music analysis
The core of the song is that "Elphaba finds power through her own outsider status", which has universal appeal due to audiences rooting for outsiders. The piece begins with Elphaba and Glinda talking. They then slip into song, bickering in short sharp phrases that are reminiscent of how people argue in real life. At this point, the key signature is constantly shifting, creating a sense of unease. The song is in cut common time, but the duo rarely stick to the bar lines, often jumping in halfway in a syncopated style. In the passage "I’m through with playing by the rules...", an interval of an 11th is used, in "the rules".{{Cite news|url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/defying-gravity-theory-analysis/|title=Here's why Defying Gravity makes your heart race every single time|work=Classic FM|access-date=June 22, 2018|language=en}}
The song builds on leitmotifs established earlier in the show and "raises the stakes" by lifting Elphaba's voice an octave and physically lifting her on a cherry picker, embodying the first time the audience sees her as the Wicked Witch of the West.{{Cite news|url=http://www.vulture.com/2013/10/wicked-at-10-ranking-the-broadway-hits-songs.html|title=Wicked at 10: Ranking the Broadway Hit's Songs|date=October 30, 2013|work=Vulture|access-date=June 22, 2018|language=en}} The dramatic conclusion of the song features a "loud, screamy" climax of "bring me down" followed by a vocal riff that, according to Jackson McHenry writing for Vulture, has the potential to hurt the performer's vocal cords. Due to the song's difficulty, it is achievable for a few and impossible for most, thereby making those who succeed outsiders.
Reception and legacy
A ranking in Vulture listed the number as the best song from Wicked, deeming it the "crown jewel of the score", though noted it is an easy song to mock due to it being "ripe for acrid belting and silly embellishment". Another article in Vulture described it as the "big, belt-y centerpiece of the show", and felt it had since established an "ambivalent legacy" as the "silliest, most inspiring, most enduring song in recent Broadway history".
In the original production, if a computer system for the hydraulic platform did not sense that the restraints were safely closed, the platform would not lift. If this happened, or in case of a lift malfunction, cast members were taught a "Plan B" or "no-fly" sequence where Elphaba runs downstage and cast, playing the guards and townspeople, lie down onstage to simulate looking up to a now airborne Elphaba.{{Cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W771dLjhNU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/4W771dLjhNU |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=live|title=OBSESSED!: Julia Murney "Wigs" Out Over "Wicked"'s Plan B and "Adult" Voice-Overs (at 1:30)|access-date=January 14, 2020}}{{cbignore}}
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.{{cite web|url=http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-131/html/ndxpage1.html|title=STS-131 wake calls|publisher=NASA|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116205049/http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-131/html/ndxpage1.html|archive-date=January 16, 2016}}
Charts
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Defying Gravity" by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Idina Menzel/Kristin Chenoweth|title=Defying Gravity|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2006|certyear=2024|id=14216-4362-1|access-date=May 31, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}
International ''Wicked'' recordings
Idina Menzel single
{{Infobox song
| name = Defying Gravity
| cover = Idina Menzel - Defying Gravity.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Idina Menzel
| album = I Stand
| released = March 1, 2007
| recorded = 2007
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length = 3:46
| label = Warner Bros.
| writer = Stephen Schwartz
| producer = Glen Ballard
| prev_title = Take Me or Leave Me
| prev_year = 2006
| next_title = Brave
| next_year = 2007
}}
Idina Menzel, 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. The track charted at no. 60 on the official UK Singles chart in May 2008, shortly after a contestant sang "Defying Gravity" on an episode of the BBC television programme I'd Do Anything.
She released the song as a single a second time in 2012 from her album Live: Barefoot at the Symphony.
=Formats and track listings=
US 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
=Charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for "Defying Gravity" by Idina Menzel ! Chart (2007–08) ! Peak |
| {{single chart|Austria|72|artist=Idina Menzel|song=Defying Gravity|rowheader=true|access-date=November 14, 2010}} |
| {{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|5|artist=Idina Menzel|artistid=265735|rowheader=true|access-date=October 1, 2011}} |
| scope=row|US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard){{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2008-02-16/hot-singles-sales|title=Hot Singles Sales: Feb 16, 2008|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 20, 2018|url-access=subscription }}
|align=center|8 |
|---|
| {{single chart|UK|60|artist=Idina Menzel|title=Defying Gravity|rowheader=true|date=20080531}} |
''Glee'' cast versions
{{Infobox song
| name = Defying Gravity
| cover = Glee Cast - Defying Gravity.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Glee cast
| album = Glee: The Music, Volume 1
| released = November 11, 2009
| recorded = 2009
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Pop
| length = 2:21
| label = Columbia
| writer = Stephen Schwartz
| producer = {{hlist|Adam Anders|Peer Åström}}
| prev_title = Dancing with Myself
| prev_year = 2009
| next_title = Proud Mary
| next_year = 2009
| misc =
}}
"Defying Gravity" was recorded twice by the cast of American television series Glee, which aired on Fox between 2009 and 2015. It first featured in the series' ninth episode "Wheels" in 2009, where Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) sing it separately in a competition for the lead solo. A duet version by Rachel and Kurt was released as a single available for digital download on November 11, 2009, as well as solo versions by both, and included on the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 1.{{cite press release|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z268z1z8&ID=5398|title=Cast versions of 'Proud Mary', "Defying Gravity" and "Dancing With Myself" among songs featured in tonight's episode of "Glee" on Fox|date=November 11, 2009|publisher=Fox|access-date=February 16, 2010|archive-date=March 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302082204/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z268z1z8&ID=5398|url-status=dead}} The song was featured again in 2014 in the twelfth episode of season five, "100", which was also the hundredth episode in the series, this time sung by Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes (Amber Riley). The second version was released as part of the soundtrack album Glee: The Music – Celebrating 100 Episodes on March 18, 2014.
The plotline in "Wheels" of Rachel and Kurt singing "Defying Gravity" for a competition was inspired by an anecdote of Chris Colfer, the actor playing Kurt. Having a countertenor range, Colfer wanted to sing the song in talent shows in high school, but was repeatedly denied the chance during high school as it is a solo usually reserved for female artists.{{Cite web|last=Milzoff|first=Rebecca|title=Glee's Chris Colfer on Owning 'Defying Gravity' and Resembling a Hummel Figurine|url=https://www.vulture.com/2009/11/chris_colfer_on_playing_kurt_i.html|access-date=January 2, 2021|website=Vulture|date=November 16, 2009 |language=en-us}}{{cite web|url=http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-features/life-stages-1004009175.story|title=Life Stages |last=Kuhn|first=Sarah|date=September 3, 2009|work=Backstage|publisher=Nielson Business Media|access-date=September 5, 2009}} Murphy explained: "I found a way to write it into the show because that's in a nutshell what this show is about: someone being told that they can't do something because of what the perception of them is as opposed to what their real ability is." Colfer stated that the opportunity to finally sing the song "really meant the world" to him, and that: "It's absolutely terrifying to watch yourself do something you've dreamed about for such a long time. I know I'm definitely not the best singer, but I think the message, the story behind the song about defying limits and borders placed by others, hopefully all that gets across with the performance. Although I do some very 'Kurtsy' things in the song, it's probably one of the most honest and close-to-heart scenes I've ever filmed or performed for that matter."{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/11/exclusive-ryan-murphy-calls-tonights-episode-of-glee-a-game-changer.html|title=Exclusive: Ryan Murphy calls tonight's episode of 'Glee' a 'game changer'|last=Fernandez|first=Maria Elena|author2=Martin, Denise |date=November 11, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 12, 2009}}
"Defying Gravity" was the second best-selling Glee song as of October 22, 2010, with 335,000 downloads based on data from Nielsen SoundScan.{{Cite web|url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/68169/chart-watch-extra-a-milestone-for-glee/|title=Chart Watch Extra: A Milestone For 'Glee{{'-}}|first=Paul|last=Grein|date=October 22, 2010|work=Chart Watch|publisher=Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!|access-date=November 20, 2010|archive-date=November 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104203552/http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/68169/chart-watch-extra-a-milestone-for-glee/|url-status=dead}} As of March 20, 2015, it was the fifth most-downloaded Glee original cast recording, with 529,000 downloads according to Nielsen Music.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6509278/glee-cast-10-best-selling-downloads |title='Glee' Cast's 10 Best-Selling Downloads |magazine=Billboard |date=March 20, 2015 |access-date=September 8, 2018 |archive-date=March 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323024801/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6509278/glee-cast-10-best-selling-downloads |url-status=live }}
=Charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for "Defying Gravity" by Glee cast ! Chart (2009) ! Peak |
| scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite web |url=http://www.aria.com.au/issue1031.pdf|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20091204130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20091205-0000/issue1031.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 4, 2009|title=The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 30th November 2009|publisher=Australian Web Archive|issue=1031|access-date=December 9, 2009}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
| 58 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Billboardcanadianhot100|38|artist=Glee Cast|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland3|19|artist=Glee Cast|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|59|artist=Glee Cast|song=Defying Gravity|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|UK|38|artist=Glee Cast|title=Defying Gravity|rowheader=true|date=20100307}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|31|artist=Glee Cast|rowheader=true}} |
Cynthia Erivo version
{{Infobox song
| name = Defying Gravity
| cover = Cynthia Erivo & Ariana_Grande - Defying Gravity 7 Vinyl cover.jpg
| caption = 7-inch vinyl cover
| border = yes
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Cynthia Erivo featuring Ariana Grande
| album = Wicked: The Soundtrack
| released = December 3, 2024
| recorded = 2023
| studio = * AIR Studios (London, England){{Cite AV media notes |title=Wicked: The Soundtrack |others=Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande |year=2024 |type=booklet |publisher=Universal Studios, Republic Records, Verve Records}}
- Power Station (New York, NY){{Cite AV media notes |title=Wicked: The Soundtrack |others=Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande |year=2024 |type=booklet |publisher=Universal Studios, Republic Records, Verve Records}}
| genre = Show tune
| length = * 7:39
- 3:33 (edit)
| label = * Republic
| writer = Stephen Schwartz
| producer = * Greg Wells
| chronology = Cynthia Erivo
| prev_title = Glowing Up
| prev_year = 2021
| next_title = Replay
| next_year = 2025
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Ariana Grande
| type = singles
| prev_title = Popular
| prev_year = 2024
| title = Defying Gravity
| year = 2024
| next_title = Twilight Zone
| next_year = 2025
}}{{External music video|header=Audio video|{{YouTube|qeqj5GnoFUY|"Defying Gravity"}}}}
}}
British actress Cynthia Erivo and American singer and actress Ariana Grande performed a rendition of "Defying Gravity" as Elphaba and Glinda respectively in the first part of Universal Pictures' two-part film adaptation of Wicked, which was released on November 22, 2024.{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/movies/wicked-ariana-grande-cynyhia-erivo-cinemacon-footage/ | title='Wicked' defies gravity with surprise footage reveal at CinemaCon | magazine=Entertainment Weekly }} Their version of the song was released on the same day as part of the soundtrack album Wicked: The Soundtrack (2024) by Republic Records and Verve Records.{{cite magazine |last=Paul |first=Larisha |title='Wicked: The Soundtrack': Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Perform Half of the Musical's Track List |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/wicked-soundtrack-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-1235129666/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=October 9, 2024 |date=October 9, 2024}} "Defying Gravity" was released to US contemporary hit radio stations on December 3, 2024.{{Cite web |date=December 3, 2024 |title=Pop Mart: Your Radio Add Recaps |url=https://hitsdailydouble.com/pop_mart&id=343876 |access-date=January 13, 2025 |website=Hits}}
=Composition=
The song appears as the concluding number of the film, with various score and scene extensions between the verses to work as a cliffhanger ending. The climactic shot of the number, in which Elphaba does her signature "battle cry" while up in the air at sunset, sees her cape enlarge and billow in the wind to evoke the "cherry picker" effect from the stage musical. Rather than ending with Elphaba's final verse, as it does on the radio edit, a score flourish inspired by the "Sunrise" portion of Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra (made famous by 2001: A Space Odyssey) was added at the suggestion of editor Myron Kerstein, so that the song and film wouldn't end abruptly.{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/wicked-movie-stars-tease-defying-gravity-and-other-big-songs-8725584 | title=Wicked movie stars tease 'Defying Gravity' in new clips: 'There are added elements' | magazine=Entertainment Weekly }}{{cite web |last=Hullfish |first=Steve |date=November 21, 2024 |title=Art of the Cut: Wicked |url=https://borisfx.com/blog/aotc/art-of-the-cut-wicked/|access-date=March 1, 2025 |website=Boris FX}} In one of the film's trailers, the song was remixed with Herbert Stothart's iconic "Wicked Witch/Miss Gulch" motif from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz.{{cite magazine | url=https://playbill.com/article/top-10-thrillifying-easter-eggs-in-wickeds-new-trailer-including-secrets-from-the-international-cuts | title=Top 10 Thrillifying Easter Eggs in Wicked's New Trailer—Including Secrets From the International Cuts | magazine=Playbill }}
Filming the song's sequence was delayed by six months due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and took until about a year into production.{{cite interview |last=Erivo |first=Cynthia |subject-link=Cynthia Erivo |interviewer=Scott Detrow |title=Cynthia Erivo says trust with co-star Ariana Grande helped them tell story of 'Wicked' |work=All Things Considered |date=November 23, 2024 |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5197807 |access-date=November 24, 2024}} Erivo stated that she viewed the song as a "massive journey" and wanted her character's voice to grow throughout the song.{{cite web |last=Richlin |first=Harrison |title=Cynthia Erivo Says 2023 Strikes Shutting 'Wicked' Production Down Kept Her from Shooting the 'Defying Gravity' Sequence for Six Months |url=https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/cynthia-erivo-2023-strikes-shutting-wicked-production-down-1235064176/ |website=IndieWire |access-date=November 22, 2024 |date=November 10, 2024}} Regarding her battle cry at the end of the sequence, "I was always looking forward to that moment, just because everything builds to there. Your body and your brain and your mind – and your heart, really – are waiting to be able to release that one final note, because it’s the ultimate moment where [Elphaba] can become herself."{{cite web |last=Linton |first=Siena |title=Cynthia Erivo underwent 'cardiovascular conditioning' to play Elphaba in 'Wicked' |url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/cynthia-erivo-elphaba-wicked/ |website=Classic FM |access-date=November 22, 2024 |date=November 22, 2024}}
A 14-minute video breakdown of Kerstein's editing of the sequence, with him analyzing his creative choices using the film's Avid Media Composer timeline, was released on December 23, 2024. Kerstein would later repeat this demonstration in person at the 2025 NAB Show on April 5, 2025, during a conversation panel with him and cinematographer Alice Brooks.https://connect.avid.com/wicked-movie-lp.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9udQpbFFwY8https://www.nabshow.com/speaker/myron-kerstein/
=Critical reception=
Writing for Billboard, Stephen Daw named "Defying Gravity" the best song of the soundtrack album and lauded Erivo's version as "one of the single best movie musical interpretations of a song that this reviewer has ever heard, and one that more than surpasses the already astronomical expectations surrounding it." He noted that the instrumental was largely unchanged from the original, leaving Erivo to put her own stamp on the song "in a way that makes you feel as though you’re hearing it for the first time." Daw praised her "awe-inspiring dexterity" in traversing her vocal range and letting the full set of emotions be heard through her voice, "wringing out every note for all it is worth" in the song's infamous bridge and battle cry. He also praised Grande's "necessary and vital assist" with her acting at the beginning of the song and her "gorgeous harmonies" in the middle.{{cite magazine |last=Daw |first=Stephen |title=Every Song From the 'Wicked' Soundtrack, Ranked From Worst to Best |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/wicked-soundtrack-songs-ranked/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 22, 2024 |date=November 22, 2024}} Likewise, Erivo was commended for her "raw emotion and power" by The Daily Telegraph
=Impact on popular culture=
On November 21, 2024, a clip from the press tour interview in which the journalist Tracey E. Gilchrist told Erivo and Grande that viewers were "holding space" for the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" went viral, creating multiple memes. Gilchrist later explained what she meant: "For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted and feeling something on a cellular level ... I think you can hold space with lyrics of a song — one you've heard hundreds of times — and it can suddenly take on new meaning when you're a queer person."{{cite web |first=Dani |last=Di Placido |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2024/11/26/wicked-ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivos-holding-space-meme-explained/ |date=November 26, 2024 |title='Wicked'—Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's 'Holding Space' Meme, Explained |website=Forbes }}{{Cite web |date=November 26, 2024 |title=How one 'Wicked' interview 'holds space' above all others |first=Matt |last=Lavietes |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/wicked-interview-holds-space-memes-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-rcna181819 |access-date=November 29, 2024 |publisher=NBC News |language=en}} In December 2024, Universal Pictures commissioned a float based on the film to appear in the 2025 Rose Parade, with the float itself being named "Defying Gravity" after the song.{{cite web | url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/wicked-will-come-to-life-with-a-rose-parade-super-float/3589506/ | title='Wicked' will come to life with a Rose Parade super float | date=December 26, 2024 }} On New Year's Eve of that year, fans were urged to play the song at 11:53pm EST (9:28pm EST if viewing the film) in order to time Elphaba's battle cry with the strike of midnight on January 1, 2025 to ring in the New Year.{{cite web | url=https://www.tyla.com/entertainment/tv-and-film/wicked-song-defying-gravity-new-year-time-437565-20241231 | title=Wicked fans urged to start playing one song at 11:53 tonight | date=December 31, 2024 }}https://x.com/stuartbrazell/status/1873948701338853689?mx=2{{cite web | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/01/01/defying-gravity-after-a-wicked-2024/ | title=Defying gravity after a wicked 2024 | website=New York Daily News | date=January 2025 }}
=Live performances=
The song was performed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to open the 97th Academy Awards ceremony as part of a medley of songs from Wicked, The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/oscars-performers-wicked-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-1236319095/ |title=Oscar Performers: 'Wicked' Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, Plus Lisa of Blackpink, Doja Cat and More |last=Shanfeld |first=Ethan |website=Variety |date=February 24, 2025 |access-date=February 24, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/wicked-oscars-performance-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-1236126963/ |title=Oscars 2025: 'Wicked' Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Will Perform on Telecast (Exclusive) |last=Verhoeven |first=Beatrice |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=February 24, 2025 |access-date=February 25, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oscars-performances-2025/ |title=Who performed at the 2025 Oscars? Here's a look at the performances |last=Suarez Sang |first=Lucia |publisher=CBS News |date=March 3, 2025 |access-date=March 3, 2025 |archive-date=March 2, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250302005726/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oscars-performances-2025/ |url-status=live}}
=Accolades=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="border:none; margin:0;"
|+Awards and nominations for "Defying Gravity" by Cynthia Erivo featuring Ariana Grande ! scope="col" | Organization ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |
| scope="row" |Hollywood Music in Media Awards
| 2024 |Song – Onscreen Performance (Film) |{{nom}} |
|---|
| scope="row" |Digital Spy Reader Awards
| 2024 |Most Mindblowing Movie Moment |{{runner-up|2nd place}} |
| rowspan="2" scope="row"|Online Film & Television Association
| rowspan="2" | 2024 |Best Adapted Song | {{Won}} |
| Most Cinematic Moment
| {{runner-up}} |
| scope="row"| BET Awards
| 2025 | {{pending}} |
=Charts=
=Certifications=
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Defying Gravity" by Cynthia Erivo featuring Ariana Grande}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|title=Defying Gravity|artist=Cynthia Erivo/Ariana Grande|type=single|award=Silver|relyear=2024|certyear=2025|id=14216-7068-1|access-date=January 31, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}
= Release history =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Release dates and formats for "Defying Gravity" by Cynthia Erivo featuring Ariana Grande ! scope="col" | Region ! scope="col" | Date ! scope="col" | Format ! scope="col" | Label(s) ! scope="col" | {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |
| scope="row" | United States
| December 3, 2024 |
|---|
| scope="row" | Italy
| December 13, 2024 | Island | align="center" | {{Cite web |last=Mompellio |first=Gabriel |date=December 10, 2024 |title=Cynthia Erivo Featuring Ariana Grande – Defying Gravity (Radio Date: 13-12-2024) |url=https://earone.com/post/850eed9f7b28 |access-date=December 12, 2024 |publisher=Island Records Italy |language=it}} |
| scope="row" | Various
| March 21, 2025 | Republic |
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- Official YouTube videos: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ_9kun4OQo Kerry Ellis performing Brian May arrangement], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Ay953L2v4 Brian May and Kerry Ellis (live)]
- [http://www.musicalschwartz.com/wicked-lyrics2.htm Wicked Lyrics - "Defying Gravity" and composer's comments]
- Secret to Flying {{YouTube|yKDnWuCw_2g}}
- Broadway/Movie Supercut {{YouTube|F53g08phlSw}}
- Editing Wicked with Myron Kerstein, ACE {{YouTube|9udQpbFFwY8}}
{{Wicked}}
{{Idina Menzel}}
{{Kristin Chenoweth}}
{{Kerry Ellis}}
{{Lea Michele}}
{{Cynthia Erivo}}
{{Ariana Grande songs}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Kristin Chenoweth songs
Category:Songs from Wicked (musical)
Category:Songs written by Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Category:Republic Records singles
Category:Verve Records singles