musictheatre00
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Popular and Defying Gravity overusedI think some many teens sing those two songs from the show, I never saw the show but I know the recording well, to be honest I think that No Good deed is such a powerful song from the show, why does no one perform that?
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musikal_geek
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'Cause it's no good.
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ActingDude17
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Re: Popular and Defying Gravity overused | musictheatre00 wrote: | | I think that No Good deed is such a powerful song from the show, why does no one perform that? |
It's not exactly the happiest song, especially compared to Popular.
Happy is mainly what teens think matters...no other emotions are apparently important.
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Felix Felicis
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| Quote: | | 'Cause it's no good. |
Witty.
Anyway, "No Good Deed", according to Stephen Schwartz, is like a Rachmaninoff aria - it's rangey, it's got a huge variety of speeds and dynamics and requires serious vocal pyrotechnics.
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blackbird_fly
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| Felix Felicis wrote: | | Quote: | | 'Cause it's no good. |
Witty.
Anyway, "No Good Deed", according to Stephen Schwartz, is like a Rachmaninoff aria - it's rangey, it's got a huge variety of speeds and dynamics and requires serious vocal pyrotechnics. |
I know this is entirely subjective, but I can think of at least ten other songs that are not as technically challenging but have a lot better lyrics.
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Felix Felicis
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| blackbird_fly wrote: | | Felix Felicis wrote: | | Quote: | | 'Cause it's no good. |
Witty.
Anyway, "No Good Deed", according to Stephen Schwartz, is like a Rachmaninoff aria - it's rangey, it's got a huge variety of speeds and dynamics and requires serious vocal pyrotechnics. |
I know this is entirely subjective, but I can think of at least ten other songs that are not as technically challenging but have a lot better lyrics. |
I actually think the lyrics of "No Good Deed" are very well written - sure, you can probably think of better, but I mean, "my road of good intentions led where such roads always lead" is a great line.
Anyway, slightly more on topic, I think "Popular" and "Defying Gravity" are overused because they're the songs that sum up who we think of when we think of the characters.
Glinda as, initially at least, a vacuous, shallow girl and Elphaba as the witch, flying with the broom, hat et al.
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music is my life!!!
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| Felix Felicis wrote: | | Quote: | | 'Cause it's no good. |
Witty.
Anyway, "No Good Deed", according to Stephen Schwartz, is like a Rachmaninoff aria - it's rangey, it's got a huge variety of speeds and dynamics and requires serious vocal pyrotechnics. |
i tried singing it for a bbc prom audition last year (don't hit me!!!). i hadnt had any singing lessons and i was straining too much. now that i've had some training i can hit all the notes really well.
i think it just depends on what kinda song you like and can relate to. if you can do great comic timing, popular is the one to sing.
btw, what about wizard and i? when i sung that last year (without any lessons) i was fine, and it's happy
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Smkndofpnutdssrt
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Personally I think that No Good Deed is harder than the other two. The rhythm is kind of different. And I guess people just think they're cool if they do the better known songs and therefore they will get more brownie points.
And yeah. What about The Wizard and I? Is that one considered to be overused as well? Just out of curiosity...
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wicked_boy
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WaI isn't over used too much, it's definately not as popular to sing as the other two.
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Set_Buildin_Dad
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I think the reason these tunes are used more than NGD is that they are easier to understand out of context. If you are singing to an audience that is unfamiliar with the show NGD just ends up sounding confusing. Popular and Defying Gravity are songs that stand better on their own.
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Anno_Domini
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I agree that "No Good Deed" would be no good for a talent competition or concert, etc., since it would be taken out of context. I do, however, think it would be great for auditions.
As I've said before, at every audition I've been to, there's always been at least one girl singing either "Popular" or "Defying Gravity". So yeah, waaaay overused.
...why do I never hear any girl singing "I'm Not That Girl"?
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Mistress
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I'm Not That Girl wouldn;'t be bad for a talent show or auditiojn, I think...but then the teen girls ight turn it into another, On My Own or something akin to that...
I think it would be fun if boys audtioned or did performances with Wonderful...it's fun, and not too hard to understand out if context...
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Salome
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*LIKE OMG ANY WICKED SONG IS AMAZING FOR TRYOUTS LIKE!*
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Anno_Domini
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| Quote: | | I think it would be fun if boys audtioned or did performances with Wonderful...it's fun, and not too hard to understand out if context... |
I've auditioned with "Wonderful", and I certainly think I'll be using it again for auditions. I didn't get in the show, but they said the song suits me very well.
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musikal_geek
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I agree. Wonderful is by far the best song in the show, and very fun to sing!
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Lepitot
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The Wizard and I should be sung more. It's great.
As for guy songs, I'd sing Dancing Through Life if I had the range for it 
Wondeful is great. I sang it at a chorus concert two years ago and acted it out.
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Theaterfan101
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| Salome wrote: | | *LIKE OMG ANY WICKED SONG IS AMAZING FOR TRYOUTS LIKE!* |
LOL <3
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Xxmcfly85xX
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The Wizard and I is my favourite from Wicked. Wonderful and I'm Not That Girl are up there too.
Wicked related mania is beginning to hit Australia. And I've already noticed the increase of people knowing Defying Gravity and Popular, and yes doing the whole "OMG I LUV IT SO MUCH, BEST MUSIKAL EVA!" *sigh*
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Belle
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Re: Popular and Defying Gravity overused | ActingDude17 wrote: | | musictheatre00 wrote: | | I think that No Good deed is such a powerful song from the show, why does no one perform that? |
It's not exactly the happiest song, especially compared to Popular.
Happy is mainly what teens think matters...no other emotions are apparently important. |
What context are we talking about here? Auditions, talent shows? Cabaret/showcase performances?
When you're selling yourself in a showcase type context, happy is GOOD. You need to give the audience a good time, enjoy themselves, rather than give a deep emotive and touching performance out of context. Songs taken out of their context for this sort of performance have to stand on their own, either containing enough story to make it clear, like "The Wizard and I", or else being generic enough to make sense to anyone. "Something Bad" would fail!
"No Good Deed" is incredibly intense, and easy to do badly if your voice isn't strong enough, or if you don't give it 100%. When done well it's the best song in the show. But to perform it, not just sing it, doesn't come out of context so well.
I think the success of Wicked is how singable the big songs are. They're quite easy to pick up the melody and lyrics, whether you're a good, weak, or failure of a singer it's fun to sing along. the music is very enjoyable! The downside is that everyone DOES sing it, even when they really, really shouldn't. So personally I'd not use any of it for auditions etc, and be very careful of using something for a showcase because of how well known it all is.
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JIJane
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DON'T SING WICKED FOR A DRAMA COLLEGE OR PROFESSIONAL AUDITION! Ever. Take my word for it. All songs are extremely overdone including The wizard and I. The only time to pull that out of the bag is if a panel specifically requests "well known MT material". Which will happen about 1 out o 20 times. The number of times I have heard people go into auditions for West End shows with Popular, No good deed or Defying Gravity is frightening. Seriously. AVOID. And at drama school you will not be taken seriously by the panel if all you have to offer is Wicked.
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DB9
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^ On the other hand, it doesn't matter what you sing at an audition - the panel can usually tell within 15 seconds if you are what they are looking for and that you can sing. I know of one West End leading lady who only ever sings Over The Rainbow at every audition (unless of course the panel ask for a specific song)
The last thing most panels want to hear are songs from the more obscure musicals/composers that no one has heard of and on one cares about!
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Salome
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lesser known songs are EXACTLY what panels,directors and casting directors want to hear.
listen to Jane she knows that end of the business better than anyone here.
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JIJane
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I think you are right and wrong. Choosing something obscure for the sake of it that noone has ever heard of is certainly not always a good idea. However, choosing something like Les Mis for example will do you no favour. I have seen people being turned away from auditions because they did not bring appropriate song audition material. It does matter what you sing at an audition, it's not just about the panel being able to tell if you can sing or not. It's also about singing in the style of the show you are auditioning for, showing off your strengths, singing according to characters that you might be suitable for in the show, etc etc. You cannot just go in and sing any song for a professional or drama school audition. Which is why people consider their choices carefully and there is always so muchd debate about it. A bad song choice CAN get you rejected because it confuses the panel and they don't know where to place you. It happened to me.
P.S. A West End leading lady has a different audition startin point than those of us not regular West End leading ladies. Most West End leads sing straight from the show (material they are sent) and don't have to sing "random" other songs first. Singing Somewhere over the rainbow for something like We will rock you for example will get you nowhere.
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wicked_boy
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I agree with you all!
Don't turn up to an audition for Sweeney Todd (if you're lucky enough to get the rights!!!) belting Defying Gravity with your green make up and witch's hat.
But don't turn up to an audition for Beauty and the Beast singing a song from some ancient German musical only to be performed in German villages!
Do something "in the middle".
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.:!BeYoNcE!:.
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The worse thing is when you have boys going through puberty singing it - and, to further disprove that there is a god, sometimes video themselves doing freakish movements to it - with their nasal midway-through-breaking voices trying to riff. Urgh![/quote]
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wicked_boy
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^ Eww.
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