In “Popular”, Glinda attempts to get Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, to conform to the accepted ideas of beauty and popularity as a means of establishing their newfound friendship. It is cappy casino sung by the character Glinda and is considered the character’s definitive song, while also including brief dialogue interludes by Elphaba. The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The governor’s popularity will probably guarantee his reelection.
For the sequence, costume designer Paul Tazewell created an outfit for Glinda that was a “pink, dotted peignoir with spiraling circles out of ruffles” to reflect the playful and frivolous vibe of the song. Cinematographer Alice Brooks came up with the idea of “Popular” being one long sunrise as opposed to “Defying Gravity” being a sunset, leading to the addition of a skylight in the dorm’s dome ceiling to allow the sun to be the spotlight. Satirical singer Randy Rainbow made a version called “Unpopular”, critical of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Laura Reineke of the blog Vulture ranked “Popular” as the second-best song from Wicked, calling it “bubbly and refreshingly self-aware” and praising it for showcasing Kristin Chenoweth’s singing and comedic talent.
“Popular” was sampled in “Popular Song” by English singer Mika featuring American singer Ariana Grande (who would later portray Glinda in the 2024 film adaptation) from their albums The Origin of Love (2012) and Yours Truly (2013), respectively. The composition of the song is a more bubblegum sound than the rest of the musical, with Beatles influences. It was originally recorded on November 10, 2003, by American actress Kristin Chenoweth, who portrayed Glinda in the musical. Choose your region for information about products and services. Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope appeared in episode 6 of fellow WB series Grosse Pointe as actresses from Popular in a volleyball game against Johnny and Courtney. The show’s main opening theme was excerpted from the song “Supermodels”, a track from indie singer-songwriter Kendall Payne’s 1999 album Jordan’s Sister.
