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‘Wicked: For Good’ Makes Political Statement With 2 New Songs: What to Know
Wicked: For Good includes two new songs that were not part of the original Broadway musical. Following the film’s release, composer Stephen Schwartz explained how the new tracks – “There’s No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” — include a hidden political message.
‘Wicked: For Good’ Makes Political Statement With New Cynthia Erivo Song
While speaking to NBC News in November 2025, Schwartz explained he wrote “There’s No Place Like Home,” which is performed by Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba, during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, he and playwright Winnie Holzman were working to adapt the beloved stage musical into two separate films.
Schwartz explained that the new song reflects the complicated feelings he believes many Americans have about the United States in present day.
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“No matter where you lie on a political or ideological spectrum, it must be obvious that the America we live in today is quite a different country than 10 years ago,” he told the outlet. “And so if you feel that something is being lost, the question then becomes, well, what do you do about that?”
Schwartz said that at the end of the day, “No Place Like Home” is essentially a love song Elphaba, who is wrongly villainized by her peers, sings to a declining place.
“Any of us who live in a place that we don’t necessarily feel great about, or that hasn’t necessarily been great to us, we grapple with that question: Why do we care so much?” he said.
New ‘Wicked’ Song ‘The Girl in the Bubble’ Also Has Political Undertones
While “There’s No Place Like Home” has a political message, Schwartz said that the movie’s second new song, “The Girl in the Bubble,” is about Ariana Grande’s character, Glinda, having a political awakening regarding her decisions as a leader.
He explained that the song is sung during Glinda’s “turning point,” in which she realizes she had been enabling the cruelty and dishonesty of Oz’s leaders.
“As privileged as she is, she can’t live with herself anymore,” Schwartz said.
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Schwartz concluded that both songs encourage viewers to stand up to injustices.
“Do you try and figure out some way of resisting or acting to recover what’s been lost and improve what seems to be going in the wrong direction?” he said. “How much of a risk are you willing to take?”
The 2 New ‘Wicked: For Good’ Songs Are Eligible for Oscars
While none of the songs featured in 2024 movie Wicked were eligible for Oscars, “There’s No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble” can both compete in the best original song category at the Academy Awards since they were newly written for the film.
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