Ariana Grande is ready to show a new side of Glinda. Wicked: For Good, which hit theaters on Nov. 21, expands the second act of the 2003 Broadway musical with new material, including two original songs written by composer Stephen Schwartz. Grande’s song, “The Girl in the Bubble,” signals a turning point for her character, Glinda, that isn’t seen on Broadway.
Grande’s “The Girl in the Bubble” is the penultimate song of Wicked: For Good (or in theater terms, the 11 o’clock number), which comes after Glinda watches witch-hunters gather outside the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) castle to march in search of her BFF Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) — a mob that includes their old friend Boq (Ethan Slater), who is now the Tin Man, unbeknownst to Glinda.
The scene causes an existential crisis of sorts for Glinda, who starts admitting to herself that she could no longer work under the Wizard’s regime and realizes how far they’re willing to go to destroy Elphie. “Such a beautiful life built on lies,” she sings. “Cause all that’s required to live in a dream is endlessly closing your eyes.”
Grande opened up about “Bubble” in September, calling it a pivotal moment for Glinda that truly makes her as good as she calls herself. “We get to see her decide, ‘I’m going to change the course of Oz. I’m going to become deeply, truly good and make a safe space for people,’” she told Empire. “She earns her title for real. I’m so grateful for that song, because she deserves it as a character.”
Ariana Grande’s “The Girl In The Bubble” Lyrics
Read the full lyrics to Grande’s new Wicked: For Good song below.
Look
There’s that beautiful girl
With a beautiful life
Such a beautiful life
Built on lies
Cause all that’s required
To live in a dream
Is endlessly closing your eyes
She spins such beautiful stories
To sing her to sleep
Full of magic and glory and nerve
She’s the girl in the bubble
A bright shiny bubble
Blissfully floating above
Ah, but the truth has a way
Of seeping on in
Beneath the surface and sheen
And blind as you’ve tried to be
Eventually
It’s hard to unsee what you’ve seen
And so that beautiful girl
With a beautiful life
Has a question that haunts her somehow
If she comes down from the sky
Gives the real world a try
Who in the world is she now?
And though so much of her wishes
That she could float on
And the beautiful lies never stop
For the girl in the bubble
The pink shiny bubble
It’s time for her bubble to pop
For the popular girl
High in the bubble
Isn’t it high time
For her bubble to pop
