Some cultural examples might be: high-voltage trapeze artists who seem to “defy gravity,” or magicians who seem to “defy gravity” by letting someone float in the air without support. In all these cases, there is no gravity-defying explanation, but a reasonable explanation consistent with what we know about gravity. For example, magicians will always use some form of wires or supports to create the illusion of the floating person, but this is not the case. Earth seems to “defy the gravitational pull of the Sun,” but again, the reason Earth does this is that, for complex physical reasons, our initial impulse given to Earth when the solar system formed is enough to keep us in orbit around the Sun – and seems to defy gravity! Tends to be a cultural expression rather than an expression of physics – any action that seems to resist what we understand about gravity. “Defying Gravity” is the signature song for the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth on November 10, 2003.[1] and released on December 16, 2003. It is mainly a solo sung by the main character of the show, Elphaba (the wicked witch of the West), with two small duets at the beginning and middle of the song between Elphaba and her friend Glinda and a chorus part at the end in which the citizens of Oz sing. Sales+Streaming figures are based solely on certification. In the event of an elevator malfunction where Elphaba is not lifted into the air, the artists learn a “shot B” or “no-fly” sequence in which Elphaba descends the stage and plays the guards, and the city dwellers lie on stage to simulate how they look at an Elphaba now in the air. [3] Sometimes cherry breeding technology doesn`t work, resulting in the fan-favorite meme of the “infamous and hilarious no-fly shows.” [4] The song was used to wake up astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle STS-131 mission in April 2010 for astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger in honor of the day`s planned off-vehicle activity. Idina Menzel, who reprised her role as Elphaba in the London production of Wicked in 2006, recorded a remixed version of the song. [7]. It was released as a single on March 1, 2007 and later on the UK and iTunes versions of their 2008 album I Stand.
The remix of “Defying Gravity” was also the anthem of the 2007 Gay Pride Parade and Festival in Los Angeles and will appear on the event`s official CD. The song peaked at number 60 on the uk official charts in May 2008, shortly after a contestant sang “Defying Gravity” in an episode of the BBC television show I`d Do Anything. She released the song a second time in 2012 as a single from her album Live: Barefoot at the Symphony. In Wicked, the song is the finale of the first act of the series, when Elphaba discovers that the Wizard of Oz is not the heroic character she originally thought he was. When Elphaba realizes this, and despite Glinda`s attempts to dissuade her, she vows to do everything in her power to fight the sorcerer and his sinister plans against the Animals of Oz. She sings about how she wants to live without borders, violating the rules that others have set for her. During the song, Elphaba enchants a broom handle to float and, pursued by the sorcerer`s guards, rises from the stage above the angry citizens of Oz, who try in vain to “bring them down”. The song is strongly cinematic and reaches its climax for the last verse. The staging of this climax has several special effects. The actress, who plays Elphaba, is lifted into the air by a hydraulic launch system. The sequence relies heavily on about 60 moving lights, smoke and wind effects.
Defying Gravity can be seen in the episode Wheels of Glee, where Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) sing it separately in a competition for the main solo. This story was inspired by an anecdote by Chris Colfer, the actor who plays Kurt. With a countertenor section, Colfer wanted to sing the song in talent shows in high school, but was repeatedly denied the chance in high school because it`s a solo usually reserved for female artists. It was featured again in episode 100 of the fifth season, the hundredth episode of the series, this time sung by Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes (Amber Riley). Vulture ranked the number as Wicked`s best song, calling it the “jewel in the crown of the score,” although she noted that it`s an easy song to mock because it`s “ripe for biting belts and stupid embellishments.” [6] Vulture also described it as the “great centerpiece of the belt-shaped show” and felt that it had since established an “ambivalent legacy” as the “dumbest, most inspiring, and most enduring song in recent Broadway history.” [4] The finale of the first act is “calibrated for everyone to stay for the second act.” [4].