The Horror The Horror (My Poor Ears Pt 2)
I just heard the full version of Glee's "Defying Gravity", and quite frankly, I want to cry.
First of all, I hated the arrangement. The song loses so much meaning when put into a pop context. I really wish they could have done a stripped a cappella version. The effect would have been much nicer, and the style would have suited the soloists' voices better. I also hated the "duet" style of the song, especially in the second verse with Lea and Chris switch off every line of the solo. It completely disrupts the flow of the song and doesn't allow either of them to do justice to the lyrics. The harmony in the chorus was also disappointing. The producers switched to a more open harmony (sixths, I think?) instead of the original (3rds?), and because of that and because of the producing, it sounded more like a Lea solo with Chris on background harmony as opposed to a true duet like what Elphaba and Glinda sing in that part.
On the bright side, I'm quite willing to overlook the fact that Chris Colfer, being a high tenor and all, doesn't quite have the voice I want for Defying Gravity. (I'm thinking Raul Esparza's version.) He does a great job with the high notes and would have sounded even better with a lower key and less auto-tune. But I know the song means a great deal to him, and I'm happy that he gets the chance to sing something so special to him.
Lea Michele, on the other hand, should not have been allowed to sing so much of this song, or even better not sing this song at all. Just because she looks like Idina and just because she is a Broadway-trained mezzo-soprano doesn't mean that she can pull it off. Yes, she can hit the notes. Yes, she has good technique. Yes, she has a powerful voice. But so what? Who's to say that Jenna Ushkowitz couldn't have been all those things as well? My biggest qualm with Lea is the fact that she doesn't feel what she sings (and if she does, she can't express it more than on a superficial level, "On My Own" being an exception). That may work with songs like "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Somebody to Love", but with "Defying Gravity", emotion is essential.
"Defying Gravity" is all about the emotional journey that Elphaba embarks on. Like I wrote about in a certain fic, at the beginning of the song, Elphaba is a scared schoolgirl who has just been exposed to the harsh reality of things. As the song progresses, she realizes that there is no turning back and that she must try to do things on her own. The first half of the song is all about that. It's all about encouraging herself to have the confidence to embrace the inevitable. The words sound confident and optimistic but only superficially so, because the girl singing them is still hesitant. It is not until the climax when the guards burst in and grab Glinda that Elphaba realizes she must make a decision. That is when she rises and asserts herself with all the power and confidence she can muster. It is the one moment that she does not allow any self-doubt hold her back.
The pop version of "Defying Gravity" may not need all these things, because it is not in the context of the musical. But the singer should still keep that emotional journey in mind. There should still be that subtle buildup even if the confidence and optimism of the beginning are now more real than superficial. Idina is able to do that in her pop version. There is a sense of earnestness and vulnerability to her that fits Elphaba so well, and that's exactly what Lea is missing. When Lea sings, she never sounds vulnerable. Even with "On My Own", she doesn't quite have that quality. That is why the beginning of the Defying Gravity falls flat (at least in my ears). Lea tries way too hard to express each note and ends up sounding way too contrived. The second chorus is better because she has the power to belt it, and she does a decent job. But then because she's already belted in the second chorus, there's nowhere to build in the final chorus except for the few high notes, which didn't move me at all. Finally, the last ah was the epitome of a vocal run epic fail.
The thing that bothers me the most about all this is the number of people who LOVE this rendition of the song. They think it's absolutely amazing and that Lea has more than shown how capable she is of playing Elphaba in the Wicked movie. What. The. Fuck. Seriously.
The sad thing is that even if Lea were to be Elphie in the movie, I'd still go see it because I love Wicked that much.
First of all, I hated the arrangement. The song loses so much meaning when put into a pop context. I really wish they could have done a stripped a cappella version. The effect would have been much nicer, and the style would have suited the soloists' voices better. I also hated the "duet" style of the song, especially in the second verse with Lea and Chris switch off every line of the solo. It completely disrupts the flow of the song and doesn't allow either of them to do justice to the lyrics. The harmony in the chorus was also disappointing. The producers switched to a more open harmony (sixths, I think?) instead of the original (3rds?), and because of that and because of the producing, it sounded more like a Lea solo with Chris on background harmony as opposed to a true duet like what Elphaba and Glinda sing in that part.
On the bright side, I'm quite willing to overlook the fact that Chris Colfer, being a high tenor and all, doesn't quite have the voice I want for Defying Gravity. (I'm thinking Raul Esparza's version.) He does a great job with the high notes and would have sounded even better with a lower key and less auto-tune. But I know the song means a great deal to him, and I'm happy that he gets the chance to sing something so special to him.
Lea Michele, on the other hand, should not have been allowed to sing so much of this song, or even better not sing this song at all. Just because she looks like Idina and just because she is a Broadway-trained mezzo-soprano doesn't mean that she can pull it off. Yes, she can hit the notes. Yes, she has good technique. Yes, she has a powerful voice. But so what? Who's to say that Jenna Ushkowitz couldn't have been all those things as well? My biggest qualm with Lea is the fact that she doesn't feel what she sings (and if she does, she can't express it more than on a superficial level, "On My Own" being an exception). That may work with songs like "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Somebody to Love", but with "Defying Gravity", emotion is essential.
"Defying Gravity" is all about the emotional journey that Elphaba embarks on. Like I wrote about in a certain fic, at the beginning of the song, Elphaba is a scared schoolgirl who has just been exposed to the harsh reality of things. As the song progresses, she realizes that there is no turning back and that she must try to do things on her own. The first half of the song is all about that. It's all about encouraging herself to have the confidence to embrace the inevitable. The words sound confident and optimistic but only superficially so, because the girl singing them is still hesitant. It is not until the climax when the guards burst in and grab Glinda that Elphaba realizes she must make a decision. That is when she rises and asserts herself with all the power and confidence she can muster. It is the one moment that she does not allow any self-doubt hold her back.
The pop version of "Defying Gravity" may not need all these things, because it is not in the context of the musical. But the singer should still keep that emotional journey in mind. There should still be that subtle buildup even if the confidence and optimism of the beginning are now more real than superficial. Idina is able to do that in her pop version. There is a sense of earnestness and vulnerability to her that fits Elphaba so well, and that's exactly what Lea is missing. When Lea sings, she never sounds vulnerable. Even with "On My Own", she doesn't quite have that quality. That is why the beginning of the Defying Gravity falls flat (at least in my ears). Lea tries way too hard to express each note and ends up sounding way too contrived. The second chorus is better because she has the power to belt it, and she does a decent job. But then because she's already belted in the second chorus, there's nowhere to build in the final chorus except for the few high notes, which didn't move me at all. Finally, the last ah was the epitome of a vocal run epic fail.
The thing that bothers me the most about all this is the number of people who LOVE this rendition of the song. They think it's absolutely amazing and that Lea has more than shown how capable she is of playing Elphaba in the Wicked movie. What. The. Fuck. Seriously.
The sad thing is that even if Lea were to be Elphie in the movie, I'd still go see it because I love Wicked that much.