At this point, Wicked has become pretty inescapable on TikTok. Both the film itself and its very bizarre press tour have been a hot talking point. But while some of us are holding space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity, other TikTokers are more interested in another song, from which a viral sound has emerged.
The sound
@kendallmaynard25 never gets old #fyp #trending #grwm #girls #blowthisup ♬ Popular – Ariana Grande
The sound consists of the unmistakable Ariana Grande as Glinda asking: “Did they have brains or knowledge?/Don’t make me laugh. They were —”
“Popular,” Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba interjects. Glinda then exclaims “Right!,” clearly pleased that she’s been understood.
It’s this delight of another person being on your wavelength that has inspired this sound trend, which has been used in 30,700 TikToks. Here’s some examples:
“When that one girl you instantly clicked with has another thing in common with you,” said @kendallmaynard25.
“When I say I have to go pee and someone says ‘go piss girl,’” said @payton_rebekah.
“When I make a Marvel reference and they get it,” said @suprememelia.
“When you realize you both hate the same co-worker,” said @adam.salerno.
Where’s it from?
@payton_rebekah i missed one yesterday and i was very disappointed in myself 😞 #wicked #popular #popularwicked #elphaba #glinda ♬ Popular – Ariana Grande
This sound comes from the Wicked song “Popular.” In the song, Glinda has decided to take former enemy Elphaba under her wing and teach her the ways of popularity.
In the song, she talks of “celebrated heads of state” and “specially great communicators,” arguing that they have one quality in common. Before she can say it, Elphaba beats her to it, guessing that they, too were “popular.”
Elphaba’s interruption and Grande’s response don’t happen in the original Broadway show. Instead, it was ad-libbed.
Sound off
@suprememelia Jonathan🔨 #loki #marvel ♬ Popular – Ariana Grande
All the songs in Wicked were sung live, paving the way for ad-libs like this to happen. In a clip of her playing back the moment in the recording studio, Grande said in the Instagram post:
“I scared myself. I called [director] Jon [M. Chu] immediately giggling. For the record, I absolutely do not remember doing this.”
Despite her lack of memory, TikTokers are calling this moment the best part of the film. One TikToker said that Grande is “securing that Oscar just with this scene alone,” while another added: “She put her whole Grandeussy into that delivery of ‘right.’”
So, in a roundabout way, I guess you could say this sound is popular.
