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With 'Wicked' still making the circuit, we picked the top 10 girl songs of musical theater

Pamela Kragen, The San Diego Union-Tribune on

Published in Entertainment News

SAN DIEGO — On Wednesday, the national touring production of “Wicked” will open in a 3 1/2 week run at the San Diego Civic Theatre, and most of the tickets have already sold out.

That’s a remarkable sales feat for a 22-year-old Broadway musical that is marking its sixth visit to San Diego since 2006. But the massive success of the musical’s Oscar-nominated movie adaptation, which opened in cinemas Nov. 22 and is still going strong on streaming TV, has given birth to a whole new generation of “Ozians” (the nickname for “Wicked” musical devotees).

For those who have yet to discover “Wicked,” it’s composer Stephen Schwartz and bookwriter Winnie Holzman’s stage adaptation of the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, which imagined a dark and surprising backstory for the colorful characters Kansas farm girl Dorothy encounters after riding a cyclone over the rainbow to Oz in L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and the 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” movie.

“Wicked” explores issues of childhood trauma, discrimination, political corruption and the importance of self-determination. But for most Ozians, “Wicked” is about friendship — specifically the unlikely but unbreakable bond forged between college roomies Elphaba and Glinda (who later become known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, respectively).

The stage version of “Wicked” runs about 2 hours, 45 minutes, but Jon M. Chu’s film version is twice a long, so he released “Wicked: Part One” last fall and the sequel will be released next November under the title “Wicked: For Good.” That name comes from the beloved friendship anthem Elphaba and Glinda sing to each other in the musical’s second act.

As a lifelong musical theater lover and theater critic for the past 30 or so years, I’ve become a connoisseur of Broadway’s “girl songs.”

The girl songs I like best aren’t necessarily the belters that show off a performer’s vocal fortitude, but songs by women characters that are so honest and emotionally powerful that they bring me to tears every time I see them onstage. They’re also what theater composers call “I want” songs, where the character sings about their secret struggles and the things they desire most.

So, in honor of “Wicked” and the duet “For Good,” I offer my picks for Broadway’s 10 best girl songs:

1. “She Used to Be Mine” from “Waitress”

In this heartbreaking song by the musical’s composer/lyricist Sara Bareilles, pregnant diner waitress Jenna reflects on the mess she has made of her life and how the strong, independent woman she used to be is gone. Fortunately, Jenna finds her way back to herself and this has become of one of musical theater’s most beloved girl songs.

Who sang it best: Bareilles herself is its best interpreter, but for a really stunning new version of the song, check out her recent duet with Rufus Wainwright in the Jan. 3 PBS special “Next at the Kennedy Center”: youtube.com/watch?v=JAZ1nfuluz0

2. “Satisfied” from “Hamilton”

This fast-paced tour de force explores the inner thoughts of Angelica Schuyler, the eldest sister of Eliza, who married the cocky future Founding Father Alexander Hamilton in 1780. Composer and bookwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda’s facility in writing songs for complex women characters blossomed in “Hamilton.” In “Satisfied,” Angelica reflects (in a clever rewinding narrative) on her unrequited love and mistrust for her sister’s ambitious husband, as well as the sacrifices she must make out of devotion to her sister and obligation to their father. The original 2016 Broadway cast can be seen in a fantastic stage-capture film of the musical on Disney+.

Who sang it best: The role’s Broadway originator, Renée Elise Goldsberry, effortlessly pulls off the highly challenging song with vocal beauty, speedy raplike patter and cutting sadness. Watch at: youtube.com/watch?v=H7Dl0uZhPvs.

3. “For Good” from “Wicked.”

I interviewed “Wicked” composer Steven Schwartz years ago and he told me that the lyrics for this iconic friendship duet were inspired by a chat with his own daughter, when he asked what she’d say to a friend if she knew they would never see each other again. Her response became the song’s refrain: “Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?/ But because I knew you / I have been changed for good.”

Who sang it best: The song’s original interpreters and close friends Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel gave the song its sweetness, heart and honesty. If you watch closely some of the YouTube videos of them singing to one another, you’ll see tears streaming down their cheeks. Here’s one: youtube.com/watch?v=2fR4JotwwWo.

4. “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl”

The 1964 musical “Funny Girl,” is not the greatest, but this number is one of the best girl songs in musical theater history. “Funny Girl” was inspired by the life of vaudeville superstar Fanny Brice and her unhappy second marriage. The show became an overnight sensation because of its 21-year-old star, Barbra Streisand, who went on to re-create the role in a much-better 1968 film. This show-stopping, first-act finale number features Fanny ignoring friends’ warnings and throwing caution to the wind to chase after her departing lover, Nicky. The song perfectly encapsulates the character’s passion, desperation and chutzpah.

Who sang it best: Nobody will ever top Barbra. Watch at youtube.com/watch?v=emdaIJeVoTQ.

5. “I Dreamed a Dream”/”On My Own” from “Les Miserables”

 

I’m cheating here by naming two girl songs from my all-time favorite musical, but they mirror each other. Fantine (who sings “I Dreamed a Dream”) and Eponine (who sings “On My Own”) are both big-hearted, desperately poor women in 19th-century France who have been abandoned or ignored by the men they love. Both die tragically, but not before singing their hearts out.

Who sang them best? The best-ever collection of singers for “Les Miz” was assembled for the musical’s 10th anniversary concert in London in 1995. English actress Ruthie Henshall’s “I Dreamed a Dream” is gorgeously calibrated. And Lea Salonga’s powerhouse “On My Own” is a heartbreaker. (Also on the bill that night was Australia’s Philip Quast, who gave the best vocal performance of Javert’s “Stars” I’ve ever seen).

6. “My Days” from “The Notebook”

I’ve never seen a bigger audience weep-fest in a theater than at this recently closed 2024 Broadway musical, which was inspired by the 1996 novel and 2004 Ryan Gosling film. The biggest tears, including my own, came after “My Days,” where rich girl Allie finally stands up for herself to claim the love and life she deserves with the devoted but poor carpenter Noah. Written by pop singer Ingrid Michaelson, the song starts soft then builds and builds with righteous female empowerment and ultimate joy.

Who sang it best? Broadway’s next superstar, Joy Woods, originated the role of middle-aged Allie and brought the house down the night I attended. Watch at: youtube.com/watch?v=hfPyHiWIhDQ

7. “I’m Here” from “The Color Purple”

English dynamo Cynthia Erivo (“Elphaba” in the “Wicked” movie) was introduced to American theater audiences in the 2015 Broadway revival of this musical, which is based on Alice Walker’s novel about Celie, a homely, lonely and abused — but indomitable — Black woman in the American South. I got to see her performance in 2016 and was blown away by her charisma, acting and vocal interpretation. In the second-act climax “I’m Here,” the aging and finally confident Celie counts up all the things she’s thankful for, most of all her beautiful self.

Who sang it best? Erivo has said “I’m Here” is the hardest song she’s ever sung because of the emotional and vocal range it demands. Watch her performance here: youtube.com/watch?v=VKtFfqinmWo.

8. “Keep Marching” from “Suffs”

Shaina Taub’s Tony-winning 2022 musical, which closed last month on Broadway, is about the brave and invincible suffragettes who fought long and hard for women’s right to vote in the early 20th century. My 30-year-old daughter and I saw it a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and the musical’s inspirational finale “Keep Marching” hit home for us. With the house lights up so the cast could see the audience and look in their eyes, the all-female cast marched in unison and sang about how the battle for women’s rights and equality will never be over, so keep marching and don’t give up hope. In our front-row seats, we were so overcome with emotion we couldn’t summon words until long after we left the theater.

Who sang it best? The original Broadway company’s live performance was visually spectacular, but the audio recording, led by writer/composer/star Shaina Taub, also inspires. Listen at: youtube.com/watch?v=XPyKqoRKT8g.

9. “Losing My Mind” from “Follies”

Stephen Sondheim wrote many great songs for women, but this despairing torch song from his 1971 musical “Follies” is a lyrical masterpiece. Aging showgirl Sally can’t move on from her years-long obsession with an ex-lover, so thoughts about him constantly intrude. “I dim the lights / I think about you / spend sleepless nights / to think about you / you said you loved me / or were you just being kind? / or am I losing my mind?”

Who sang it best? The late Marin Mazzie sang it with beauty and subtletly in 2010, but I think it’s most effective when sung with deep vulnerability by an older woman who’s Sally’s age. Imelda Staunton killed it at London’s National Theatre in 2017. Watch at: youtube.com/watch?v=7OvlKjT9D8Y.

10. “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls”

Probably the most famous torch song in musical theater history is this epic barn-burner from 1982’s “Dreamgirls,” a musical loosely inspired by the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes. Band manager Curtis dumps frumpy singer Effie, both as his girlfriend and from the vocal group, but she refuses to accept his decision with this fierce vocal proclamation of love and possessiveness.

Who sang it best? Jennifer Holliday’s performance as Effie in 1982 set the Broadway standard for Black women’s fiery “I want” songs and she hasn’t been topped since. Listen at: youtube.com/watch?v=LN4IdX3USpA.

Runners-up: “I’d Give My Life For You” from “Miss Saigon”; “Rose’s Turn” from “Gypsy”; “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret”; “Heart of Stone” from “Six”; “I Miss the Mountains” from “Next to Normal.”

I’m always looking for new Broadway girl songs to love, so if you have suggestions to share with me, please email me at pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com.

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©2025 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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