"I'm Not That Girl" is a showtune from the musical ''
Wicked'', based on the novel, "''
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West''", by
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', '' Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'', and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many ...
. It was composed by
Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in musicals on the Broadway stage and having achieved mainstream success across stage, film and music, Menzel has garnered the honori ...
(original song) and
(reprise) on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003. It is a
solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
sung by the main character of the show,
Elphaba Thropp
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, ''Wicked''.
In the original 1900 L. Frank Baum book '' The W ...
(the future
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...
in ''
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...
'') in the first act and
Glinda
Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...
in the reprise in the second act.
Context in ''Wicked''
The song is performed midway through the first act. During the song, Elphaba expresses her love for the Winkie prince
Fiyero
''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in ''The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by ''Son of a ...
, the most popular boy at Shiz and
Glinda's boyfriend. She accepts that she knows that nothing can ever happen between them, as she 'wasn't born for the rose and the pearl', and is an unpopular girl with green skin. She also mentions that Fiyero has feelings for her, though this was unconfirmed. This song is reprised by Glinda in the musical's second act when Fiyero leaves her for Elphaba.
Kerry Ellis version
Kerry Ellis
Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...
, who played Elphaba in the
West End and the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
productions of ''Wicked'', recorded a version of this song in 2008. In this version, the verses are rearranged and extra lyrics are added. It was also produced by
Brian May
Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...
with him on guitar; fitting more into the rock genre. The song was originally released on her extended play ''
Wicked in Rock
''Wicked in Rock'' is an EP by actress and singer Kerry Ellis. It was arranged, produced and accompanied on guitar by Brian May and features Taylor Hawkins on drums. A 60+ piece orchestra, conducted by Steve Sidwell, was also used. The album ha ...
'' but was also featured on her debut album ''
Anthems
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short s ...
''. It was released as a single on September 6, 2010, accompanied by track "Dangerland" as its B-side.
References
External links
2003 songs
Idina Menzel songs
Kristin Chenoweth songs
Kerry Ellis songs
Songs from Wicked (musical)
Songs written by Stephen Schwartz (composer)
{{Oz-stub