What Is This Feeling Lyrics

Brush up on your Broadway and learn the lyrics to "What is This Feeling" from the hit musical "Wicked."  This original musical about the life and times of Elphaba, and how she became the wicked witch of the west, puts an unusual sci-fi spin on literary classic, "The Wizard of Oz" and is much more sympathetic towards the wicked witch than the original. "What is this feeling" is a duet between Glinda (the perfect blonde good witch) and Elphaba, who is unpopular (at least in part) because she is inexplicably green.

Both characters are on the phone with their parents trying to explain their uncomfortable living situation—they've been placed as roommates (think the Goth girl and the cheerleader sharing a small space, and you'll get the idea). On the official soundtrack (music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz), Glinda's part is sung by Kristin Chenoweth, and Elphaba is sung by Idina Menzel.

Glinda is cutesy and peppy "Dearest Darlingest momsie and popsicle", whereas Elphaba, true to form is an interesting mixture of seriousness "My dear father", dry humor "my roommate is...blonde" and cynicism but in the end both characters agree, the feeling they can't identify right away is "loathing, pure unadulterated, loathing," that makes their "skin crawl." While Elphaba continues flying solo throughout the song, Glinda is joined near the end of the song by her lackeys, who support Glinda's loathing for Elphaba; "Poor Glinda forced to reside/ with someone so disgusticified/ we just want to tell you we're all on your side!"

The song is is a hilarious juxtaposition of typical love songs about feelings, and the two characters' feelings of hatred for each other. While the descriptions are similar to those of people falling in love, "I do admit it came on fast/still I do believe that it can last" they're actually about dislike and loathing for a roommate. Even so, this song is just the introduction to Glinda and Elphaba's relationship in "Wicked". Unbeknownst to both characters (spoiler alert), they will later become good friends, despite (or perhaps because) of their differences.