"For Good" is a song from the 2003 musical Wicked. It is sung as a duet between Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (the Good Witch of the North) during a farewell scene. The music and lyrics were written by composer Stephen Schwartz. On the Broadway cast recording, the song is performed by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. In the film version Wicked: For Good (2025), the song is performed by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. After the musical premiered, Schwartz said he asked his daughter what she would say if she could never see her best friend again. Her answer became the first verse of "For Good."
Lyrics
The song's lyrics talk about how Elphaba and Glinda have changed because of their friendship. Glinda says she does not know if people meet for a reason, but she knows she is who she is today because of her friendship with Elphaba. Elphaba tells Glinda that no matter how their stories end, Glinda has changed her life by being her friend. Elphaba also asks Glinda to forgive her for any mistakes she made. Glinda responds that both of them share some blame, but they agree that their past problems no longer matter. They end the song by saying their friendship has changed them both "for good" and then hug for the last time.
Critical reception
Vulture listed the song as the third-best from the Wicked musical, noting that it was "not particularly inventive" and "too obvious" in its message, though it was also described as being "overcome by emotional music." However, Vulture acknowledged that the strong emotions developed through the characters' relationship in the show could "forgive" the song's weaknesses in its lyrics. Playbill ranked it as the seventh-best song by Stephen Schwartz, calling it less showy than other Wicked songs but still unique, powerful, and meaningful, as it shows how relationships help people grow. Jenny Singer of The Forward wrote that the song is part of a special group of songs often performed at events like graduations, retirements, and funerals.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande version
English actress Cynthia Erivo and American singer and actress Ariana Grande performed a version of the song "For Good" as Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked: For Good (2025), the second film in Universal Pictures' two-part movie version of Wicked. The movie was released on November 21, 2025. The song was released on the same day as part of the soundtrack album Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack (2025), produced by Republic Records and Verve Records.
Erivo and Grande performed "For Good" with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in the television special Wicked: One Wonderful Night, which aired on November 6, 2025. Composer Stephen Schwartz wrote new lyrics for the song's bridge and played piano during the performance. The event was filmed at the Gershwin Theatre, where the Broadway version of Wicked is performed.
- "For Good" – 6:17
- "For Good" (instrumental) – 6:17
- "For Good" – 6:17
- "For Good" (edit) – 3:17
- "For Good" (live from the Gershwin Theatre) (with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth) – 4:31
- "For Good" (sing-along) – 6:17
Other versions and usage in media
Internet creators Sam Tsui and Nick Pitera made a version of the song and posted it on their own YouTube channels. Parts of the original song were played at the end of the repeated episode of the game show Wheel of Fortune that aired on September 4, 2013. This was done as a tribute to director Mark Corwin, who passed away on July 25, 2013.