Taj Williams (00:39.679)
Welcome back to the Ultimate Playlist Podcast full of choice tracks. I'm Taj.

Damon (00:44.977)
I'm Damon.

DW (00:46.166)
And I'm 2025. I'm sorry, my bad. I'm D-Trek.

Taj Williams (00:48.353)
You're wearing a diaper already? Like, you gotta wait a couple weeks, you know?

DW (00:53.002)
Yes! No, no, no! New Year's, Wearing a diaper all the way through. That's my New Year's resolution.

Damon (00:54.911)
shit.

Taj Williams (01:00.701)
Yeah

Damon (01:02.922)
You're just gonna be like bingeing movies and video games with like beer cases of beer? Is that what it is?

Taj Williams (01:03.585)
You

DW (01:05.706)
Hey, I came in being a baby, I'm gonna go out being a baby. That's how it works.

Taj Williams (01:06.835)
You

Taj Williams (01:12.449)
You

Damon (01:13.918)
Baby wants his baba, I guess.

Taj Williams (01:15.486)
You

DW (01:15.669)
Yep.

Taj Williams (01:18.315)
So, well, welcome back, folks. This is our episode where we cover a chart song. So, just some behind the magic, I use some dice to roll stuff. And so our two numbers were either 68 or 86. And then when I gave the song options to the guys, what do you know? They both end up being a song by Ariana Grande.

How do you guys feel about Arya Agrande? You know, as just a regular artist.

DW (01:55.316)
scene I'll definitely give her that. I think people are a little bit caught up on her looks right now because she's dramatically lost some weight and they're trying to figure out you know where that's coming from. She has a her and Taylor Swift have a laundry list of individuals that they used to date that they make songs off of afterwards so it's interesting to see where this is gonna turn out or how it's gonna come into play.

Taj Williams (02:05.345)
Mm.

Taj Williams (02:21.461)
Well, what if I told you guys that this week there was no way avoiding it, because this sometimes happens with the pop charts. We both, regardless of which number we hit, they're both a song off of the soundtrack of Wicked. So. Right. For all you music theater musical lovers, that's what this week is. It's a musical number. So.

DW (02:38.524)
Wizard of Oz.

Taj Williams (02:51.657)
you both. I don't know. I don't know. Somehow it somehow both songs were on the chart and, you know, the numbers both flip. So, yeah, I was like, okay. But, yeah, so we're going to go with the higher on the track on the chart number, which is what is this feeling? And so it's Ariana Grande.

Damon (02:53.14)
Sure she didn't put a spell on that or something? Like, damn dude.

DW (02:57.086)
I ended she spell.

Taj Williams (03:39.123)
Yeah, so this is what this feeling and it annoyances the what the feeling is. So the song could have been called annoyance, but they chose to call it was this feeling. So I have not seen the movie. What I can claim from this one song is that the roommates and they get annoyed with each other. So and, you know, Glenda, the good witch is the popular chick with all the friends that don't understand how she could put up with the strange ugly duckling. So.

Don't know how that goes to turning into a wicked witch at the West, but yeah, that's a whole nother story.

DW (04:15.702)
It goes because she's the actual villain. Yep.

Taj Williams (04:20.229)
right. So I have good authority that they broke up the musical into two movie parts. So the movie's only one part of the actual Broadway show. It's like, OK.

Damon (04:35.018)
It's like they took, so they took, you know, Wizard of Oz and turned it into Glee. And this is like the scene like normally where, you know, like the Munchkin land and Dorothy, they're like in the town and then they realize that the wicked witch is dead. So then.

Taj Williams (04:51.947)
Well, no, that's the other song. That was the other song, which is, yeah, which is the the no more more. No one warns the wicked, which is which is the good titles. I mean, it's the title song, except it could have just been called wicked. But yeah, the whole thing is no one mourns the wicked. And then the song ends with them saying wicked multiple times, you know, just to nail in. That's the musical you're seeing with the opening track. Yeah.

Damon (04:55.055)
okay.

Damon (05:00.178)
No one mourns the wicked, right?

Taj Williams (05:21.025)
In case you were confused as to what musical you want to go see.

Damon (05:25.01)
Yeah, little bit. It is like watching like an episode of Glee though. They definitely turned it into more of like a modern day musical which I think it's to be relatable for a lot of viewers. You know what mean?

Taj Williams (05:34.389)
Yeah.

Taj Williams (05:39.041)
Yeah, and I don't know how I feel about it. Like I've never seen Wicked, Broadway or otherwise. I mean, the last one I really got into was Hamilton, but that's really different. I tried Hades Town a little bit, which that one's interesting, but like Wicked never captured my attention as far as like a musical to listen to. But I know it's up there is one of the supposed great musicals, but it sounds...

It sounds like classical musical to me, like, but it doesn't seem unique. I don't know how to state that better, but yeah.

How do you guys feel about musicals?

and wicked or just wherever you want to go with this. you don't all have to chime in at the same time.

Damon (06:33.266)
Right, yeah, musicals... you go first! You look excited, Dietrich.

DW (06:33.428)
No, actually. No, no, no, I was gonna. I was laughing at Todd. I just wanted to see how far he would come before he put his hand up for us to save him. So he was was kind of driving there. Go ahead. I want to hear what you have to say.

Taj Williams (06:45.665)
You

Damon (06:50.974)
Well, yeah, so musicals, I actually do like some musicals and usually like like Moulin Rouge and some musicals I've been to, you know, off Broadway, like Rent and stuff like that. I do enjoy that. And every summer we go to it's like a musical like in the park. So they do like a show in the park and it's like a it's a free show, but you can do donations and all that really good theater troupe.

So I enjoy the show, it's a good old show. It depends on what it is, if it's gonna be a good story or not, if it's gonna be a remake. You better be careful with it. I'm sure they did just fine, but like I said, this is geared towards the youth of today and they've shaped it to be more current. The older I get, it's harder to know what current is, I think.

DW (07:44.374)
There you go.

Damon (07:47.58)
It sounds very similar to the original Wicked and just the actual actors and some of the scenes are different probably, slightly, you know what I mean? Just to make it more current. But yeah, that's how I feel about musicals. How do I feel about the fact that it pulled two Ariana Grande songs when you roll the dice? I don't know about that.

Taj Williams (08:02.155)
Gotcha.

Taj Williams (08:13.633)
Gotcha.

Beer.

DW (08:17.142)
So I'm kind of coming from a different angle on it only because You know when you have a daughter You kind of have to go through this phase where they're watching all the Disney teen movies and so there's one that's called descendants the descendants which is like the descendants of like you know Snow White and the descendants of Corella De Vil and all the you know the characters that are known for like Disney

Taj Williams (08:33.585)
yeah.

DW (08:45.256)
And this is like the group that comes there, their offspring, so to speak. That's this reminds me of. But I know this is a prequel to the actual Wizard of Oz and how everything got started, origin story, the whole nine. So I'm not really too much tripping on that. What I feel about the song is I feel like. Well, for one, the audio is throwing me off. The only reason why it's throwing me off is because I know that it's taken straight from the movie.

Taj Williams (09:14.875)
gotcha.

DW (09:14.934)
So I can hear where they're in the wrong together type situation versus, you know, just being actual recording track and Sitting in the studio and things of that nature like they actually cleaned up the audio to make it look like it's a part of the movie scene where they're actually in the wrong together type situation and going off of that. That kind of threw me off. But as far as like their voices both of them are excellent singers

Taj Williams (09:36.449)
Gotcha.

DW (09:43.67)
in their own right. The song itself just kind of fell a little flat for me only because like when I think of musicals or when I think of Disney songs in general, I wanted to capture my heart, right? I want the feeling of the essence of, you know, euphoria that comes over you when you know that you're in a whimsical world. I didn't get that one out of this song.

So to speak. that's just where I'm coming from with that. you know, normally I could do musicals. I love musicals. Do I love watching them all the time? No. But when it's something that I feel like will captivate and harden me, you know, kind of kind of a little bit weepy, I'll definitely watch it.

Taj Williams (10:28.339)
Okay. So yeah, no, I can agree with that. So yeah, for sure.

DW (10:33.396)
Now as far as being on the top 100, yeah I'm not doing that. If it was like let it go from Frozen, like okay cool, that hits the mark. This situation, I think they're probably some other songs on the soundtrack that would have actually like carried over a little bit better than these. You'll probably see them on the chart later on or moving up in some type of way, form or fashion, but I mean I get it.

Taj Williams (10:48.811)
Bit yeah.

Taj Williams (11:02.657)
Well, I kind of feel like they'll probably drop out, like, because it's their first week on the chart and they're already where they're at. So like, feel like it I've since we've been doing this chart thing, I've noticed trends when something releases like sometimes four or five of the tracks get in the top 100. But next week, they're down to like just one or two. Like it's like new releases for some reason will hit on the chart, stay on there for a week and then be gone. So.

That's kind of what I was thinking that this might be doing.

Damon (11:34.588)
Right. Yeah, so it's interesting to say that. like top one on our charts. I think that in this case, it's definitely like everybody's buying the album because they want to they want to hear it for they go see it and everybody's kid or whoever adults do. But like they're all going to see this somewhere. Maybe they're seeing it on Broadway. They're seeing it off Broadway. They're you know, some version of I don't think there is an off Broadway version of this.

This this version but is she doing Broadway to Ariana Grande? She actually doing that or it has nothing to do with them, right? It's just a movie. Yeah

DW (12:10.576)
Nah, I'd like to see just doing a movie. Just a movie.

Taj Williams (12:12.105)
No, It's just the movie. Yeah, I think the movies are been correct me if I'm wrong. I think the movies are been out for a couple of weeks. Then the album just came out. So which is kind of a weird. It's a weird order. Yeah, because it or I used to remember back in the days that like the soundtracks would hit like two weeks before the movie dropped in movie theaters. But maybe I was wrong. But yeah.

DW (12:24.532)
Yep, and then it is a weird situation. Yeah.

Damon (12:26.303)
Right.

DW (12:40.808)
Or same day situation where they drop. Similar situation because most movies came out on Fridays. So most albums will come out on the Friday as well and then go from there. But in this situation, like it's just kind of weird. I think for me, it's funny because like.

Taj Williams (12:43.177)
Or same day. Yeah.

DW (12:58.998)
I'm thinking about like Disney, right? I'm thinking of Moana 2. It just came out and I can see that there's probably gonna be one or two songs on there that's on the charts. But it's like, is that gonna stick around a little longer? Cause they've been number one for the past two weeks. That's a good question to ask. We'll have to see and find out. Hopefully the next time we roll, we won't pick that song, but you know, it is.

Taj Williams (13:19.937)
Right exactly Hopefully not for sure so but okay So but all right well anything else you guys want to cover? About we good to wrap this up

DW (13:25.674)
for sure.

DW (13:37.728)
Since then, you've seen the movie. I think we should all go see the movie.

Damon (13:37.992)
Yeah, I think that's a...

Taj Williams (13:40.769)
I have not seen the movie. You're gonna see the movie?

DW (13:46.364)
Yeah, I'm gonna go torture myself and see it. Yeah.

Taj Williams (13:50.177)
you

Damon (13:50.858)
I mean, I feel like I probably should see it now. I mean, I'm not opposed to anything like Wizard of Oz related. know, Wicked's different a little bit, you know.

Taj Williams (14:00.938)
Yeah.

Damon (14:02.162)
I know that like my wife really loves the original Wicked on Broadway and she had seen that twice I think in New York City and yeah so she was like kind of skeptical of this so we'll probably end up watching it over the holiday or something I'm sure it will come up and we'll be like that's what that is.

Taj Williams (14:08.757)
Got you.

Okay.

Taj Williams (14:21.482)
Okay.

Taj Williams (14:25.217)
Now the real question is did you guys see Return to Oz back when you were a kid?

Damon (14:29.748)
hell yeah.

DW (14:30.516)
Yeah, saw that.

Taj Williams (14:33.205)
saw that, maybe afraid to enter desert parents. The parents were like, go in the desert be like, no, I saw returned us I know what happens.

Damon (14:36.545)
you weren't so psyched about it.

Damon (14:43.278)
The Deadly Desert. Yeah, my favorite of the Wheelers. And then you got the pumpkin head. It's the couch with the, isn't there like a couch with a moose head? All kinds of crazy shit in that movie, which, for Ruzabal, she plays Dorothy and she's in that Witches movie. What the is that Witches

Taj Williams (14:52.672)
Yeah.

DW (14:54.772)
Mm-hmm.

Taj Williams (14:57.887)
Yep. Yeah.

DW (15:12.48)
They all, they kind of took a Alice in Wonderland turn with that one, which I actually like. That was a good frame for that situation. If they do the same thing in Wicked, that'd be cool, but I don't see it happening. Sorry.

Damon (15:12.714)
90s.

Damon (15:26.399)
Yeah.

Taj Williams (15:26.497)
Right, yeah. But OK. All right. Well, this has been Trace Tracks talking about Wicked and Oz. We ask that you subscribe and listen. Well, first of all, we have a website, tracetracks.com. And then second of all, have an email address at tracetracks.gmail.com. And we ask that you please subscribe and listen to all past and future episodes. Let's go and sign out in harmony.

I've been Tom.

Damon (15:57.904)
I'm David. I'm David.

Taj Williams (15:58.817)
You're supposed to come in while I'm holding the... There he go.

DW (16:00.07)
I'll be trained.

Damon (16:02.73)
EEEE

DW (16:06.932)
and show you our world. Yeah, that's enough of my harmonizing. We're going to pick up the needle, but y'all keep on those choice tracks.