"As Long as You're Mine" is a song from the second act of the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

'' (2003) by

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...

. It is a duet between

Elphaba Elphaba Thropp () is the protagonist of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', the novel's musical theatre adaptation, and the musical's two-part film adaptation, '' Wicked'' (2024) and '' ...

, the

Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West, a fictional character in the classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) by the American author L. Frank Baum, is the evil ruler of the Winkie Country, the western region in the Land of Oz. ...

, and

Fiyero The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator W.W. Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In realit ...

, with whom she is in love. It was originally performed by

Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in Musical theatre, musicals on Broadway theatre, Broadway, she has been Honorific nicknames in popular music, nicknamed the "Queen of ...

and

Norbert Leo Butz Norbert Leo Butz (born January 30, 1967) is an American actor and singer known for his work in Broadway theatre. He is a two-time recipient of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performances in ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' and '' ...

, who played the roles of Elphaba and Fiyero, respectively, in the original

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 Stre ...

cast.

Context

The song is sung in the second act of the musical. In the duet, as Elphaba and Fiyero on the run from the Wizard's forces, the two express their newly discovered love for each other. At the end of the song, Elphaba confesses that she feels "Wicked" for the first time. This is a play on the moniker she has been given, and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

slang term ''

wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

'', a reference to the fact that Fiyero has been romantically involved with Elphaba's closest friend,

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 ...

, and Elphaba's first move into the world of romance, in contrast to the feelings expressed in " I'm Not That Girl". However, Elphaba senses that her sister

Nessarose The Wicked Witch of the East is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is a crucial character but appears only briefly in Baum's classic children's series of ''Oz'' novels, most notably ''The Wonderful Wizard of O ...

, the

Wicked Witch of the East The Wicked Witch of the East is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is a crucial character but appears only briefly in Baum's classic children's series of ''Oz'' novels, most notably '' The Wonderful Wizard of ...

, is in danger, and runs to her aid.

Composition

The basic tune was originally written by

, in the early 1970s. He used it in ''Wicked'' as the opening theme, and the basis for the only love duet in the musical and, for this reason, he wanted a sensual and passionate score, but also aggressive and "dark". The song begins with the first notes of " No One Mourns the Wicked", but played on the piano and with some electric bass with a faster rhythm, the same chord progression becomes the basis for a romantic duet.

Other versions

Eden Espinosa Eden Erica Espinosa (born February 2, 1978) is an American actress and singer who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco productions of the musical '' Wicked''. In 2022, she was nominated f ...

recorded a version with David Burnham for his self-titled album in 2007.

Lee Mead Lee Stephen Mead (born 14 July 1981) is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' through the BBC TV ...

performed an all-male version with fellow " Any Dream Will Do" alumni

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English actor. He starred in the West End productions of the musicals ''Rent'' and ''Grease'' before being a 2007 contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do''. Boys went on to star in many ...

at Boys' cabaret event in August 2014, having also recorded a version with

Rachel Tucker Rachel Kelly Tucker (born 29 May 1981) is a Northern Irish stage actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the musical '' Wicked''. She also starred in '' Come from Away'' on Broadway, having originated the role in the West End. Rachel ...

for his 10th anniversary album in February 2014.

Willemijn Verkaik Willemijn Verkaik (; born 16 June 1975) is a Dutch singer and actress. She is best known for her stage roles in the musicals '' Wicked'' and '' Elisabeth'', and for providing the voice of Elsa in the German version (singing only) and the Dutch ...

and Kevin Tarte recorded a version of the track for Tarte's 2014 album "Reflection". For the musical's fifteenth anniversary special for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, ''

A Very Wicked Halloween ''A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway'' is a Halloween television special commemorating fifteen years since the premiere of the musical ''Wicked (musical), Wicked'' on Broadway. The concert special aired on NBC on October 29, ...

'',

Ledisi Ledisi Anibade Young (; born March 28, 1972), better known simply as Ledisi, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, author, and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba. In 1995, Ledisi formed a band afte ...

and

Adam Lambert Adam Mitchel Lambert (born January 29, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his dynamic vocal performances that combine his theatrical training with modern and classic genres. Lambert rose to fame in 2009 after ...

performed the song. For ''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

''s Pride in Times Square event in June 2024, recent Broadway Elphabas

Talia Suskauer Talia Suskauer (born August 2, 1996) is an American musical theatre actress, who is best known for playing Elphaba in the Broadway company of the smash-hit musical ''Wicked''. Early life Suskauer was born in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Her mo ...

and Lissa deGuzman sang the song together. During

Ben Platt Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor and singer. The son of film and theater producer Marc Platt (producer), Marc Platt and philanthropist Julie Platt, he began his acting career in musical theater as a child and ...

's residency reopening the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

on Broadway, he performed the song with former Broadway Elphaba

Shoshana Bean Shoshana E. Bean (born September 1, 1977) is an Americans, American actress, singer and songwriter. She has appeared in numerous Musical theatre, musicals, performing in major Off-Broadway and Broadway theatre, Broadway theatres, including in the ...

as a special guest.

Critical reaction

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

''s Maureen Lee Lenker considers the song a fan favorite. Stan Friedman of ''NewYorkTheatreGuide.com'' thought the song contained "strains" of ''Pippin'', while ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

s Richard Zoglin felt that all the songs were "Unmemorable".

References

External links

* {{Wicked 2003 songs Idina Menzel songs Adam Lambert songs Ben Platt songs Male–female vocal duets Songs from Wicked (musical) Songs written by Stephen Schwartz (composer)