Ariana Grande just revealed that a bunch of us have been belting out the wrong lyrics to one of Wicked’s most famous songs, and it’s truly scandalous. Yes, that’s right. For 21 years, while you were confidently singing along in your shower (or, you know, whispering it in line at Starbucks), you were messing it up. And Ariana, our beloved pop princess-turned-musical-glam-witch, simply couldn’t let this lyrical travesty continue.
In the upcoming Wicked movie, Ariana is taking on the role of Glinda, the glittery, bubbly good witch herself, and a recent teaser clip of her performance of “Popular” is out now to stir the cauldron a little. But it’s not just her voice giving fans chills—it’s the lyrics onscreen, which have apparently been WRONG this entire time. Go ahead, blame Spotify or whatever fan site told you otherwise, but Ariana’s here to set us all straight.
So, here’s the scandal: the line in question is “I’ll teach you the proper ploys when you talk to boys.” Not poise, but ploys! Yes, for years, countless hopefuls singing in the mirror have been getting this line wrong. “Poise” might make sense if you’re imagining a calm, genteel Glinda, but ploys? Now that’s a Glinda who’s got tricks up her sequined sleeve.
In a rare moment of social media truth-telling, Ariana took to Instagram to shout, “it’s ploys !!!!!! i love you @wickedmovie,” sprinkling emojis to soften the blow of our collective mistake. Not one, but TWO Glindas from Broadway even jumped in to back her up. Ginna Claire Mason, known for her own Glinda stints, practically waved a pom-pom in the comments, exclaiming, “The text says POISE, but it’s PROPER PLOYS 💕💕💕.” And if that wasn’t enough, Jennafer Newberry added, “Just another Glinda here to say ✨proper PLOYS💖,” because clearly, Wicked has a Glinda-approved enforcement team now.
So, next time you sing “Popular,” make sure you’ve got your ploys right. And who knows, maybe this correction will finally get the lyrics updated on Spotify, Apple Music, and everywhere else we’ve been led astray. Until then, let this be a reminder: just because it rhymes, doesn’t mean it’s right. Glinda doesn’t just teach you poise; she’s got strategies, people.
