Songfacts®:

• Written by Stephen Schwartz, "What Is This Feeling?" from his Wicked musical humorously captures the peculiar thrill of pure, unfiltered loathing with a melodious burst of disdain. It pops up early in the story, right after Elphaba (our earnest, green-skinned protagonist) and Glinda (the preening, blonde socialite) are unceremoniously forced to share a dorm room at Shiz University. This number sets the stage for their relationship's evolution throughout the musical.
• The song got a fresh coat of cinematic gloss in the 2024 film adaptation of Wicked. Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) perform it as an extended sequence with sharp choreography involving the Shiz University ensemble. Grande's comedic timing, honed from her days in Nickelodeon sitcoms, adds a layer of humor to Glinda's parts.
• The song taps into something oddly universal: the strangely satisfying rush of righteous indignation, a main theme to the story.
  
  There's a strange exhilaration
  In such total detestation
  
  The lyric calls back to the film's opening song, "No One Mourns The Wicked," where the citizens of Oz rejoice and celebrate what they believe to be Elphaba's death, whom they've been taught to hate for no genuine reason.