Already Home Lyrics - Wizard Of Oz, The

Song Overview

A late-show balm, “Already Home” is the 2011 London Palladium revival’s gentle answer to the big question at the center of Oz. Glinda steadies Dorothy, the ensemble folds in softly, and the melody settles like a hand on the shoulder. It is new writing for the revival - Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice crafting a warm-grain ballad that threads the story back to itself. On record, the blend is clean and close, with Tierney and Hope sharing the glow rather than competing for it.

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. Ballad written for the 2011 London Palladium production - music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyric by Tim Rice.
2. Performed by Emily Tierney (Glinda) and Danielle Hope (Dorothy) on the cast album.
3. Appears near the finish as Dorothy learns the lesson she carried all along.
4. Released May 9, 2011 on the UK cast album, with a U.S. store release on June 28, 2011.
5. Frequently excerpted for West End Live performances and choir editions.

The production surrounds the lead voices with hushed chorus and pillowy strings. Phrases breathe in four-bar arcs, and the hook sits right in the title line, rising just enough to feel like a realization rather than a triumph. The lyric folds Dorothy’s road into a small truth - home as inner compass - while the accompaniment refuses to rush. According to Playbill’s release notice, the album mirrored the show’s running order, so this track lands right before the finale, where it reads as a gentle landing.

Creation History

The 2011 staging added new material to the 1939 score frame. “Already Home” was introduced as Glinda’s benediction, with Tim Rice’s text built for clean consonants and quick comprehension. Jay Althouse prepared choral arrangements soon after the opening, which helped the song spread to school and community choirs. You can hear the number outside the theatre in West End Live clips from summer 2011, with Tierney and Hope sharing lead lines in Trafalgar Square.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

After the trials and the farewell, Glinda reframes the whole trip: what Dorothy sought was already within reach. The scene works like a soft reset - the lesson stated, the way home opened.

Song Meaning

Home here is not geography but orientation. The message is plain on purpose - a lullaby with a thesis. The mood is calm, forgiving, and just bright enough to carry a curtain call. The writing leans into repetition so the idea lands without weight.

Annotations

“Home is a place in your heart”

Statement, not metaphor hunt. The line sets the thesis, and the melody lifts one step to underline it.

“Every journey leads you back to where you start”

A circle, sung straight. The rhyme and cadence leave space for breath, which keeps the sentiment from turning sugary.

“Close your eyes, it’s very easy”

Instruction as comfort. The orchestration thins here - a little air so the voice feels close to the ear.

Style, lineage, touchpoints

A modern show-ballad with classic Oz DNA: steady tempo, stepwise melody, and a choir that slips in like daylight through curtains. According to NME magazine style roundups of stage revivals from the period, this sort of closing-lesson ballad helped new scores sit comfortably beside legacy film numbers.

Key Facts

• Artist: Emily Tierney, Danielle Hope, Nigel Wright, Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Featured: London Palladium company voices
• Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyricist: Tim Rice
• Producer: Nigel Wright; revival overseen by Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Release Date: May 9, 2011
• Genre: Pop - Musicals
• Instruments: Orchestra, choir, piano
• Label: Polydor in the UK; U.S. stores via Decca Broadway
• Mood: Warm, reassuring, reflective
• Length: Approximately 3:19 in the streaming edition
• Track #: 24 on the album
• Language: English
• Album: The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording)
• Music style: Lullaby-like ballad with choral support
• Poetic meter: Plain accentual lines with light internal rhyme

Canonical Entities & Relations

• Andrew Lloyd Webber - composed the song for the 2011 stage revival.
• Tim Rice - wrote the lyric for the new ballad.
• Emily Tierney - performed Glinda on the original London cast album.
• Danielle Hope - performed Dorothy on the original London cast album.
• Nigel Wright - produced and mixed the recording.
• Polydor - issued the UK album on May 9, 2011; Decca Broadway - U.S. retail on June 28, 2011.
• London Palladium - venue of the 2011 West End production.

Questions and Answers

Where does “Already Home” sit in the running order?

Right before the finale - it is the calm breath after the Wizard leaves and before the curtain closes.

How does it differ from the film’s closing feel?

The 1939 film resolves with dialogue and reprise; this revival gives Glinda a fresh ballad to state the theme outright.

Why give Glinda the lead here instead of Dorothy alone?

Glinda functions as gentle guide, letting Dorothy voice the truth with her rather than to herself. It reads as permission, not lecture.

Is there a definitive live version to watch?

West End Live 2011 clips capture Tierney and Hope sharing lines in an outdoor mix - a clear snapshot of the staging and blend.

Did the track chart or win awards?

No notable single-specific chart or award entries surfaced for this track.

Has it been taken up by choirs?

Yes. Choral octavos for SATB, SSA, and 2-Part appeared quickly, which helped the piece travel to schools and community ensembles.

What makes the hook work?

Plain speech set to a small melodic rise. The ear hears reassurance more than rhetoric.

How to Sing Already Home

Suggested metrics: published choral editions confirm the piece as a choir feature by Lloyd Webber and Rice; streaming analyses peg the studio track around 3:19 in length, with an approximate tempo near the low-100s and a minor-tinged key center often analyzed around F sharp minor. Treat these as guides for practice rather than absolutes.

1. Tempo - aim for a gentle pulse near 100-108 bpm. Let phrases sit; avoid rushing cadences.
2. Key center - practice in F sharp minor and its relative A major. Keep the tonic soft, not stark.
3. Breath map - mark breaths at the ends of the repeated title lines. Take a low breath before “Every journey leads you back...”
4. Diction - keep consonants clean but quiet. Soften the T in “heart” to avoid chopping the line.
5. Blend - if singing Glinda and Dorothy together, match vowels on “home” and “heart.” Think rounded “oh,” not bright “aw.”
6. Mic craft - close mic, low plosive risk. If on stage, favor a center placement to keep the choir halo audible.
7. Pitfalls - oversinging the hook. Let the choir carry warmth; the lead should float.
8. Practice material - run the chorus on hum, then sing on “noo” to seat legato before adding text.

Additional Info

West End Live 2011 offered the most widely seen public rendition from the original cast, a handy document of how the number sat in performers’ voices. Sheet publishers moved fast - Alfred issued SATB, SSA, and 2-Part octavos, plus a piano-vocal. Streaming platforms list the track under Andrew Lloyd Webber with the two lead vocalists; metadata shows a tidy 2011 rollout that mirrored the UK stage run. As stated in the 2011 Apple Music listing, the album sits under Lloyd Webber’s banner with a 25-track program.

Sources: YouTube auto audio - Universal Music; YouTube West End Live clips; Playbill; CastAlbums.org; Apple Music; Spotify; Alfred Music; JW Pepper; Tunebat.