Follow The Yellow Brick Road! Lyrics - Wizard Of Oz, The

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. West End cast cut from the 2011 London Palladium production overseen by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Danielle Hope as Dorothy and Emily Tierney as Glinda.
2. Drawn from the 1939 film’s Arlen and Harburg catalog, folded into the 2011 stage score with new Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice material elsewhere in the show.
3. Released on the London cast album on May 9, 2011 via a Polydor issue in the UK and subsequently on Decca Broadway in the US.
4. Compact track - under a minute on album - that pivots into the reprise of the travelers’ refrain.
5. Hooky call-and-response choral writing designed for quick scene traffic and bright color on stage.

Creation History

The 2011 London revival kept the film’s Munchkinland sequence intact and surrounded it with new connective tissue, staging the road cue as a brisk, candy-colored transition that ushers Dorothy from civic ceremony into quest mode. Polydor issued the cast recording in Britain, capturing Danielle Hope’s clear lead lines and Emily Tierney’s buoyant sparkle over a tightly drilled ensemble and pit. When the album crossed the Atlantic a few weeks later, Decca Broadway handled the US release. The track sequencing mirrors the show’s quick-change stagecraft: the choral vamp points Dorothy toward Oz, then hands off to the travelers’ traveling theme with barely a breath.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Right after the Wicked Witch is routed and order returns to Munchkinland, Glinda sets Dorothy on a clear objective: find the Wizard in the Emerald City. Townsfolk echo and amplify the instruction until it becomes a mantra. The refrain then morphs into the travel tag that will stitch the next scenes together as Dorothy collects companions and nerve.

Song Meaning

On stage the number works as a compass point. It converts chaos into direction, turning Dorothy’s fear into forward motion. The mood is deliberately bright - piccolo and glockenspiel sparkle over a brisk pulse - but there is steel in its certainty. The chorus functions like a civic chorus from operetta: it blesses the journey and creates a public rite for a private decision. Some critics and historians have read the Oz road as an allegory for economic standards and national myths; even if you do not buy the full reading, the lyric’s repeated imperative casts the path as both map and mindset.

Annotations

"Follow the yellow brick road"

A literal route and a ritual. The repeated phrase becomes a spell for moving through fear - classic theatre craft, minimal words doing maximal work.

"You’re off to see the Wizard"

A clean objective statement, resetting stakes after comic bustle. The line slides into a jaunty march that keeps the feet - and scene - in motion.

"Because of the wonderful things he does"

Hype line as civic PR. It frames the Wizard as solution before we learn his limits, which adds gentle irony later.

Style and engine

The cue fuses Broadway-bright choral writing with film-era orchestration: chipper woodwinds, light percussion, and a major-key bounce. The emotional arc is short but decisive - from uncertainty to purposeful stride - and it lands with the satisfying click of a fairy-tale quest beginning.

Key Facts

• Artist: Emily Tierney, Danielle Hope, Nigel Wright, Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Featured: Munchkin ensemble (2011 London company)
• Composer: Harold Arlen
• Lyricist: E. Y. Harburg
• Producer: Nigel Wright; Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Release Date: May 9, 2011
• Genre: Pop, Stage musical
• Instruments: Chorus, woodwinds, brass, tuned percussion, strings, rhythm section
• Label: Polydor (UK original issue); Decca Broadway (US physical release)
• Mood: Buoyant, directive, light-march
• Length: approx. 0:57
• Track #: 8 on the London Palladium cast album
• Language: English
• Album: The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording)
• Music style: Show tune with operetta-style chorus
• Poetic meter: Predominantly trochaic feet in refrain, shifting to anapestic bounce in the travel tag

Canonical Entities & Relations

Questions and Answers

Where does this track sit in the 2011 stage narrative?

Right after the Munchkinland celebration, it sends Dorothy toward the Emerald City and rocks into the travelers’ march.

What roles lead the vocal texture?

Glinda’s bright lead and Dorothy’s interjections sit over a unified ensemble, with winds and tuned percussion doing color work.

Is the stage cue different from the 1939 film cut?

Function is similar, but the revival paces it as a tighter transition and leans into modern theatre brightness to glide scene changes.

Why does the lyric repeat so much?

Repetition turns instruction into incantation, a theatre trick for embedding direction in memory while the set turns.

What key and tempo should a pit expect?

Cast album sources sit around B flat major with a brisk march around the low-hundreds BPM, though arrangements vary by company.

How long is it on the album?

Just under a minute before handing off to the next cue.

Any notable modern revivals that kept this cue front and center?

Yes - later runs and tours retained the bright road transition as part of the show’s signature traffic pattern.

Does the song carry hidden social readings?

Some commentary links Oz imagery to American monetary debates; whether you buy that or not, the road still reads as willpower set to music.

Who handled the UK album release and who took the US?

Polydor in the UK; Decca Broadway in the US a few weeks later.

Is it commonly paired with the travelers’ refrain?

Yes - on many recordings the road mantra tumbles into the “off to see the Wizard” travel tag, creating one continuous travel button.

How to Sing Follow the Yellow Brick Road

At a glance: Original key sits around B flat major for the 2011 company, with a bright march feel in the low-hundreds BPM and a compact range roughly B flat3 to E5. The piece is short, quick, and ensemble-driven, so clarity and blend outrank vocal fireworks.

1. Tempo and count-in: Set a steady 2-feel or light 4 to avoid rushing. Keep the bounce even so diction does the lifting.
2. Diction and vowels: Crisp consonants on the word “follow” without punching the second syllable. Keep “yellow” tall and un-nasal.
3. Breath plan: One quiet sip before the first “follow” chain and another before the travelers’ tag. Breathe through the nose when possible to keep tone stable.
4. Flow and rhythm: Treat the refrain like a children’s round - light on top, legato underneath. Avoid accent creep as the repeats stack.
5. Accents: Place a gentle lift on “road” to land the instruction without bark.
6. Ensemble and doubles: Match cutoffs with the section leader. Unify “z” in “Wizard” so it hums rather than hisses.
7. Mic craft: Stay a hand’s length off the capsule. Step in half a step for the travel tag if the band lifts.
8. Common pitfalls: Rushing the mantra, spreading vowels, and turning the bounce into a stomp. Think glide, not march.

Additional Info

According to Playbill, the London cast recording went out digitally first and then reached US stores near late June under the Decca Broadway banner. CastAlbums Database logs the UK disc as a Polydor release on May 9, 2011, complete with catalog data. For context on the wider 2011 production, see the musical’s entry which notes the long West End run and later revivals. And for a left-field lens on Oz symbolism, Classical Source once outlined the old currency allegory that some readers still debate. On the audio side, the official topic upload confirms the casting on this track and shows how the road mantra dovetails into the travelers’ tag. As stated in the 2011 Playbill news note, the album’s staggered rollout bridged digital and physical markets.

Sources: CastAlbums Database; Playbill; Spotify; YouTube; Shazam; Wikipedia; Classical Source.