Optimistic Voices / We're Outta The Woods Lyrics – Wizard Of Oz, The

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. Short transition cue from the 2011 London Palladium revival, adapted from the 1939 film chorus often titled “Optimistic Voices.”
2. Features Dorothy with the three companions and ensemble as they sight the Emerald City and move into a bright march.
3. Recorded for the original London cast album released May 9, 2011 on Polydor in the UK, later issued in the US by Decca Broadway in late June.
4. Album timing sits about one minute, sequenced between the adventure trios and the Emerald City material.
5. Clean call to action piece - radiant harmonies, quick tempo, crisp diction, and a ceremonial lift into hope.

Creation History

The cue preserves Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg’s film material while sitting inside Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s expanded stage framework. According to Playbill, the cast album landed May 9, 2011 via Really Useful Group and Polydor, with a US release following in June on Decca Broadway. The recording captures Danielle Hope’s Dorothy alongside Paul Keating, Edward Baker-Duly, and David Ganly, plus a tight company chorus. The arrangement keeps the brisk orchestral shimmer of the movie lineage while leaning into modern West End polish. On streaming platforms the track title reads “We’re Outta the Woods,” reflecting the company’s contemporary diction.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

After escaping the haunted forest and the poppy field haze, the travelers glimpse the Emerald City. The chorus greets that sight like sunrise. The lyric serves as a rallying order: set your eyes ahead, keep to the path, and knock at the gate without hesitation.

Song Meaning

This is the pivot from peril to promise. The music speaks in buoyant steps and uncluttered phrases, turning survival into momentum. It is a public cheer for a private reset - a community telling four scrappy wanderers to step into the light. You can hear the lineage back to the film’s offstage women’s chorus, but in the theatre the company voices it onstage, so the hope feels earned rather than granted. As stated in a longtime film music overview, “Optimistic Voices” functioned as a ceremonial benediction on the way to the Emerald City; the stage version keeps that blessing and tightens the handoff to the next scene.

Annotations

"You’re out of the woods - You’re out of the dark - You’re out of the night"

Three beats of release. The triple cadence locks the feeling of danger falling away. Harmonies brighten as if someone opened a set of shutters.

"Step into the sun - Step into the light"

A literal image and an acting note. The rhythm places a tiny lift on “step,” nudging the ensemble forward physically and emotionally.

"Keep straight ahead for the most glorious place - On the face of the earth or the sky"

Hyperbole that works like a marching banner. The melody traces a confident climb, aligning the travelers’ posture with the promise ahead.

"Hold onto your breath - Hold onto your heart - Hold onto your hope"

Simple triad of imperatives that refocuses the body, the feeling, and the goal. In performance, it tightens the ensemble before the gate knock.

Style and engine

Genre blend sits between show tune march and light choral anthem. Tuned percussion and woodwinds flicker, while brass mark the downbeats. The emotional arc is swift - fear dissolves, resolve takes the wheel, and the city beckons.

Key Facts

• Artist: David Ganly, Paul Keating, Edward Baker-Duly, Danielle Hope, Nigel Wright, Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Featured: London Palladium ensemble
• Composer: Harold Arlen
• Lyricist: E. Y. Harburg
• Producer: Nigel Wright; Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Release Date: May 9, 2011
• Genre: Pop, Musicals
• Instruments: Chorus, strings, woodwinds, brass, tuned percussion, rhythm section
• Label: Polydor UK; Decca Broadway US
• Mood: Bright, relieved, forward-leaning
• Length: about 1:05
• Track #: 12 on the 2011 London cast album
• Language: English
• Album: The Wizard of Oz (2011 London Palladium Recording)
• Music style: Show tune march with choral lift
• Poetic meter: Trochaic openings, moving to anapestic push on imperative lines

Canonical Entities & Relations

Questions and Answers

Where does the number appear in the stage story?

Right after the poppy field rescue as the Emerald City comes into view, bridging peril to celebration.

Is this the same music as the film moment with the unseen women’s chorus?

Yes, it adapts that chorus for onstage voices, keeping the buoyant march that leads to the city gates.

How short is it on the album?

About one minute, designed as a scene-change springboard rather than a full standalone ballad.

What vocal colors dominate?

Ensemble blend over a light orchestral bed, with Dorothy and the three companions punctuating key lines.

Why do the lyrics repeat?

Repetition turns relief into ritual and cues the staging to physically move forward.

Did this recording receive a separate US issue?

Yes - Decca Broadway handled the US CD release at the end of June 2011 after the UK Polydor rollout.

Any famous subtext tied to this moment?

Oz scholarship sometimes frames the road and the city as American mythmaking; even without that lens, the cue reads as a communal pep talk.

Who are the principal performers tied to this track in the London production?

Danielle Hope, Paul Keating, Edward Baker-Duly, and David Ganly with the company, captured under producers Nigel Wright and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

What follows this track on the disc?

“In the Merry Old Land of Oz,” which flips the mood from travel to civic pageant in Emerald City.

How to Sing We’re Outta the Woods

At a glance: Typical cast arrangements sit around a bright march feel near the low-hundreds BPM, often in a concert C-area key for the chorus lineage, with a compact range that rewards blend over solo heft. Keep vowels tall and the articulation buoyant.

1. Tempo first: Set a steady march in 2 or light 4. Keep the internal subdivision clean so the ensemble lands together.
2. Diction: Pop the initial consonants lightly on “out,” “dark,” and “night.” Sustain the vowel on “light” so the phrase rings.
3. Breath plan: Quick sniffs between the triple “You’re out of...” statements. Avoid chopping the legato.
4. Flow and rhythm: Think glide, not stomp. Let the orchestra carry the downbeat while the singers float just above.
5. Accents: Place a gentle lift on “Step into the sun” and an even brighter one on “Step into the light.”
6. Ensemble balance: Tenors lead the sheen, altos anchor the warmth. Match cutoffs on “open” to avoid sibilant clutter.
7. Mic craft: Fixed headworn or overheads are common. If hand-helds are used, stay consistent in distance so the swells read as musical, not technical.
8. Pitfalls: Rushing the mantra, over-emphasizing every downbeat, and chewing the vowels. Aim for buoyancy and blend.

Additional Info

According to Playbill, the UK release was handled by Polydor in partnership with Really Useful Group, with a US street date later that month via Decca Broadway. CastAlbums Database logs the US CD as a June 28 issue and times this track at roughly 1:05. Apple Music mirrors that timing. For lineage, film sources list the “Optimistic Voices” segment in the original score under Arlen and Harburg. The official topic upload confirms the 2011 London personnel. As stated in a theater trade note from May 2011, the album rolled out digitally before the American physical disc hit stores.

Sources: Playbill; TheaterMania; CastAlbums Database; Apple Music; Spotify; YouTube Topic; Discogs; Wikipedia.