Do you know the song “Defying Gravity” from Wicked? If you don’t, just know that it’s the showstopper from this decade’s most popular musical.

Wicked, which follows the Oz witches before Dorothy arrives, is not my thing. Many people have tattooed the show on their hearts, but I find it loud, garish, and cheaply sentimental.

That said, I love “Defying Gravity.” It’s Elphaba (the Wicked Witch’s) big number at the end of act one, and she sings it as she finally embraces her green skin and outsider status. Is the song all bombast? Yes. Does it rely on belty power notes that seem designed to blow out our eardrums and a singer’s voice at the same time? Yes. But somehow, it rises above its own hokeyness.

I think that’s because Stephen Schwartz’s music is so damn exciting. The melody is beautiful and memorable, and the dramatic swell of the final moments (“so if you care to find me/look to the Western sky!”) is viscerally thrilling. It also helps, of course, when the person singing the song can really hit the big notes. Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a diva just singing the shit out of something.

You can imagine my delight when I learned that “Defying Gravity” will be performed on an upcoming episode of Glee. Naturally, I searched YouTube for a leaked recording. I didn’t find one, but I did find what may be the all-time greatest recording of this song that I will ever hear.

A few years ago, Kerry Ellis, who has played Elphaba on Broadway and on London’s West End, recorded a rock version of “Defying Gravity” with Queen’s Brian May.

Let me repeat: Queen. “Defying Gravity.” Rock version.

Yes, the song is just as campy as those words would suggest. Hell, I’d say it’s an orgasm of camp. It’s just so over the top that I’m powerless before it. But why fight it? Any song that opens with brass and electric guitars and what sounds like high-pitched choral singers is not pretending to be anything but ridiculous, so I may as well go along for the ride.

And the ride is awesome. When those hyperactive drums roll in under the chorus? It’s like I’m riding an exhilarating wave of sound. And when Ellis sings, oh, seventeen high notes in a row, and even growls a little? I laugh with delight when I hear it. She’s so cheeky!

Just so you know… I have performed to this recording in my living room. Can you guess the moment where I jump up from my couch with flair? Can you guess where I throw my hand in the air and imagine a wall of sparks raining behind me?

Also, you may enjoy this “Defying Gravity” parody that Andrew and I wrote. It’s from our musical version of Brokeback Mountain…