"Popular" by Nada Surf and "Popular" by the cast of Wicked

Andrea Fifield

Popular / Top Hits

Teen

Good for Middle School, Junior High, and High School students

Body image, High school, Middle school, Relationships, Social justice

When discussing popularity with junior high and high school students, it's important to remember that there are two sides of the coin: one side is popularity, while the other side is rejection. This point can be illustrated easily by juxtaposing two songs: "Popular" by Nada Surf, and "Popular" from the soundtrack of Wicked. The version from the Wicked soundtrack finds a popular girl singing about all the benefits of popularity, as well as all the requirements for attaining a popular status: how to flirt, how to dress, how to fix your hair, etc. The song further makes the point that with heads of state and great communicators, the most important distinguishing feature of these people is not brains or knowledge, but popularity. The Nada Surf version of the song, on the other hand, finds a boy who has apparently been rejected by a popular girl.

 

The song paints a bleak and unjust picture, alluding to a position of power, privilege, and belonging among the popular crowd (the quarterback, the cheerleader, the class president, students with money/cars, etc.), and one of rejection and/or insignificance for those who are not popular, rich, or privileged...not an unreasonable analogy for the class structure in our current sociopolitical climate as well. The juxtaposition of these two songs can help students to consider how their actions, and even their membership in a particular social group, can impact others.