"Bad Cinderella" is a song from
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella, written by Lloyd Webber and
David Zippel and originally sung by
Carrie Hope Fletcher, released as a single on 30 October 2020. The song is sung by and introduces the main character,
Cinderella, in Act I. Fletcher originated the title role in the
West End. A version by
Linedy Genao, who plays Cinderella in the
Broadway production, renamed Bad Cinderella, was released on 3 October 2022.
Context
In Act I of Cinderella, the song follows "It Has To Be Her," after the statue of
Prince Charming has been defaced by Cinderella.[1][2] Cinderella, standing on the statue of Prince Charming, which displays the words "Beauty Sucks",[3] starts singing, establishing herself as a rebel, in contrast to the rest of the picturesque townspeople.[4] By the end of the song, she get tied to a tree by the mob.[5]
In his review of the original West End production of Cinderella, Matt Wolf of The New York Times states that "the aggressive number "Bad Cinderella" early on establishes the gifted Fletcher's clarion-voiced rebel as a troublemaker".[4]
Development
On 14 February 2020, it was announced that
Carrie Hope Fletcher would be creating the title role in
Andrew Lloyd Webber's upcoming musical
Cinderella in its
West End debut production. Fletcher's rendition of the song was released on 30 October 2020; it was recorded during
lockdowns related to the
COVID-19 pandemic.[6] The song was written by
David Zippel.[7] The music video for the song was released on 10 December 2021.[8]
In August 2022,
Linedy Genao, who would originate the role on
Broadway, recorded her version of "Bad Cinderella" in London, in both English and Spanish.[9] Following the announcement of the transfer of Cinderella from the West End to Broadway under the name Bad Cinderella, the English version of the song was released on 3 October 2022.[10] To promote the musical, Genao and Lloyd Webber performed the song on the
Today show on 4 October 2022[11][12] and 21 March 2023.[13]
Critical reception and analysis
Upon the original release of the single in 2020, Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press described the song as a "rollicking song" which is a "...portrait of a fearsome woman standing apart from society's rules".[14] Mark Savage from BBC says the lyrics 'She's a loner/She's a loon/A loser' is Cinderella ticking off "cruel taunts" thrown at her.[15]