Chenoweth was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She graduated from Oklahoma City University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in musical theater and a master's degree in opera performance. She is a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. In 1991, she won the title of "Miss OCU" and went on to win second runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant. She performed at Opryland USA. She won a "most talented up-and-coming singer" award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which came with a full scholarship to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts; she turned down the scholarship when she auditioned and won a part on an off-Broadway show. She also enjoyed watching her boyfriend at the time (professional baseball player Shawn Bryant) pitch.
Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in a production of Molière's Scapin starring Bill Irwin, followed in the spring of 1997 by the unsuccessful musical Steel Pier by John Kander and Fred Ebb, for which she won a Theatre World award. The following season, she appeared in the City Center Encores! production of the George and Ira Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band and the Lincoln Center Theater production of William Finn's A New Brain.
During the 1998–1999 season, she performed the role of Sally in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, sweeping the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards as the season's Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She then starred in the Broadway comedy Epic Proportions, followed by appearances in ABC's television adaptation of the musical Annie (as Lily St. Regis), and in the leading role of Daisy Gamble in the City Center Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
In 2003, Chenoweth performed songs from her album Let Yourself Go in concert for Lincoln Center's 5th American Songbook. She also performed in City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash.
In London, she was involved in Divas at Donmar for director Sam Mendes, then appeared in the Actor's Fund Benefit Concert of the musical Funny Girl in New York City.
Chenoweth was a part of ABC's An American Celebration at Ford's Theater with Kelsey Grammer, NBC's Salute to the Olympic Winners, The Kennedy Center Gala honoring Julie Andrews, and an episode of Frasier on NBC. She also starred as Marian Paroo in the ABC television production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, opposite Matthew Broderick.
In October 2003, Chenoweth returned to Broadway in Wicked, a musical about the early years of the witches of Oz. She was nominated for a Tony as Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Glinda, but lost to co-star Idina Menzel (who played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West).
Chenoweth's role in Wicked also brought the opportunity to co-star in Nora Ephron's 2005 film version of Bewitched. The film's star, Nicole Kidman, had attended a performance of Wicked and was so impressed with Chenoweth's charisma and stage presence that Kidman requested to Ephron that Chenoweth be cast in the film. Chenoweth got the part of Maria Kelly, Kidman's character's friend, neighbor, and personal assistant.
Chenoweth has also performed leading roles at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Guthrie Theatre, and she was chosen by the late Jerome Robbins as the guest soloist in his West Side Story Suite of Dances at New York City Ballet. She also starred in a short-lived semi-biographical sitcom, Kristin, for NBC. It was a mid-season replacement in 2001 that co-starred Jon Tenney, but it was cancelled after only six episodes.
Beginning in the sixth season (2004–2005) of The West Wing, Chenoweth has had a recurring role playing media consultant Annabeth Schott; as of the seventh season she is featured in the opening credits. In 2006, she is scheduled to appear in a remarkable five films including The Pink Panther, R.V., and Stranger Than Fiction. Chenoweth then will star in Asphalt Beach and in a bio-pic of Dusty Springfield.
Chenoweth is a Christian, but was disinvited from a Women of Faith conference in September 2005 because of her positive attitude toward gays and lesbians. She released an album in April 2005 called As I Am that's a mixture of hymns and contemporary Christian music, with arrangements that sound more like adult contemporary.
Chenoweth is 150 cm (4 ft 11 in) tall. She appeared in the March 2006 issue of FHM.
For Good
Kristin Chenoweth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That people come into our lives,
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are lead to those,
Who help us most to grow if we let them
And we help them in return
Well I don't know if I believe that's true
Because I knew you (still me)
Like a comet pulled from orbit,
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder,
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better,
But because I knew you,
I have been changed for good
It well may be,
That we will never meet again,
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part,
So much of me,
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me,
Like a hand print on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end,
I know you have rewritten mine,
By being my friend
Like a ship blown from it's mooring,
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird
Half way through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better,
But because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed for good
And just to clear the air,
I ask forgiveness,
For the things I've done,
You blamed me for
But then, I guess
We know there's blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore
Like a comet pulled from orbit (Like a ship blown from it's mooring)
As it passes a sun (By a wind off the sea)
Like a stream that meets a boulder (Like a sea dropped by bird,)
Halfway through the wood (In the wood)
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
I do believe I have been changed for the better
And because I knew you
Because I knew you
Because I knew you
I have been changed
For good
The song For Good by Kristin Chenoweth is a poignant tribute to friendship and the impact that people can have on each other’s lives. At the heart of the lyrics is the idea that everyone who comes into our lives does so for a reason, and that there are lessons to be learned from each encounter. These lessons can be positive or negative, and the people who teach them to us can be friends or enemies.
The song also explores the idea that friendships can be transformative. The lines “Like a comet pulled from orbit, As it passes a sun/Like a stream that meets a boulder, Halfway through the wood” are symbols for the idea that meeting someone new can change the course of our lives. The lyrics go on to suggest that it is impossible to know if these changes are for the better or for worse, but that they are inevitable.
Ultimately, the song celebrates the idea that even though friendships may end, the impact they have on us lasts forever. The lines “You'll be with me, Like a handprint on my heart/ And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine, By being my friend” speak to the enduring nature of the bonds that exist between people who have shared experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I've heard it said,
Some people say that things happen for a reason, that people come into our lives to teach us something.
That people come into our lives,
Individuals are brought into our lives, for specific reasons.
For a reason
There is a specific and meaningful purpose for people entering our lives.
Bringing something we must learn
The people who enter our lives bring with them lessons that we must learn from, to grow and develop as a person.
And we are lead to those,
We are guided to and brought into contact with those individuals who can offer the most guidance and help us grow.
Who help us most to grow if we let them
When we allow others to help us grow and learn from them, we will experience the most growth.
And we help them in return
In return, we also help the people who have come into our lives, by contributing to their growth in some way.
Well I don't know if I believe that's true
The artist is not sure if all of this is true, but acknowledges her own personal growth from someone who has entered her life.
But I know I'm who I am today,
Regardless of whether or not something meaningful or significant happened, the artist knows that she is who she is today, thanks to someone who helped her grow.
Because I knew you (still me)
The artist is addressing someone who has had a significant impact on her life, and acknowledges that she has changed because of them.
Like a comet pulled from orbit,
The singer likens her relationship with someone to a cosmic occurrence, something that changed her trajectory in life.
As it passes a sun
Like a comet passing through the gravitational pull of a sun, encountering someone has caused a significant change in the artist's life.
Like a stream that meets a boulder,
The singer compares herself to a stream that is flowing on its own until it is impeded by a boulder standing in its path, in this case, someone else who is going to affect her life trajectory.
Halfway through the wood
The analogy of a stream meeting a boulder halfway through the wood is similar to the singer's situation - she has already started her journey and then someone enters her life to impact her growth and direction.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better,
The singer wonders if she has indeed changed as a result of meeting someone and if that change has been for the better.
But because I knew you,
Regardless of the specific outcome, the artist acknowledges that the person she is talking to has impacted her life in a significant way.
It well may be,
There is a possibility that the artist and the person she is talking to will never cross paths again.
That we will never meet again,
There is a possibility that the singer and the person she is addressing won't meet again in this lifetime.
In this lifetime
The singer addresses the fact that it is possible for there to be another time where they meet.
So let me say before we part,
Before they part, the artist wants to convey her appreciation to this person for impacting her life.
So much of me,
The artist conveys to the person of the impact they've had on her life.
Is made of what I learned from you
The artist notes that a lot of the way she acts and thinks is based on what she has learned from this person.
You'll be with me,
The impact the person has had on the singer will stay with her even after they are gone.
Like a hand print on my heart
The impact this person has made is as indelible as a handprint on her heart, staying forever.
And now whatever way our stories end,
Regardless of what happens in the future, and how they each move forward, the singer knows that she will always feel the impact of their time together.
I know you have rewritten mine,
The singer acknowledges that this person has completely changed the narrative of her life.
By being my friend
The way this person has helped the singer is by being their friend.
Like a ship blown from its mooring,
The artist again compares herself to an object that has been blown off course, a ship that has come loose from its moorings.
By a wind off the sea
The ship has been moved by a higher power, in this case, a wind from the sea.
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird
The singer likens herself to a seed that has been dropped in an unexpected place, planted by a random bird.
Halfway through the wood
Just as the seed in the analogy, the singer has already begun her journey and has been unexpectedly shifted in a different direction by someone entering her life.
And just to clear the air,
The artist needs to clear the air of any issues that might exist between them.
I ask forgiveness,
The artist is asking the person for forgiveness for things that they might have done that were wrong.
For the things I've done,
The things that the artist is asking for forgiveness for are the specific things she has done.
You blamed me for
The singer wants to address specific issues that have caused problems and want to take responsibility for them.
But then, I guess
The artist figures they both had a part to play in any situation that has caused conflict.
We know there's blame to share
They are both responsible for any issues that may have occurred over the course of their relationship.
And none of it seems to matter anymore
The singer acknowledges that, in the grand scheme of things, what happened doesn't matter. What is important is the lessons they have both learned as individuals.
I do believe I have been changed for the better
Despite any issues they may have had, the singer is certain that she has been positively impacted by her relationship with this person.
Because I knew you
The artist acknowledges that this person has had a huge impact on her life, and that she is who she is today because of them.
I have been changed
The artist recognizes that their relationship was completely transformational and has changed her on a fundamental level.
For good
The singer acknowledges that this change has been for the better, and that she will always be grateful for the relationship she had with this person.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Stephen Lawrence Schwartz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind