The 46-year-old actress says she had prepared the song "Defying Gravity" and was geared up to perform but could not hit the right note on the final go, reported Vogue Magazine.
"I learned 'Defying Gravity' and I was so excited to do it because I just fell in love with the song, and it would make me cry at home all the time.
"I practised the really high note, and I got to that part, where you go, 'You won't bring me down' and I was singing beautifully the whole time, then I got to, 'You won't bring me,' and I choked," says Menzel.
"I just said the F-word so loud at the top of my lungs, and I looked at the accompanist, like 'Don't you start to play on or cut me off,' and then I took a deep breath and I went: 'Me.' And I just nailed it!" she says.
Menzel then went on to win her first Tony award for best actress in a musical in 2004.