Although Wicked took Broadway and the U.S. by storm in 2003, you didn’t have to see the musical based on The Wizard of Oz to have been inspired by its pinnacle song “Defying Gravity”. The song is the heroine Elphaba’s declaration that she will not be held down the expectations of others and she’s ready to both literally and figuratively fly! She sings, “I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game / Too late for second-guessing, too late to go back to sleep / It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap”. It’s truly an anthem for awakening to yourself and launching into something new despite what people say. In the play, audiences stand and cheer when Elphaba lifts off the stage and boldly proclaims, “So if you care to find me / Look to the western sky… / To those who ground me / Take a message back from me / Tell them how I am defying gravity”. I know it gives me chills every time I hear it, because I’m reminded that no one can hold me down or hold me back from my dreams.

-J. Jones