"Every so often we long to steal to the land of what-might-have-been but that doesn't soften the ache we feel when reality sets back in..."

Spoiler Alert: this song is from the musical Wicked and I will be discussing plot point of the play and the characters this song is sung by and about so if you do not wish to read about why this song is chosen because you want to see the play beforehand I understand skip ahead!

Back in 2003 this play, based on the book Wicked by Gregory Maguire, was brought to Broadway. Idina Menzel played the female lead Elphaba, who is the famous wicked witch of the west in the Wizard Of Oz, however, this is her story and she is not always the villain. We see a much sweeter, softer side of Elphaba in this play and throughout the play, she is hated, overlooked, bullied, judged, and mistreated time and time again because she is different from others. This song, in particular, came after a touching moment she shared with someone special. Fiyero, who is a new student at the school Elphaba attended in her young years and quiet the hottie according to the girls at the school. He is instantly entranced by the beautiful and nearly perfect Galinda (later Glinda) and they start to flirt and have feelings for each other, but once Fiyero and Elphaba share the tender moment together he is torn between being accepted or being rejected and leaves Elphaba on her own to go back to Galinda.

That is when this song comes on. Elphaba, who is distraught over ever having believed he could be different and accept her, sings her feelings out trying to come to grips with the fact that she is not the girl he chose. This song speaks to her as a character but also to people in regular life because girls and boys often find themselves having feelings for people who would seemingly never choose them despite being good together. It's heartbreaking to know you're not someones the first choice and hearing it expressed in the song when you can really relate to the desire shes feelings makes it a powerful song.

ABeetle2000

Username: ABeetle2000

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