Genre: Broadway MusicalArtist: Music and Lyrics by: Stephen Schwartz
Album: Wicked
I had listened to the Wicked soundtrack multiple times before seeing it performed last month. This song never stood out to me as being very remarkable, but when I saw the play and understood the context of the song, it stood out a lot more to me. I'm not going to comment on the context of the song because I don't want to ruin it for anybody who hasn't seen the musical yet. But the part of the song that stood out to me were the lines: "Getting your dreams, it's strange, but it seems a little, well, complicated. There's a kind of a sort of cost. There's a couple of things get lost. There are bridges you cross you didn't know you crossed until you've crossed. And if that sudden joy, that thrill, doesn't thrill like you think it will . . ."
This song made me think about the price of dreams. Glinda had to make some sacrifices for her dreams. In this song, she happily proclaims that her dreams finally have come true. But as she says she, "Simply couldn't be happier," she suddenly stops and realizes, "Well, not simply." And from there she begins to reflect on what her dreams have cost her. Even though she obtained her dreams, the feeling was not how she anticipated it would be.
What about my dreams? I am working hard for them and sacrificing a lot of my time. But will this sacrifice be worth it in the end? Certainly there are some things that are worth the sacrifice, such as making it to the Celestial kingdom. All sacrifices necessary to make it there will definitely be worth it in the end and that joy will be far greater than I can anticipate. But what of my lesser dreams? I don't believe I should give up my dreams because the sacrifice might not be worth it, but I do think I need to better analyze my dreams and what the cost is going to be to achieve them. No matter what, all dreams will have a cost. The question is whether to cost outweighs the result. I don't know. I haven't really reached a conclusion yet. This song has just made me think about this subject a little more.
