I'm not in any hurry and I need a moment...

Well, looky there.

I promised you a blog post on Tuesday and then...nothing. Since there doesn't appear to be a riotous uprising in my comments demanding to know where said post might be (which is good, I can only handle so much bloggy guilt) let's just push on.

The thing is, it's not like I don't have blog posts swirling around in my head. It's just that real life, the life right in front of my eyes, was more important. And I know that might sound like a given, but as a girl who loves her social media it was actually a really healthy step for me to be OK with not blogging for a few days. The hours spent at my sewing table, the conversations on the sofa with Jason, the notes that got written, the hours across the table from a new friend- those were the voices that needed to be heard. So I listened.

You know what else I like to listen to? Songs performed by the Glee cast.

{Most awkward segue EVER. Whatever.}

 This shouldn't surprise anyone who's read my blog for over a year. I was hooked as soon as it started and it's provided much needed inspiration and encouragement at times. There's a solid chunk of songs from the show on my phone, always ready for me to belt out on the way to work. So I got to thinking this morning that I should share with you my Top 5 Favorite Songs from Glee. Here we go...

5. "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy"

You need to know that I am a huge Judy Garland fan (Wizard of Oz, natch) and a huge Barbara Streisand fan. So when Kurt and Rachel did this song, I was enthralled. I love the wardrobe nods to the original performance (you should go watch it if you haven't ever seen it) and how Rachel mimics some of Barbara's mannerisms. This song was also the start of two rivals becoming friends, and the thought of a good Judy & Barbara song bringing people together just makes me happy.



4. "I Dreamed a Dream"
Pretty much from the minute they started playing up the idea of Rachel's mother being out there, I knew that she had to be played by Idina Menzel. (Sidenote: I just heard my friend Reen give an "Amen!" ) She stole my heart as Elphaba in "Wicked," and she and Lea Michelle even look alike! It was destined.

"Les Miserables" was the first show I ever saw on Broadway and I have no idea how many times I've sung this song since the first time I heard it in eighth grade. The fact that the writers used it as a vehicle for Rachel to hear her mother for the first time made me sob when I saw it and still makes me tear up. I mean, it's her mom! And she's never met her! And they've dreamed this dream! But it's been killed! Ok, maybe not killed, but man those writers are good at the emotional manipulation.
 

3. "Funny Girl"
A.) It's from "Funny Girl." A Barbara song. You can't go wrong with this.
B.) It's a song that Rachel Berry would pick. "Exactly what I would have done. Barbara. I could do it in my sleep."
C.) Idina Menzel.
D.) That moment at 2:34 when the strings are swelling and Rachel says, "Miss Corcoran?...I'm Rachel Berry.... I'm your daughter." (you have to imagine it, I couldn't find a video of the actual performance from the show) AND LET THE WEEPING BEGIN.



2. "As If We've Never Said Goodbye"
I'm constantly in awe of how the writers and producers pick songs that pay homage to pop culture or Broadway and convey so many of the emotions of the characters on Glee at the same time. This one does that splendidly. Kurt has just come back to McKinley after some intense bullying made him transfer out for a while. I absolutely adore how triumphant Kurt around 2:45. And as cheesy as this may sound, that last line, "We taught the world new ways to dream," is (I think) absolutely true of the entire show.



1."My Man"
Lea Michelle has performed several Barbara songs in her time as Rachel, but this one is my absolute favorite.  If you've ever seen the 1968 movie version of "Funny Girl", you know just how heartbreaking this song is within the context of Fannie Brice's. So there's the power of that and then Lea's incredible voice? I'm a goner. Put this one on repeat and belt it out. Totally cathartic.
 

It was hard to limit myself to five (and not end up with any "Wicked" songs in there), but these are the ones I come back to over and over again. A show about show choir has never made me happier...