One of the things I love about Glee is how they work in moments and aspects of the actors’ lives into the show for extra moments of meaning for the cast.  Not only does it enrich their performances, enthralling viewers, but it gives them something back for their hard work.

Today’s song is one of those examples.  The two characters who perform it in the show are played by actors with personal attachments to it.  In the case of Lea Michele, the character of Elphaba in Wicked is one of her dream roles; to allow her to sing the song gives her that moment of stardom with it that she has yet to have on stage.  In Chris Colfer’s case, his unusually high range and the denial of a request to perform the song based on his gender are true stories from his high school years, which Ryan Murphy wove into the script.  The ability to perform Defying Gravity meant a great deal to him personally, and Chris is quoted on the episode as saying, “It’s absolutely terrifying to watch yourself do something you’ve dreamed about for such a long time. I know I’m definitely not the best singer, but I think the message, the story behind the song about defying limits and borders placed by others, hopefully all that gets across with the performance. Although I do some very ‘Kurtsy’ things in the song, it’s probably one of the most honest and close-to-heart scenes I’ve ever filmed or performed for that matter.”

Without further ado, our fifth song in Glee-week.

Day 217:  Defying Gravity (Wicked) – Lea Michele and Chris Colfer

Bonus:  Defying Gravity, performed by Idina Menzel on PBS

Previous Glee Tracks Featured In The 365 Days Project:

Take A Bow – Rihanna (Day One!)

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey (Day Thirty-Six)

You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones (Day 115)

I’ll Stand By You – The Pretenders (Day 153)

My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson (Day 213)

It’s My Life – Bon Jovi (Day 214)

Somebody To Love – Queen (Day 215)

Dancing With Myself – Billy Idol (Day 216)