West Side Story- Somewhere

West Side Story is a musical dealing with adversity, diversity, and the power of love against all odds. It's a modern tale of Romeo and Juliet- and by "modern" I mean the 50s and 60s. The musical is filled with some of the most beautiful songs ever written. For this entry, I am just going to talk about the song titled "Somewhere." "Somewhere" is a song between the two main characters- Tony and Maria. Tony was a main leader of the New York gang (the Jets) and Maria moved from Puerto Rico with her family to New York. Her brother is a Shark (the Puerto Rican gang). Just before this song, Tony killed Maria's brother in a rumble which Tony was trying to stop. Both Tony and Maria are madly in love, and they want all of this violence to stop. They are talking about how somewhere they will be accepted to love each other. There is a place for them to go and live and love. There will be a time when they can be together and not have to worry about what everyone else thinks.

It's an important concept that I think will never fade. Some people believe that white people should only fall in love with other white people, and similarly with blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and so forth. However, this notion is unbearably false. If two people love each other, they should be able to stay with each other. This brings the issue of gay marriage. I think that gay people should be able to marry and love each other. Their marriage is not affecting me and it should not make any other person unhappy. I am not threatened by a gay marriage, and nobody else should be either. If that's what they truly want, then they should be able to do it. It's bringing no harm to others whatsoever. It is only bettering the lives of the married couple.

So you see how deep this song can get. Nearly every couple has had to face adversity through their love. Some couples only get a small dosage, such as through angry in-laws, while other couples may get more criticism. Every person can truly connect to this song. Everyone wants to find a place where they can be themselves and love whom they want. Everyone wants to find that perfect place- maybe not even just for love, but for people who they can feel loved around. Listen to this song from the movie West Side Story. Perhaps this song will connect to you in a way or two. Think about the lyrics, and they won't be hard to forget with the powerful melody.