Music: "Let It Go" by Idina Menzel

Music is an integral part of my life, but I almost never talk about it. I know very few of the technical terms, so I doubt my ability to describe what I hear in terms others can understand.

I'd like to get a bit better about sharing things I love, though, so lets spend the next few Saturdays talking about music.

I couldn't tell you how many times I've listened to Idina Menzel's rendition of "Let It Go" in the four days since I saw FROZEN, Disney's newest animated musical. It's exactly the sort of hopeful, sadly joyous song that never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

Elsa, one of the film's central characters, has spent at least a decade in isolation, afraid to get close to anyone or experiment with her powers in case she hurts someone. Then the worst happens. She loses control and reveals her magic to the world.

"Let It Go" is the moment she quits trying to be perfect. She embraces her self-imposed exile because it means she can finally discover who she is, rather than who others want her to be. For the first time since she was a very small child, she takes pure, unbridled joy in her abilities. She plays.

It gets me every single time.

I'll note, too, that it's well worth watching the video for this one. (Disney made it available themselves, so you needn't worry about the legality.) Hurray for great animation!