I had no idea who Kelly Clarkson was when I first heard this song, because I’ve never seen a single episode of American Idol (nor have I ever wanted to, from what I’ve heard about the show). But I don’t hold it against her — everyone’s gotta start somewhere, and I’ve enjoyed every song of hers that I’ve heard. She’s kind of like a more cheerful Avril Lavigne.

Breakaway
performed by Kelly Clarkson

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I just stared out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I’d end up happy
I would pray (I would pray)

Trying hard to reach out
But when I’d try to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I pray (I would pray)
I could breakaway

(chorus)
I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly
I’ll do what it takes ’til I touch the sky
I’ll make a wish, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won’t forget all the ones that I love
I’ll take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get on board a fast train
Travel on a jet plane, far away
And breakaway

(chorus)

Building with a hundred floors
swinging ’round revolving doors.
Maybe I don’t know where they’ll take me, but
I gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway

I’ll spread my wings
And I’ll learn how to fly
Though it’s not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won’t forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change
And breakaway
Breakaway
Breakaway

Talk about a song summing up your childhood! It absolutely did mine. I made wishes on everything from dandelion seedballs, to birthday candles, to shooting stars, to white horses, to eyelashes fallen onto my cheek, to the gorgeous pentagram hedge in Oregon City. (Except for the last, those are all traditional superstitions of ways to make wishes. I made up the one about the hedge, just because it was beautiful and I rarely got to see it.) And every wish I made was the same: take me away from this awful place so I can be happy. It wasn’t actually the place; even as a kid, I knew that the place wasn’t as important as the people. But I’d never met anyone in that place that approved of me, or made me feel I belonged.

And I believe that, on a primal level, what we most want is to feel we belong.