Andrew Lippa's "It Gets Better" Now Available on iTunes
"It Gets Better," a song written by Tony-nominated composer/lyricist Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family, Wild Party), is now available on iTunes. Lippa completed the song during his residency at Texas State University, where he took a select group of musical theater students into the studio to record "It Gets Better" and accompanied them during a live performance.
The song itself refers to the It Gets Better Project, sending a message out to LGBTQ youth everywhere that although they may be bullied or feel isolated at present time, life will improve, and they should not give up hope. "It Gets Better" is Lippa's contribution to the campaign. The message of having the courage to stand up and fight through the most hopeless times encourages the persistence to hang on until better days.
"It gets better, it gets better when you get past this time. / It gets better, so much better, when you outlast this time. / So go and scream at the moon if you want to, go and run just as far as you can, / but it gets better, it gets better and better."
The It Gets Better Project was started in September of 2010 by columnist Dan Savage as a reaction to a series of tragic suicides within the LGBTQ youth community. Savage and his partner Terry Miller posted a video of their own story, creating a venue for all LGBTQ adults to share their message to struggling teens about all the possibilities the future can hold.
The Broadway community has been a major player in the It Gets Better Project from the beginning. From the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS inspiring video to the previously recorded song "It Gets Better" by some of Broadway's young stars, the community is working to spread this message to LGBTQ youth that "there's so much more than just the here and now." Actors have also reached out individually to contribute to this project, sharing their testimonials and personal stories of how their lives got better.
Lippa's project proves that the cause is one that affects the entire musical theater community, not just those on Broadway. Texas State University's musical theater students, as well as the musical theater program head Kaitlin Hopkins, are hoping to use the art they have studied to reach out to those who are in desperate need of love and support.
"This has been an incredible journey for all of us," Hopkins told BroadwayWorld.com. "A student recently said to me, ‘This has changed me-- this is why I wanted to be an artist in the first place'... I couldn't agree more."
Other organizations are creating videos as well, including Google, Apple, and the Baltimore Orioles, who recently became the fourth Major League Baseball team to participate.
The proceeds from Lippa's "It Gets Better" -- as well as from Broadway's song with the same title -- go to support The Trevor Project, a resource and lifeline for bullied teens.
Download "It Gets Better" on iTunes.
-- Ali Mierzejewski
This was a great article. Thanks for sharing such an incredible talent. I look forward to more recommendations from your blog!
-Tiffany Parker
Posted by: Tiffany Parker | October 04, 2011 at 01:12 AM