The song I chose is “Me And The Sky” from the musical Come From Away. This song is a solo by Jenn Colella, who plays the real-life pilot Beverley Bass in the musical, and is backed by a chorus of the rest of the female cast. The musical is set during the events of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, although this song specifically is essentially documenting Beverley Bass’s life story from 1952-2001.

The main gender role discussed in this song is the idea that certain jobs are more appropriate for certain genders than others. This topic is still debated today, as differences in rates of employment between different genders still exist in different careers, like certain STEM fields and the military. In this case, the airline industry may view a pilot as a male role, while serving jobs like flight attendants are viewed as a more female role. Bass works against this gender role, as she longs to be a pilot from a young age. However, both the other male pilots and the female flight attendants show animosity toward her. The pilots say “girls shouldn’t be in the cockpit” and mock her by asking her to serve them drinks. On the other hand, the flight attendants assume that she is full of herself and questions if she is “better than [them].” Despite this, she manages to keep going and eventually becomes the first female American captain in history as well as leads an all-female crew. The large disjunct intervals in the song help express Bass breaking through all the gender obstacles between her and her love for the sky. The song works as an encouragement that your gender shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dream.