I remember my tenth birthday like it was yesterday. I was in fourth grade and when I woke up that morning, I was so looking forward to putting on my brown paisley dress and showing the class how pretty I looked. I didn't dress up for just any school day. This was special. My friends had no clue what was in store for me that night. My mom had bought our whole family tickets to see Wicked in Chicago. It was my first time ever seeing a Broadway show and I was unbelievably excited. As a kid who grew up with a musical and Disney loving family, I had grown to love show tunes and singing. Broadway was right up my alley and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world (especially because I got to leave school early).

We spent the whole day downtown, got dinner, went to Garret's for popcorn, browsed the Disney store and before long, we were at the Oriental Theater in our seats before the first act. To sum it up quickly, the show was marvelous. Being that young in front of a stage so big with an orchestra and intricate sets and costumes, I was in shock. I had never seen something so magical in front of my eyes before. I loved all the music and couldn't stop smiling. Unfortunately, I got really exhausted near the end of the second act and almost fell asleep but what more can you expect from a ten year old? Still, to this day, as a 19 year old, I look back and remember that show with such heartwarming nostalgia because that's where it all started... my love for musical theatre.

Since then, I've seen multiple musicals in school productions, local theater companies, Broadway in Chicago and even Broadway in New York (which was yet another pinnacle for me). With all of this exposure, I've discovered many musicals throughout the years that I've fallen head over heels in love with. In fact, I have a playlist with hundreds of songs from my favorite musicals that I often put on shuffle. But when you love musicals as much as I do, there's always that one song that you play over and over just to dance or belt to. That song that can be heart wrenching or happy, but either way, it hits your soul every time. I decided to make a list of those songs and share them with you! Below are 15 of my favorite songs from my favorite musicals (in no particular order) that hold that very soul punching quality I'm talking about. Some of the lyrics may not make sense without knowledge of the musical plot line, but that's okay! That just means you have an excuse to binge watch full Broadway shows online so you can fall in love just like I did. Happy listening!

1. "One Day More" from Les Miserables

2. "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago

3. "The Point of No Return" from Phantom of the Opera

4. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls

5. "For Good" from Wicked

6. "So Much Better" from Legally Blonde: The Musical

7. "Run And Tell That" from Hairspray

8. "One Normal Night" from The Addams Family

9. "How Could I Ever Forget?" from Next to Normal

10. "Come Back" from Dogfight

11. "The Winner Takes It All" from Mamma Mia

12. "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" from Jersey Boys

13. "Still Hurting" from The Last Five Years

14. "If I Can't Love Her" from Beauty and the Beast

15. "I Want It All" from High School Musical 3