Today's moment of pure, ridiculous joy: Liz Callaway sings Meadowlark

Golden-voiced (she can sing as sweet as a Disney princess and she can belt like a diva) Liz Callaway (who sang the theme song to The Nanny with her sister, Ann Hampton Callaway, who also wrote it) has made a signature of "Meadowlark," an oft-overlooked story song (from the musical The Baker's Wife) written by Stephen Schwartz (who also wrote Godspell, Pippin, Working, Children of Eden and Wicked, among others) in a masterful fusion of narrative, metaphor, emotional arc and melody. I've listened to it non-stop since I got to work this morning and discovered that a friend of mine had posted it on Facebook as his moment of pure, ridiculous joy. 

I recommend you listen to it at least three times: once to immerse yourself in the gorgeous, heartbreaking story, once to drink in Liz Callaway's breathtaking, shimmery voice and storytelling, and once to listen to the sumptuously layered orchestration -- especially the hearty, powerful lower brass in the last chorus. 

I guarantee you repeated shivers. And smiles. And pure, ridiculous joy.