Will I?

The song "Will I" from RENT is a very simple concept and is easy to follow. Just one line repeated over and over for 2 minutes and 46 seconds.

"Will I lose my dignity
Will someone care
Will I wake tomorrow
From this nightmare"

Even so, "Will I" has a powerful message behind it. The song is sung by the eight members of the Life Support group as well as two other characters, Marc and Rodger. All of the Life Support members have A.I.D.s and fear what will happen to their lives and their reputations in the eyes of those they care about.

When A.I.D.s were first discovered, it was labeled a "gay disease" because most of the people who reported having it were homosexual. However, it was later proven false, as A.I.D.s does not discriminate between heterosexuals and homosexuals. But, at the time this film is set in, sexually transmitted diseases and infections were blamed on the L.G.B.T. community.

This song is very important in bringing awareness to A.I.D.s and what they are capable of. They tear apart a person's life. They had the power to make these eight Life Support members afraid of losing their friends and families, of being looked down upon by society, of being forever trapped in "this nightmare."

It may be a simple and strait forward song, but it is extremely powerful.