Origins of a Deval Patrick theme song

At almost every Deval Patrick event, the campaign turns up the speakers a few notches and plays a song called “Proud,” an upbeat anthem that includes the lyrics:

I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same

The song seems to fit well with Patrick’s stump speech, but it’s been used for a lot of other causes, too. It was on the soundtrack for Showtime’s “Queer as Folk,” and Oprah last year declared it her show’s new theme song. It was also used in the movie “Akeelah and the Bee,” which is where the Patrick campaign said it got the idea for the song.

The song, by British artist Heather Small, became the official theme for the London 2012 Olympic bid (a good sign for Patrick: they won that bid). But it also has been used by an NBC reality TV show whose title may not serve Patrick as well: “The Biggest Loser.”