Summary
- The emotionally impactful best Hamilton songs pack a punch for audiences, winning numerous awards and acclaim.
- A potential Hamilton movie adaptation faces challenges due to the unique format of the musical and its live performance essence.
- In comparing In the Heights and Hamilton, both show the musical prowess of Lin-Manuel Miranda but with different strengths and shortcomings.
While there are no bad Hamilton songs, there are definitely some that are better than others, and the best Hamilton songs are typically the ones that pack emotional punches for the audience. The smash hit musical Hamilton reached a whole new audience thanks to the release of the recorded performance on Disney+. Created by and starring Lin Manuel Miranda, Hamilton is based on the life of the United States' first Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton. While he's not the most obvious subject of a hip-hop musical, Hamilton's life story captured the imagination of Miranda after he read Ron Chernow's 2004 biography of the founding father.
Since its premiere in February 2015, Hamilton has become a runaway success and cultural phenomenon, winning 12 Tony Awards in 2016 and opening on London's West End in 2017, where it won seven Olivier Awards. A special recorded performance was released on Disney+ to widespread acclaim, so more newcomers than ever were able to swerve the Broadway ticket prices and appreciate the acclaimed songs at home. Lin Manuel Miranda's Hamilton soundtrack propelled it to great heights and is worthy of a deep breakdown.
What Lin-Manuel Miranda Has Done Since Hamilton
What has Lin-Manuel Miranda been doing since the 2015 Broadway premiere of Hamilton? Here's a career update for the multifaceted writer and performer.
46 "Schuyler Defeated" (1:03)
Performed By: Anthony Ramos, Philippa Soo, Lin Manuel Miranda, & Leslie Odom Jr.
Ranked the lowest of the best Hamilton songs by virtue of being short and more of a transition than anything else, "Schuyler Defeated" marks the moment when Alexander Hamilton discovers that his old friend Aaron Burr is tired of waiting. Unfortunately for the Hamilton family, Burr's first big move is to upset the Senate seat of Eliza's father, Philip Schuyler. It is here that Burr switches parties and becomes a Democratic-Republican for his personal status and overthrows Philip Schuyler's seat in the Senate.
They don't need to know me/They don't like you.
When the stage show is full of more songs than speaking moments, even the smallest bits of dialogue are songs, but they don't necessarily pop the way some of the longer performances do. This song plays during an important part in the play as it drives a divide between Hamilton and Burr, since they are now in different political parties. Burr sings, "I changed parties to seize the opportunity I saw. I swear, your pride will be the death of us all," and "They don't need to know me/They don't like you."
45 "The Story Of Tonight (Reprise)" (1:55)
Anthony Ramos, Okieriete Onaodowan, Daveed Diggs, Lin Manuel Miranda, & Leslie Odom Jr.
Sandwiched between "Satisfied" and "Wait For It," this reprise of "The Story of Tonight" is an important moment that allows the audience to slow down and absorb the impact of Angelica Schuyler's revelation. This Hamilton song is mainly made up of drunken banter between friends but is nonetheless an enjoyable little segue with a heartfelt moment between Hamilton and Burr that doesn't exactly occur much throughout the show. Here, Burr admits to an affair with a British officer's wife and Hamilton tells him to "go get her."
You are the worst, Burr.
Hamilton and Burr spend so much of the story at one another's throats that seeing them banter and have fun together is completely different from the rest of the show. The music is also less intense than the rest of the show, and as lovely as it is, not one that sits with fans as long as other Hamilton songs do. However, it does help to set the stage for Burr's biggest solo song of the play as Hamilton leaves him to consider his life of "waiting for it."
44 "Aaron Burr, Sir" (2:36)
Anthony Ramos, Okieriete Onaodowan, Daveed Diggs, Lin Manuel Miranda, & Leslie Odom Jr.
Miranda's love of wordplay is on display early in the second Hamilton song, "Aaron Burr, Sir," in which the eponymous antagonist's name is echoed in the line, "You punched the bursar." Burr responds to Hamilton's over-eagerness by inviting him to meet the likable John Laurens, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Hercules Mulligan — but Hamilton doesn't exactly learn the lesson Burr had hoped for, which is to keep his head down and not run his mouth or risk making enemies.
If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for?
The song plays an important role as it also sets the time and place of the story (1776 in New York City). it is also one of the original songs from The Hamilton Mixtape that stayed in the Broadway play, while most of the others were cut. This is the first real taste of the rap battles in the musical as well, though the further the story progresses, the more inventive the wordplay gets.
43 "Stay Alive" (2:39)
The Full Cast Of Hamilton
One of the more exposition-heavy Hamilton songs, "Stay Alive" finds Hamilton in a frustrating spot as George Washington refuses to give him a command in the war, instead relegating him largely to letter-writing duties, a job Hamilton despises. A highlight is the chaos when Jon Rua's Charles Lee "s**ts the bed at the Battle of Monmouth," and his ensuing volley of insults hurled at Washington.
I'm a general! Whee!
While it's a nice showcase for the variety of voices in the show, since most of the principal cast members get at least a line or two, there's also a lot of information in this specific song for the audience to keep track of all at once. When the songs leading up to it are faster-paced, it means the audience is largely getting through this particular track in the play to see what happens next.
Hamilton's Reference To Lin-Manuel Miranda's Other Musical Explained
Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspired to write Hamilton while he was still performing In the Heights, so did he unconsciously include a reference?
42 "A Winter's Ball" (1:09)
Leslie Odom Jr.
This is the ninth song in Hamilton, and it takes place while Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are together and are headed to attend Philip Schuyler's winter ball. One of the shortest Hamilton songs is also one of the most amusing. The somewhat gross lyrics are lightened by the comedy of Hamilton and his friends swaggering into the ball full of over-confidence about their talent with the ladies, as well as Hamilton's proud acknowledgment of the fact that he had a feral tomcat named after him.
Hey. Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
The song itself is a transitional one, in place to get the audience to the next step of the story, so it's fun, but not a number meant to blow the audience away. Before the Off-Broadway production, this song was called "Ladies Transition" because of its short length. Audiences also love the dance that the guys pull off just before the song ends.
41 "Meet Me Inside" (1:23)
Anthony Ramos, Christopher Jackson, Lin Manuel Miranda, & Leslie Odom Jr.
Hamilton's resentment at sitting on the writing bench throughout the war boils over in this Hamilton song centering on a tense argument between Hamilton and Washington in the wake of the Charles Lee/John Laurens duel. With its pulsing beat and very measured dialogue, this Hamilton song is an exercise in escalating tempers until finally Hamilton levels a veiled threat at his commander, and it is not the last disagreement that the two of them have in the show.
Call me 'son' one more time.
This is the 16th Hamilton song of Act One and sees Charles Lee shot in the side during the duel. Washington is angry at Hamilton and sends him home from the army to his wife. This song had a change in the Soundboard Recording, as the line that Burr sings ("You shot him in the side") was changed because it was Lee singing ("You shot me in the side") after Hamilton asks if he yields.
40 "That Would Be Enough" (2:58)
Philippa Soo & Lin Manuel Miranda
This is the 17th song of Act One of Hamilton and sees Eliza explaining her pregnancy to Alexander Hamilton after George Washington sent him back home. Though it might seem like just one of the sweet and romantic Hamilton songs that could have wound up cut, this song brings things down after the heat of "Meet Me Inside." "That Would Be Enough" actually features just as much tension despite its softer notes.
Let this moment be the first chapter/Where you decide to stay.
The vocals are primarily Eliza's, giving a sweetness to the tone of the song, even though the tension is thick. In this case, it's the tension between Alexander's determination to build a legacy and Eliza wanting him to appreciate his life while he's still living it. She wants him to stay, but he's too concerned with the future, which pretty much permeates the entirety of Hamilton.
39 "I Know Him" (1:37)
Jonathan Groff
In King George III's final interlude, he marvels at the idea of a leader voluntarily stepping down from their position of power. While "I Know Him" is definitely one of the more enjoyable Hamilton songs, what follows is even better — King George watching the ensuing American in-fighting with glee and even making a comeback to gloat once more during "The Reynolds Pamphlet." The scene-stealing King George III is nothing if not petty.
There's nobody else in their 'country' who looms quite as large.
This is the 10th song from Act Two of Hamilton and is the 33rd overall track in the musical. The entire song is funny as King George III seems shocked that John Adams won the presidential election in the United States, and is even more shocked that George Washington would give up his power. It shows not only George's misunderstanding of what America is all about but also his arrogance in his position as a leader himself.