Summary
- "Schuyler Defeated" is ranked lower among the best Hamilton songs due to its short length and transitional nature, but it still plays an important role in the story.
- "The Story of Tonight (Reprise)" provides a heartfelt moment between Hamilton and Burr that is different from their usual antagonistic dynamic.
- "Aaron Burr, Sir" showcases Miranda's wordplay and introduces the rap battles in the musical, setting the tone for the inventive wordplay throughout the show.
While there are no bad Hamilton songs, there are definitely some that are better than others, and the best Hamilton songs are also the ones that pack emotional punches for the audience. 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 (truly eye-watering) Broadway ticket prices and appreciate the acclaimed songs at home. This is a breakdown of Lin Manuel Miranda's Hamilton soundtrack that propelled it to such heights.
46 "Schuyler Defeated" (1:03)
Performed by: Anthony Ramos as Philip Hamilton, Philippa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr.
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.
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.
45 "The Story Of Tonight (Reprise)" (1:55)
Performed by: Anthony Ramos as John Laurens, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette, Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr
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 one of the Hamilton songs 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.
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.
44 "Aaron Burr, Sir" (2:36)
Performed by: Anthony Ramos as John Laurens, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette, Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr
Miranda's love of wordplay is on display early in the second one of the Hamilton songs, "Aaron Burr, Sir," in which the eponymous antagonist's name is echoed in the line, "You punched the bursar."
If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for?
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. 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)
Performed by: 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, it's also a lot of information 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 to see what happens next.
42 "A Winter's Ball" (1:09)
Performed by: Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr
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.
41 "Meet Me Inside" (1:23)
Performed by: Anthony Ramos as John Laurens, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr
Hamilton's resentment at sitting on the writing bench throughout the war boils over in this one of Hamilton songs: a tense argument between Hamilton and Washington in the wake of the Charles Lee/John Laurens duel.
Call me 'son' one more time.
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 is not the last disagreement that the two of them have in the show.
40 "That Would Be Enough" (2:58)
Performed by: Philippa Soo as Eliza Hamilton and Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton
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)
Performed by: Jonathan Groff as King George III
In King George III's final interlude, he marvels at the idea of a leader voluntarily stepping down from their position of power.
There's nobody else in their 'country' who looms quite as large.
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.
38 "Farmer Refuted" (1:52)
Performed by: Thayne Jasperson as Samuel Seabury and Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton
Poor Samuel Seabury just wants to stand up on his soapbox and make a speech in support of the king, but runs into Alexander Hamilton's inability to let anything go. This is one of the shorter Hamilton songs, but a fun one that's only enhanced by the physical comedy of Hamilton harassing the Loyalist until Burr steps in to intervene.
But strangely your mange is the same!
It's fairly early in the show, and it shows a great juxtaposition between the classical musical stylings of the Loyalists who are stuck in the past and the hip-hop of the revolutionaries as Hamilton's lines are rapped alongside Seabury's classic lines.
37 "The Story Of Tonight" (1:31)
Performed by: Anthony Ramos as John Laurens, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette, Lin Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr
After the revelry of "My Shot" comes a much-needed wind-down in "The Story of Tonight." While the preceding on the list of Hamilton songs might make the revolutionaries' wishes seem trivial - from wanting to make a name for themselves, to simply not wanting to sew pants anymore - "The Story of Tonight" is a reassurance that they really do believe in what they're fighting for.
Raise a glass to the four of us/Tomorrow there'll be more of us.
"Tomorrow there'll be more of us" is also one of the most quoted lines (or partial lines, more accurately) from the show as it's a call to action and a reminder that even the biggest revolution starts with the smallest group.