Hey everybody! So I know it's been a while, but I'm going to go ahead and start off February strong by finishing off my Hamilton Song Countdown.
This is where we pull back the curtain and reveal all of the best and worst songs in the show.
Get it? Curtain? Because of the gif?
No?
Okay, then, forget it. Here's a review of Hamilton overall in case you missed it:
Okay, so we've reached the point in the list where I start to feel kind of bad because a lot of these songs aren't bad. In fact, most of them are actually quite good and perfectly enjoyable, both with and without the context of the show. However, decisions had to be made about which songs were better than other ones, and frankly, I stand by the rest of the rankings on this list.
This song is really the catalyst for everything bad happening in Act II. Honestly without this song, there isn't nearly as much of a plot for the show. This song leads to literally everything going horribly for Hamilton in the show, and it reflects on how his issues with his mother led to him falling for a helpless woman like Maria Reynolds (or even before that, a woman like Eliza, with a song literally titled "Helpless").
To me, this song kind of sounds like a hot mess, and I feel like that's appropriate, because this is the point in the show where Hamilton's life has officially fallen apart. Desperate to clear his name of all political scandal, Hamilton hastily publishes what is essentially a memoir about his marital infidelity, thus throwing his wife and children under the proverbial bus.
Let's continue our Hamilton countdown with #24 out of 46.
24. Adams Administration
I like this song for one reason and one reason only: Listening to Hamilton lose his shit is amazing. I think it's amazing to me because every time it happens, I'm reminded that Hamilton really was just a little guy with a big chip on his shoulder.
I love thinking that Alexander Hamilton had something to prove to everyone, and calling him a "Creole bastard" was definitely going to start a fight. He wasn't just going to take that sitting down. (Which is even funnier when you remember that in the show he says, "Sit down, John, you fat mother*%$#@$!")
Even better, I love this song because it shows how principled Hamilton was. He hated John Adams so much that he was basically willing to sever party ties with him in order to publicly call him out for all of the things that he didn't like about him (if only some modern Republicans would take a note and be more like Hamilton in this respect).
(Also, this feud was mutual. There's a WILD letter that John Adams wrote about Hamilton after his death where Adams basically insinuates that Hamilton was so full of *semen* that he couldn't think straight, which led to his inevitable moral failings and untimely death. I mean, holy shit!)
Overall, I love this song, and I love Hamilton for having such a reckless fighting spirit.
25. History Has it's Eyes on You
Can we just take a moment to acknowledge Chris Jackson's wonderful voice, please?
This song is so good, and honestly its placement in the musical is fantastic as well. It communicates to Hamilton that the Revolutionary War is serious, and that his legacy depends on what happens next. This song is one of the many that reinforce the theme of legacy and how history will remember you, and I'm personally here for it.
26. Your Obedient Servant
I honestly love this song, and I'm a little upset that it didn't make the first half of this list, but again, decisions had to be made. I appreciate this song because of all of the big words that Lin Manuel managed to cram into what is essentially a diss track. Words like "intemperate" and "grievance" sneak their way into this song, and again- they work so well.
This song is also crazy because it's based on the very real letters that Hamilton and Burr exchanged a few days before their duel. You can read all about them here.
Here's an animatic that I like of this particular song as well (by a-sanne on YouTube):
27. We Know
As if President John Adams didn't have enough to say about Hamilton in the song before this one (especially regarding that wild theory about Hamilton being so full of semen- YIKES), here we get Jefferson, Burr, and Madison all ganging up on Hamilton in order to blackmail him with information that they found out about his affair with Maria Reynolds.
In real life, the story is much more convoluted as to who found out what about Hamilton's financial records, and what the whole situation with Hamilton's affair was (and so I suggest you read it here), but Lin Manuel Miranda simplified it so that all of our favorite characters could be a part of this moment. In the end, the net result is the same, but in real life, the story was more complicated and messy, as these things usually are.
I really like this song because it tows the line between lighthearted and serious just enough to set the mood for the upcoming series of events which are DEVASTATING. This is like priming the audience for the next few songs in the show when everyone is sure to turn on the waterworks.
28. Blow Us All Away
(Distant screaming persists in the background)
HOW MANY TIMES IS LIN MANUEL MIRANDA GOING TO KILL OFF ANTHONY RAMOS' CHARACTER IN THIS PLAY?
I'm upset- I'm inconsolable.
Not only do I love Anthony Ramos in real life, but I love both of his characters in the show and how they die. Ramos plays both Philip Hamilton and John Laurens (both of whom "died for Hamilton" as referenced in the beginning of the show. Ah, I see what he did there...).
I think this song was the point in the show where everything really started to fall apart for Hamilton. By this point in the show, his marriage was ruined (or seemingly so) due to everything he had done with the Reynolds Pamphlet previously, and so losing his son was truly the last straw for him and Eliza.
I think what makes this death hurt worse (for Hamilton, me personally, and the audience), is that his son was only in a duel to defend his honor, which especially makes it his fault when his son turns up dead. This is especially hard to swallow when Eliza finds out about what happened to her son due to her no-good husband's mistakes.
Geez, I love this song. It starts off with casually mentioning having a threesome before ending in murder. Name one other musical that pivots that hard, I dare you.
Hamilton does it effortlessly, though, and that's what I call true storytelling.
Please watch this heartbreaking and adorable animatic of this song (by Ziksua on YouTube). It's wonderful.
29. Say No to This
This song is really the catalyst for everything bad happening in Act II. Honestly without this song, there isn't nearly as much of a plot for the show. This song leads to literally everything going horribly for Hamilton in the show, and it reflects on how his issues with his mother led to him falling for a helpless woman like Maria Reynolds (or even before that, a woman like Eliza, with a song literally titled "Helpless").
Overall, this song sounds fine, but I think I just like it for the drama. The song by itself doesn't do all that much for me, but with the added context of a cheating scandal in the life of a founding father- this song SLAPS.
The drama- the infidelity- the blackmail- this song has everything you would ever want from a show about the birth of our nation. It was like Hamilton was the original politician with a leaked sex scandal. A century before John F. Kennedy, Hamilton was really making a name for himself in this arena.
30. What Comes Next?
Two words: "Awesome. Wow."
The sarcasm JUMPED out of this song and punched me in the face. The first time I saw this musical, I thought this was so funny because the king was so salty that he had lost the war. Jonathan Groff plays a bitter royal incredibly well, both on the soundtrack and on the stage, and I love him for it.
Honestly all of his little interludes explaining how he's feeling about what's happening in America at any given time really pull the show together for me.
31. Ten Duel Commandments
This song doesn't exactly hold up as well as I remember it holding up the first time that I watched the show, but it's still good. I appreciate that this song has several reoccurring instances throughout the plot of the show (which, if anything, was more indicative of the fact that people in this time period were more prone to shooting each other on sight). This song helps to establish the rules of dueling in the early days of America, and so at the end, when Hamilton and his son Philip are both shot, it comes as no surprise when they die, but the impact is definitely felt.
32. It's Quiet Uptown
This song is heartbreaking. Try not to cry while watching this on stage. You'll cry, I promise. If you say you didn't- you're lying.
This song, along with "Stay Alive (Reprise)" are real tear jerkers for me. (Not so much on the soundtrack, but definitely for the stage play.) Especially when Lin Manuel and Phillipa Soo start crying on stage- I always get a little misty eyed thinking about it.
Overall, I love this song, and it's a solid listen- with or without the context of the show.
33. What'd I Miss?
The glamour, the sass, the gall! This song has all of that, and more.
I'm going to be honest, I don't much care for this song, but I have to give it props for masterfully introducing one of Act II's main antagonists. This song is very campy and over the top, and while I believe that's part of the reason why I don't like it, it is still fun to listen to and sing along with. In this song, Daveed Diggs reemerges as one of America's founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson.
His introduction serves as a pivotal point in the story, and it also helps to shift some of the focus away from the last act, which was so driven by the war and the impact of building a nation. Now that the nation's been built, people like Jefferson have to decide who's going to govern. Naturally, he and Hamilton have a difference of opinion on the matter.
But I mean, you've got to give it to him. Homeboy's definitely got stage presence.
34. A Winter's Ball
This song is cute and funny, but overall, it's a little forgettable. It does act as a sort of interlude between two other main songs, and so I can't fault it for that, but overall, this song isn't distinguishable enough in this fantastic soundtrack.
35. I Know Him
This song is perfectly fine, but it's almost unnecessary in the show. It takes place immediately after Washington leaves office and serves as a sort of comedic bridge in the show to reference how the idea of stepping away from power wasn't really heard of before Washington decided he didn't want the job anymore. It's funny in the stage show to watch Jonathan Groff step on stage in his long robe and look astonished as George Washington walks away, but on the soundtrack it's not as enjoyable.
This song still has the funny charm of the king's sarcastic disdain for American politics, but it's not as unexpected or outright sassy as the other two songs that the king gets in this show. Like I mentioned before, this song is a little unnecessary. It's the last time that we hear from the king in the show (but not the last time we see him, mind you), and it's a little underwhelming compared to his other two songs. This one is a little forgettable if I'm being honest.
36. Farmer Refuted
This one is a fun introduction to Hamilton's personality in the face of the monarchy and power dynamics that he disagrees with. I love this song because it's one of the few songs on the soundtrack where two characters are singing in a round of sorts, where one character is singing something entirely different than the other one at the same time, and it flows amazingly. I'm really into it.
37. Washington on Your Side
I'm gonna be honest. This song kinda SLAPS.
You know how I mentioned that Daveed Diggs was put on the map for "Guns n' Ships?" Well this one is a close second for him. I love his verses in this song. He's so good with them, and I can't help but get hyped when Jefferson, Madison, and Burr all shout, "SOUTHERN MOTHERFUCKING DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS" (which was censored out of the film version on Disney+, disappointingly).
I mean, come on: "If Washington isn't gon' listen to disciplined dissidents/ This is the difference, this kid is out!"
BARS.
38. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story
This is the last song in the entire show, it just feels like an appropriate end to the story. Everything seems nicely rounded out by this song. Even Jefferson and Madison had to extend a kind word to Hamilton at the end of the show, because as much as they may have hated him in life, even they had to admit that he made a difference.
All of the major arcs are completed by the end of the show, and Hamilton has officially left the legacy he was so desperate to create for himself at the beginning of Act I. Even the kind-hearted Eliza became a larger part of the story, helping to build orphanages and to raise money for monuments (one could argue that she was the true main character of the show- especially given how important she is after Hamilton's death).
Overall, this is a heartfelt and lovely end to an amazing show, and it might leave you a little misty eyed by the end of it.
39. One Last Time
I'll be honest, I like this song, but I feel like it goes on for a bit too long. I enjoy hearing Chris Jackson sing (because who doesn't), but I feel like Lin could've cut like a minute off of this song and I would like it more. I do enjoy the letter that they read at the end of the song, because it was part of Washington's farewell address. I especially like that Chris Jackson sings it while Lin is reading it, and I love the reference the bible verse from Micah 4:4 (because apparently George Washington really loved that particular verse and would reference it all the time).
However, overall, this song is a little slow and not my speed. Here's a cute little animatic of it, though (by officaldaelight on YouTube).
40. Stay Alive (Reprise)
This song is especially soul crushing, especially if you're watching the show. On the soundtrack this song doesn't really have the same emotional impact, but on stage this song is... a lot.
I think the reason why this song has a greater impact on me when I watch the show as opposed to listening to it is because of the performances. Not only is it devastating to watch Anthony Ramos die (A SECOND TIME, MIND YOU), but it's also absolutely gut wrenching to watch Phillipa Soo rush in with tears in her eyes, wailing about her dead son. It's absolutely awful, and I think that's what makes this song work.
The performances from Soo and Ramos really make this song work, and they really carry a lot of the emotional weight in the show. Both the death of his son and his infamous cheating scandal lead to Hamilton's downfall, and I think this number is good because they show us what he lost, truly. After Philip died, Eliza wanted nothing to do with Hamilton, and for good reason.
Overall, watch this performance in the show. It's so good.
41. Schulyer Defeated
This song isn't so much bad as it is completely forgettable. It's so brief that I almost completely omitted from this list by mistake, and I absolutely don't remember hearing it most of the times I sat and listened to the Hamilton soundtrack. The only valuable piece of information that can be gleaned from this song is that Hamilton thinks that Burr is a snake because Burr switched parties to beat out his father-in-law, while Burr views this as just an opportunity for this career. Hamilton (obviously) takes this personally, but Burr doesn't understand why.
Overall, I would say that this song is a perfectly fine skip, but not because the song is bad.
42. Hurricane
I think this song has its merits; the lyrics are good. I think if it was performed by anyone else but Lin Manuel Miranda this song would be higher on my list- but something about his performance just doesn't do it for me. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Lin Manuel Miranda is not a very good singer.
Don't get me wrong- I don't think this song is bad, but it doesn't SLAP as hard as the upbeat songs and it doesn't have nearly as much of an emotional impact as songs like "The World was Wide Enough" or "Wait for it" which were performed by Leslie Odom Jr., primarily. It's just... fine?
This song is a little weak for me, and I think it has a lot to do with the performance of it all. It's one of the few songs on the soundtrack that I would skip over when just listening to it, because without the visuals of the play to back it up, it's just not as compelling for me.
43. The Reynold's Pamphlet
To me, this song kind of sounds like a hot mess, and I feel like that's appropriate, because this is the point in the show where Hamilton's life has officially fallen apart. Desperate to clear his name of all political scandal, Hamilton hastily publishes what is essentially a memoir about his marital infidelity, thus throwing his wife and children under the proverbial bus.
I don't like this song. I think it's a little messy, all things considered. The beat doesn't do much for me, all of the screaming about "Have you read this?!" doesn't add anything for me lyrically... This song is one of the few on the soundtrack that doesn't actually work, in my opinion. I believe that this song could've been rewritten to be better. In fact, there was an entire verse in this song (Angelica's verse) that was it's own song, called "Congratulations," that was cut from the musical, even though in my opinion- it is a better song than the one we ended up with (I'm not saying that I want to replace "The Reynolds Pamphlet," with "Congratulations" but I am saying that "The Reynolds Pamphlet" could have been a better song that was more in tune with the overall musical).
An animatic of "Congratulations," Renee Elise Goldsberry's cut song from Hamilton (by Chiino on YouTube)
The one thing that I do like about this song is how upset Hamilton looks in the show, and how happy everyone else is (even the King George, mind you) that Hamilton's political career is over due to the nature of his admissions. Honestly watching everyone on stage celebrate his downfall, and even having Angelica tell Hamilton off for what he did to her sister- it's fun, I'm not going to lie.
44. Best of Wives and Best of Women
Perfectly short and forgettable. I would say to skip this song, but it's not even long enough to skip. It's literally 48 seconds long, so you can just sit through it if you have to.
45. Burn
This song is just... a little too long? At least, it feels a little too long.
I'm not sure if that's why I don't like it, but I feel like this song drags the pace of the show to a grinding halt. It's not like I didn't understand what Lin Manuel Miranda was going for by including this song in the show. And while I feel bad for Eliza by this point in the show, I mostly skip this song when it comes on on the soundtrack.
In the show I feel like this song has greater impact, but on the soundtrack, I just feel tired after listening to it. I understand that it's symbolic of how Eliza is feeling after the Reynolds Pamphlet incident, and indicative of the fact that historians likely couldn't find any records of what Eliza said in response to the scandal of her husband's adultery. However, this song really just doesn't do it for me. I get tired and bored when this song comes on on the soundtrack.
46. Helpless
I love Phillipa Soo. I think she's so talented.
However, this song is not it, honey.
I don't like this song at all. Compared to literally every other song in the musical, this song stacks up as the worst every time. This song pales in comparison to all the others on the album, especially when it's followed up by the fantastic "Satisfied."
I have seen this show multiple times, and "Helpless" is always the song that I want to skip more than any other because everything about it just seems off. The tune seems too cheery and pop oriented to fit in with the rest of the songs in Act I, and I'm not even going to start on Lin Manuel Miranda's attempt at a Ja Rule impression when he starts rapping on this song. Lin has said before that he's tried to channel his inner Ja Rule and Ashanti for this song, but I'm just not interested in hearing him attempt to perform this awful song.
To be honest, they could have cut this song out of the final musical, just told me that Eliza and Alexander got married and then skipped to "Satisfied" because I just dislike this song that much.
Alright, I think that about does it for my Hamilton song review. Thank you so much for putting up with me as I ranted about this topic for two whole months. Like I mentioned before, if you have an opinion about the Hamilton soundtrack, I would love to hear it, even if it's different from my list (which is objectively the most accurate list out there on this particular topic).
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, and I hope to see you all next month when I inevitably review something else that no one asked for.
Wear a mask everyone!