If you haven’t heard of "Hamilton," I don’t know where you have been recently. It is the highly successful Broadway show about Alexander Hamliton, which, by the way, happens to be a hip-hop musical. Shout out to Lin-Manuel Miranda and the entire cast for the Grammy last week! If you have yet to hear the amazing soundtrack, get on Amazon Prime Music (free with prime membership) now and listen to it. It is truly fantastic. I had the pleasure of making my freshman roommate listen to it on our drive home for February break, and I am convinced she is now a fan. For my birthday, my mother gave me a Post-It note representing a ticket to see the show in New York City, and I am low-key freaking out over it. In honor of the show's amazing success, here are my top five favorite songs from "Hamilton." They are all amazing so start listening!
1. "My Shot"
This song perfectly grasps Hamilton’s desire to make a name for himself in the Revolution. At the same time, it outlines major issues with the war. This is made even better with the double meaning of shot (which he isn’t throwing away). Lin-Manuel Miranda shows his incredible skills in this song (and every other one).
2. "You’ll Be Back"
Johnathon Groff a.k.a. Jesse from Glee and Kristoff from "Frozen" plays King George. This song is absolutely hysterical while being sufficiently terrifying because this is historically accurate. There are a few songs that Groff sings as King George that follow through the show to the same tune to keep the show going, and they just get better and better.
3. "Satisfied"
This song showcases Renee Elise Goldsberry ("The Goodwife"). Her voice is phenomenal and she raps! Beyond that, the song does an amazing job of telling a lot of the story that had already happened from another character’s perspective. The women who portray the Schuyler sisters are all great singers and this song specifically shows that in my opinion.
4. "Cabinet Battle #2"
The "Cabinet Battles" are absolute genius. They take real conflict that happened in our nation’s founding and turn them into amazing raps. This one is my favorite for the amount of shade that it has. It is clear that Hamilton and Jefferson were on opposing sides, but this makes is clear how much they truly disliked each other.
5. "Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story"
This song is an amazing close to the story. You find out what happens with the key people in Hamilton’s life such as his wife. You also see how his legacy continues against other leaders’ wishes. The tone of the song is very soft and thoughtful. When you listen to the entire soundtrack and finish on this song, there is no way you won’t be in tears.
These songs are in no specific order and were hard for me to choose because all 45 songs in the show are so creative and ingenious. So next time you have some free time, check out the album or even better, see the show in New York City -- buy your tickets now for next year...
