“Alexander Hamilton” by Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
This song, as well as the play it is featured on, is based on the life of Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton was an 18th century scholar and politician who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. And more specifically, most of the lyrics of the track are based on his childhood as expounded from the perspective of other historical characters who are part of the play. These characters include Aaron Burr, James Madison and even George Washington himself.
Now Alexander Hamilton is in fact one of the most-famous figures in American history. As such, every aspect of his life has been meticulously detailed by historians throughout the centuries. And this song, despite being presented largely in the form of a braggadocious rap, is in fact based on such details. Therefore expounding on its entire lyrical backdrop can constitute a small book in and of itself.
But ultimately, the idea being put forth is this. Hamilton was born into a challenging background. Indeed as the very first line of the song suggests, he was “a bast**d, orphan, son of a whore”. Yet by the time all was said and done, as aforementioned he grew up to be a great man. And the overall implication of the lyrics is that his rise to greatness was due to Alexander possessing an unrelenting work ethic.
Facts about “Alexander Hamilton”
This song, both lyrically and musically, was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. This is the same writer who penned the “Hamilton” musical. This tune is a part of said musical, in fact serving as its opening number.
The officially release date of this song is 25 September 2015. That is the same day in which the “Hamilton” album, which was handled by Atlantic Records, came out. However, it has been noted that the song existed even earlier than that. For instance, Miranda is on record of having performed the tune at the White House itself, in front of the President (Obama) and First Lady, back in 2009.
A year after its official release, “Alexander Hamilton” made history as the first performance which was streamed live from Broadway during the Grammys.
And the song itself has been noted for mixing elements of hip-hop music with those more akin to a Broadway musical and has been said to have influenced the latter genre altogether.
As of 200, “Alexander Hamilton” had sold more than a million units in America only. It has therefore been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
The opening line referring to Alexander Hamilton as a “bast**d”amongst other things, is of course quite-derogatory, especially for a respected historical figure. But Miranda went on to explain those sentiments reflected are based on those once expressed by John Adams. Adams was the second President of the United States and a contemporary of Alexander Hamilton. And as those statements suggest, these two historical figures did in fact have beef.
What genre of music is “Alexander Hamilton”?
It belongs into the hip hop genre as well as the show tune genre.
Brief Bio of Hamilton
Hamilton spent the early years of his life, up until his mid-to-late teens, living in the Caribbean. Due to a number of unfortunate circumstances, most specifically the death of his mother, he found himself an orphan. He was about 10 years old then. But he was an individual who not only had good work ethic but also proved to be exceptionally intelligent. In fact he was such an exceptional writer that he earned a scholarship, if you will, to further his education in the Thirteen Colonies. And later, largely under his own influence, the selfsame Colonies transitioned into what we now know as the United States.
This song, presented in a narrative, retells the story of Alexander Hamilton from his birth to death, in the voices of Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington among others.
The first lines of the song juxtapose his uncanny background of being an impoverished orphan to growing up to become a famous American scholar and hero. The narrator goes on to talk about how he worked his way up the ladder of success through dedication, thorough studies and hard work. It also captures how he defied all odds to become a founding father, and the first secretary of the United States Treasury.
The track basically highlights how Alexander rose to greatness through reading, educating himself and working hard despite all the negative circumstances and hardships he encountered. Although the song acknowledges his success, the narrator wonders if people will still remember his deeds and his achievements. It ends with the narrator speaking about how his reputation was ruined and the duel between him and Burr that ended his life.