Friday, June 14, 2019

A Window Above: You'll Be Back

Song: "You'll Be Back"
Composer and Lyricist: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Musical: Hamilton: An American Musical
Premier: January 20, 2015, New York



I don't really need to explain about Hamilton, do I?  The Broadway musical about the founding father, Alexander Hamilton, based on the biography by Ron Chernow?  It feels almost as silly as trying to summarize Hamlet a few months back (see here).  Crazy comparison?  I don't think so.  The broad cultural impact of Hamilton far exceeds that of anything to come out of the theater world in 30 years, maybe longer.  We're talking Beatles/Star Wars/Harry Potter-level. Will people still be talking about this show in 400 years?  Yes.

I first learned about Hamilton from my wife.  That alone is an indicator.  My drama teacher colleague going on about a Broadway show would not be noteworthy.  But my wife?  As a rule, she hates musicals.  Not only had she heard about it but she was listening to the cast album on near-endless repeat.  It was first shared with me on our road trip to Nova Scotia a few years ago (see here), by which time she and our daughter both knew the show by heart.

King George's big number, reprised twice (you get all three songs in the video above - you're welcome), is admittedly out of step with the rest of the show.  While most of the music is based on hip-hop, R&B and soul, "You'll Be Back" is based on Lin-Manuel Miranda's other great love: British Invasion rock.  Appropriate to the story, right?  Is it any wonder that the song I fell hardest for is the one closer to my beloved Beatles?  Besides, it's hilarious.

Want to hear all of the songs I have featured in a convenient playlist?

Enjoy: A Window Above

What are you listening to these days?

14 comments:

  1. Sounds so good, have a lovely weekend ☺

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  2. My wife first heard about Hamilton on NPR before it had become "a thing," at least on a national level. She came home and introduced it to the family, firmly believing that I would hate it because it's not my style of music. But I loved it. Right off the bat, and so did 2/3 of our kids. [The other one won't admit to more than casually liking it because it conflicts with his musical identity.] It was on constant play in our house for... months? A year? I don't know; a long time.
    We're finally going to see it (out here in SF) in July.
    Of course, my daughter, though excited, bemoans the fact that it's not the original cast.

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    1. As I write this, I realize you may have already seen it. Hope it was/will be a great show!

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    2. Not quite yet. Less than two weeks.

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  3. I don't think Hamilton is going to have near that kind of legacy. All the musicals we remember from the past fifty years have been anchored by highly memorable, culture-piercing lead songs. Hamilton doesn't really have one. Its popularity came out of its originality, the fact that Broadway had seen nothing like it before (at least on anywhere near comparable scale). To endure for a hundred years, let alone four hundred, Miranda would need to pump out musicals of comparable quality and impact for twenty years. He has yet to undertake a follow-up. You're comparing him to Shakespeare. Think I doth protest too much? I doth think not.

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    1. You're right, Tony, that has been the pattern with musicals for a long time. In the '50s and '60s, any casual music consumer would have known what shows were on Broadway because those were the songs that were on the radio and the records that were the top sellers in stores. Unfortunately, over time, musical theater has become a niche interest not unlike its operatic cousin.

      Hamilton is the first show in a long time to bring new fans to the medium. In this, I feel the Harry Potter comparison is the strongest. Considering the number of students I see who have the show virtually memorized, I think individual songs have taken a stronger hold than you may imagine. Plus, don't underestimate the power of hip hop. But more to my point, there's an overall quality and accessibility in the material unlike anything Broadway has offered in 30 years or more. Cats, Les Mis, Phantom - those are the last shows I remember with comparable reach. Those three all came out in the mid-'80s.

      As for Miranda, he's young and in demand. Stay tuned.

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  4. This was an amazing musical. Original and excellent. My gr-daughters can sing the entire thing.
    What will bother people is that singing it is difficult for most people. Unlike Les Misab with its impressive songs, no one is going to burst into song with these lyrics.

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  5. hundred years old theater (story) as well as old music have their own fans....

    Happy father's day

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    1. That is certainly true. I would proudly call myself a fan of both.

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  6. Not sure I agree with the 400 year music wise but maybe the idea what it is ?
    Happy Fathers Day !
    I know you will have a lovely day.
    parsnip

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    1. Thank you.

      Of course, we won't know about the 400 years. Maybe it's hyperbole. But this show is definitely a big deal.

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