Hamilton: Songs 39-43

Part two of the “crap just got real” portion of Hamilton.  Some dark plot stuff going on, and two of these songs probably constitute the out-and-out saddest moments in the show.

“Blow Us All Away” – The Reynolds Pamphlet and its fallout gives us Hamilton family drama that’s connected to the politics.  This song, though, transitions us to more self-contained Hamilton family drama.  Hamilton’s oldest son Phillip, a chip off the old block, gets into it with someone who made disparaging remarks about Hamilton and is determined to fight for the family honor.  It starts out breezily – Phillip, borrowing lines from “My Shot,” is all cockiness and enthusiasm – but it takes a dark turn that leads us into the next number.

Best lyric:  “The scholars say I got the same virtuosity and brains as my pops! / The ladies say my brain’s not where the resemblance stops!”

“Stay Alive (Reprise)” – Phillip’s duel doesn’t go as planned, and Hamilton and Eliza race to the bedside of their mortally wounded son.  Not much to say here.  It’s sad, and the music, lyrics, and Anthony Ramos’s performance all do a nice job of showing that Phillip is fading.

Best lyric:  “Even before we got to ten - / I was aiming for the sky.”

“It’s Quiet Uptown” – The show’s biggest “excuse me while I go sit in my room and cry” song.  More so than Phillip’s death itself, this number, which examines Hamilton and Eliza’s attempt to pick up the pieces of their lives, is so powerfully affecting.  I love the repeated description of this particular type of grief as “the unimaginable,” a theme from “That Would Be Enough” is used to fine effect, and the ending is just stunning in its beauty.  Absolute knockout.

Best lyric:  “There are moments that the words don’t reach. / There is suffering too terrible to name. / You hold your child as tight as you can / And push away the unimaginable.”

“The Election of 1800” – “Can we get back to politics?”  This song borrows elements from “Washington on Your Side” and adds new melodies of its own as the 1800 election mainly becomes a race between Jefferson and Burr.  Burr openly campaigns against his fellow Democratic-Republican and sidesteps actual issues while Jefferson realizes he may need an endorsement from Hamilton to win.  I love the “Dear Mr. Hamilton” refrain so much, and the snark at the end about the country’s original procedure for becoming vice president is awesome.

Best lyric:  “Talk less! / Smile more! / Don’t let them know / What you’re against / Or what you’re for!”

“Your Obedient Servant” – The conflicts between Burr and Hamilton bubble over in this series of letters, which vacillate between accusatorily raw and stiffly polite.  I love Hamilton, but he was also a handful, and, in this song, you can totally see why he infuriates Burr.

Best lyric:  “Even if I said what you think I said, / You would need to cite a more specific grievance. / Here’s an itemized list of thirty years of disagreements.” – “Sweet Jesus.”