Best “Hamilton” Song
When Hamilton premiered off-Broadway on February 17, 2015, it created an instant sensation, making American history genuinely exciting for modern audiences, and transforming Broadway with his color-blind casting. Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda built on the blending of hip-hop and traditional Broadway musical styles that he brought to bear on In the Heights to tell the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and the birth of our nation. The show was nominated for 16 Tony Awards, winning 11 of them including Best Musical, and won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; its original Broadway cast recording peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard rap albums chart. Now, 10 years after its debut, the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to back to the room where it happened as we determine the Best Hamilton Song. Songs discussed include: “Satisfied,” “It’s Quiet Uptown,” “Dear Theodosia,” “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” “Alexander Hamilton,” “Wait For It,” “What’d I Miss?” “You’ll Be Back,” “Burn,” “Non Stop,” “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),” “Helpless,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” “One Last Time,” “The Room Where It Happened,” “My Shot.”
Join host Eric Rezsnyak, GPCD panelists Gary Jackson and Joelle Boedecker, and Patreon sponsor Kathy Kingsley as they discuss 16 of the most beloved songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
For more exclusive content, including the warm-up in which we discuss even more Hamilton songs that didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a primer on how we came up with the bracket.
Match-Up 1: “Satisfied” (1) vs. “It’s Quiet Uptown” (4)
Match-Up 2: “Dear Theodosia” (3) vs. “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” (2)
Match-Up 3: “Alexander Hamilton” (1) vs. “Wait For It” (4)
Match-Up 4: “What’d I Miss?” (3) vs. “You’ll Be Back” (2)
Match-Up 5: “Burn” (1) vs. "Non Stop” (4)
Match-Up 6: “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” (3) vs. “Helpless” (2)
Match-Up 7: “The Schuyler Sisters” (1) vs. “One Last Time” (4)
Match-Up 8: “The Room Where It Happened” (3) vs. “My Shot” (2)
Inspired to listen to the entire Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording? Here you go:
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Patreon Sponsor: Kathy Kingsley
Panelists: Gary Jackson, Joelle Boedecker
Producer: Curtis Creekmore
Editor: Bob Erlenback
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch