Hamilton (album)

Hamilton
Cast recording by Various artists
Released	September 25, 2015
Recorded	August 16–21, 2015 (Men) August 17–21 (Women)
Studio	Avatar Studios
Genre	Show tune hip hop R&B soul dancehall ballad
Length	142:13
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Alex Lacamoire Bill Sherman Lin-Manuel Miranda Ahmir Thompson Tariq Trotter

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Billboard	[2]
Pitchfork Media	6.9/10[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
Vice	A[5]

Hamilton is the cast album to the 2015 musical Hamilton. The musical is based on the 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow, with music, lyrics, and book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The recording stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Christopher Jackson, Daveed Diggs, Anthony Ramos, Okieriete Onaodowan, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Jonathan Groff. It also features Jon Rua, Thayne Jasperson, Sydney James Harcourt, Ariana DeBose, and Sasha Hutchings. It achieved the largest first week sales for a digital cast album and is the highest-charting cast album since 1963.^[6] It was the highest-selling Broadway cast album of 2015 and peaked at number one on the Rap Album chart, the first cast album to ever do so.^[7]

Debut and reception

The cast album for the musical premiered in September 2015 on NPR's website."^[8] Its digital release on September 25, 2015 debuted on numerous charts and was released in stores as a two-disc set on October 16, 2015. It debuted at number one on the Top Broadway Albums chart as well as number 3 on Top Rap Albums, number 5 on the Top Digital Albums, and number 9 on the Top Current Albums chart.^[6] Hamilton's debut was the second biggest first week sales of a Broadway cast album, just behind the cast album for the musical Rent. It debuted at number 12 on the overall Billboard 200 chart for sales, with over 2.1 million streams combined from digital service providers, the largest streaming debut for a cast album ever.^[6] Following the 2016 Tony Awards, the album re-peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it one of only three cast recordings to reach the top 10 in the last 50 years.^[9]

The album was the highest-selling Broadway cast album of 2015 and peaked at number one on the Rap Album chart, the first cast album to ever do so.^[7] It achieved the largest first week sales for a digital cast album and was the highest-charting cast album debut since 1963.^[6] Billboard called the album an "eye-popping debut," giving it a 5-out-of-5 star review and listing it at number 2 on the magazine's "50 Best Albums of 2015."^[2] Rolling Stone gave it a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating, listing it at number 8 on the magazine's "Top 50 Albums of 2015."^[4][10] Robert Christgau wrote in Vice, "I can attest that the intrinsic intellectual interest [Lin-Manuel Miranda] powers up here is so impressive it's exciting."^[5]

Lin Manuel Miranda made a conscious decision to exclude one scene in the performance from the cast album, "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us." ^[11]

Track listing

Disc one
No.	Title	Personnel	Length
1.	"Alexander Hamilton"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Anthony Ramos Daveed Diggs Okieriete Onaodowan Lin-Manuel Miranda Phillipa Soo Christopher Jackson Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:56
2.	"Aaron Burr, Sir"	Lin-Manuel Miranda Leslie Odom, Jr. Anthony Ramos Daveed Diggs Okieriete Onaodowan	2:36
3.	"My Shot"	Lin-Manuel Miranda Anthony Ramos Daveed Diggs Okieriete Onaodowan Leslie Odom, Jr. Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	5:33
4.	"The Story of Tonight"	Lin-Manuel Miranda Anthony Ramos Okieriete Onaodowan Daveed Diggs Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	1:31
5.	"The Schuyler Sisters"	Renée Elise Goldsberry Phillipa Soo Jasmine Cephas-Jones Leslie Odom, Jr. Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:06
6.	"Farmer Refuted"	Thayne Jasperson Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	1:52
7.	"You'll Be Back"	Jonathan Groff Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:28
8.	"Right Hand Man"	Christopher Jackson Lin-Manuel Miranda Leslie Odom, Jr. Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	5:21
9.	"A Winter's Ball"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	1:09
10.	"Helpless"	Phillipa Soo Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	4:09
11.	"Satisfied"	Renée Elise Goldsberry Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	5:29
12.	"The Story of Tonight (Reprise)"	Anthony Ramos Okieriete Onaodowan Daveed Diggs Lin-Manuel Miranda Leslie Odom, Jr.	1:55
13.	"Wait for It"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:13
14.	"Stay Alive"	Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	2:39
15.	"Ten Duel Commandments"	Anthony Ramos Lin-Manuel Miranda Jon Rua Leslie Odom, Jr. Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	1:46
16.	"Meet Me Inside"	Lin-Manuel Miranda Leslie Odom, Jr. Anthony Ramos Christopher Jackson Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	1:23
17.	"That Would Be Enough"	Phillipa Soo Lin-Manuel Miranda	2:58
18.	"Guns and Ships"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Daveed Diggs Christopher Jackson Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	2:07
19.	"History Has Its Eyes On You"	Christopher Jackson Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	1:37
20.	"Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)"	Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	4:02
21.	"What Comes Next?"	Jonathan Groff	1:39
22.	"Dear Theodosia"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda	3:04
23.	"Non-Stop"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda Renée Elise Goldsberry Phillipa Soo Christopher Jackson Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	6:25
Total length:			70:58

Disc two
No.	Title	Personnel	Length
1.	"What'd I Miss?"	Daveed Diggs Leslie Odom, Jr. Okieriete Onaodowan Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:56
2.	"Cabinet Battle #1"	Christopher Jackson Daveed Diggs Lin-Manuel Miranda Okieriete Onaodowan	3:35
3.	"Take a Break"	Phillipa Soo Anthony Ramos Lin-Manuel Miranda Renée Elise Goldsberry	4:46
4.	"Say No to This"	Jasmine Cephas-Jones Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda Sydney James Harcourt Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	4:02
5.	"The Room Where It Happens"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda Daveed Diggs Okieriete Onaodowan Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	5:18
6.	"Schuyler Defeated"	Anthony Ramos Phillipa Soo Lin-Manuel Miranda Leslie Odom, Jr.	1:03
7.	"Cabinet Battle #2"	Christopher Jackson Daveed Diggs Lin-Manuel Miranda Okieriete Onaodowan	2:22
8.	"Washington On Your Side"	Leslie Odom Jr. Daveed Diggs Okieriete Onaodowan Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:01
9.	"One Last Time"	Christopher Jackson Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	4:56
10.	"I Know Him"	Jonathan Groff	1:37
11.	"The Adams Administration"	Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	0:54
12.	"We Know"	Lin-Manuel Miranda Daveed Diggs Leslie Odom Jr. Okieriete Onaodowan	2:22
13.	"Hurricane"	Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	2:23
14.	"The Reynolds Pamphlet"	Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	2:08
15.	"Burn"	Phillipa Soo	3:45
16.	"Blow Us All Away"	Anthony Ramos Ariana DeBose Sasha Hutchings Ephraim Sykes Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	2:53
17.	"Stay Alive (Reprise)"	Lin-Manuel Miranda Anthony Ramos Phillipa Soo Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	1:51
18.	"It's Quiet Uptown"	Renée Elise Goldsberry Lin-Manuel Miranda Phillipa Soo Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	4:30
19.	"The Election of 1800"	Daveed Diggs Okieriete Onaodowan Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:57
20.	"Your Obedient Servant"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	2:30
21.	"Best of Wives and Best of Women"	Phillipa Soo Lin-Manuel Miranda	0:47
22.	"The World Was Wide Enough"	Leslie Odom, Jr. Lin-Manuel Miranda Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	5:02
23.	"Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story"	Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton	3:37
Total length:			71:15

Chart history and awards

Chart (2015–16)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12]	42
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13]	181
Irish Albums (IRMA)[14]	52
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[15]	5
UK Albums (OCC)[16]	69
US Billboard 200[17]	3
US Broadway Cast Albums (Billboard)	1
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[18]	1
US Top Internet Albums (Billboard)[19]	1

Year	Award type	Category	Result
2016	Grammy Award	Best Musical Theater Album[20]	Won
	NAACP Image Award	Outstanding Duo, Group, or Collaboration[21]	Nominated

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[22]	2× Platinum	2,000,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Donelson, Marcy. "Hamilton: An American Musical [Original Broadway Cast Recording] – Lin-Manuel Miranda". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
2. Gale, Alex (1 October 2015). "Hamilton, the Best Broadway Musical in Years, Boasts an Equally Thrilling Cast Recording: Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
3. Delerme, Felipe (October 2, 2015). "Various Artist: Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 25, 2016
4. Spanos, Brittany (25 September 2015). "Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
5. Christgau, Robert (February 19, 2016). "Poets, Playwrights, and Pranksters: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
6. Caulfield, Keith (7 October 2015). "Hamilton's Historic Chart Debut: By The Numbers". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
7. Estevez, Marjua (18 November 2015). "Hamilton Broadway Album Tops Billboard Rap Chart". Vibe. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
8. Jekket, Frannie (21 September 2015). "Review: Cast Recording, 'Hamilton'". NPR Music. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
9. "'Hamilton' Cast Album Races to No. 3 on Billboard 200 Chart After Tony Awards". Billboard (magazine). 19 June 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
10. "Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2015". Brooklyn Vegan. 1 December 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
11. Miranda, Lin Manuel. "COMPLETISTS ONLY (Spoilers)". Lin Manuel Miranda's Official Tumblr. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
12. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
13. "Ultratop.be – Musical – Hamilton - Original Broadway Cast Recording" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
14. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 24, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
15. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
16. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
17. "Nick Jonas Debuts at No. 2 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart, Drake's 'Views' Steady at No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
18. "Original Broadway Cast – Chart history" Billboard Top Rap Albums for Original Broadway Cast. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
19. "Internet Albums". Billboard.
20. Ward, Marguerite (22 December 2015). "Hamilton Fan Art: Animation Student Beautifully Recreates Scenes from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway Smash Hit". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
21. "Creed Tops 47th Annual NAACP Image Award Nominations". Ebony. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
22. "American album certifications – Various Artists – Hamilton". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 25, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

• Official website