Ive never understand why people don't like the emotion Lin puts into his voice. It suits the way he plays the character of Hamilton, who is ultimately a broken man from start to finish in the show. Hes portrayed as someone who cant keep his emotions in check, and I think the breaks in his voice play into that well.
agreed. especially here - rebuked and sent home by George Washington, his plans to make a name for himself derailed, now faced with the prospect of being a father and trying to provide for a growing family. I get exactly why he's breaking down.
Lin certainly has an interesting way to perform, and he's by no means the best out there, but I can't help but love the level of imperfection he brings to the stage. It's like he makes the character a little bit more human, you know?
Eliza’s arc in the musical is on display here. She say’s “we don’t need a legacy” but in the end, her life’s work is ensuring her husband’s legacy. She says “let me be a part of the narrative” but in “Burn” she writes herself out of it. She is a complex character. It’s a beautiful tribute to a woman that mid-19th century America saw as a national treasure, but who was gradually forgotten over the next century and a half. FWIW my own opinion of the gasp at the end is that she sees through the fourth wall and realizes this enormous audience. Her goal of creating a legacy was complete.
i feel like making the audience feel the emotions of the character are more important than delivering crisp vocals, I think lin was perfect in doing that
Yes, when he sings it that way, I feel way more emotion that if it was sung clear. Especially when just listening to the soundtrack where you can't see the emotion he is portraying.
Phillipa Soo has one of the most beautiful voices that I have ever heard. It's insane how she can get you emotional with her voice 😍 Her belting is amazing, her voice projection and resonance are stunning and my gosh what a perfect pitch! No wonder why she studied at Julliard 🥰
I rarely disagree with you Marc but in this case I do a little bit. Since Lin doesn't have the strongest vocal and is well aware of it, what he can do is put emotion into his voice. Rather than aiming for a clean tone with emotion portrayed in his expressions and body like the others, he instead extends his vocal to become an acting tool, something I actually think is very clever and he does very successfully.
Phillipa Soo is so mature in both her acting and her singing, which is particularly amazing when you realize she was just in her mid-twenties when she first starred in Hamilton. She just embraces this role with her body and voice. Particularly beautiful to hear her Eliza talk about wanting to be part of the narrative, which of course she was, and how that could be enough - just so touching.
Great video as always. I know you’re critical of Lin and his vocals at several points, but to the untutored his vocals really do convey vulnerability, pain,lack of confidence, and sadness so we’ll. The things you dislike are some of what really conveyed feeling for me. I do see the difference in how other cast members convey emotion, but when Lin’s voice intentionally breaks, it sets up how I’m supposed to feel.
I think Lin sings like that because he’s trying to portray the emotion. When you’re about to cry, everything is up in your throat. I guess he’s an actor before he’s a singer so it must be an artistic choice.
I think the reason Lin sounds so choked up in the emotional numbers is because he genuinely is. He's a huge empath and despite dealing with the subject day in and day out and writing it himself he just feels those emotions every time he plays it.
One of my favorite things about Hamilton and the way Lin Manuel Miranda writes it is the circles he draws and completes from the very first song all the way through it. Little melodies and lines he repeats, and I just realized at the end of this song is the beginning of “It’s Quiet Uptown”. The next time you hear it, she finally has him as the husband and father she always wanted him to be but at the heart wrenching cost of infidelity and a loss of her son first. For that brief chunk of time she and the family “was enough” for him. That contrast of the hopeful newlyweds with the new baby and the later weathered marriage barely holding on by the death of the same child just hits deeper now. 😭😭💔
The emotion in her eyes shows a lot. It truly does show emotions that someone going through this would show. But also Lins performance in this song. He puts that spin on his voice cause like a actual father to be the words would get caught in your throat. I believe that's what he was trying to replicate. You can kind of see it when he's sitting there. It looks like he is thinking "how am I gonna be able to provide for this new life we are bringing into the world?"
I love how in this song Eliza asks to be part of the narrative and in the song Burn, she asks to be removed from it but none of that actually happened because she ended up being its author.
In "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" she says, "I put myself back in the narrative" Then goes on to list all the ways she tried to keep Hamilton's legacy alive after his death.
One of my favourite moments of the entire musical here at 8:42 when she sings “And I could be enough”. I just love this performance, it’s pleading, but not blaming, It’s sweet but stern, the way she sings is dripping with love, but not a soppy over-romantic love... a realistic caring love, one where not everything is perfect, but it’s worth the fight. It’s beautifully complex.
Anyone who has ever struggked with the inner conflict of expecting to be more do more but having people tell you you need to slow down and maybe shift your priorities. Lin portrays that so well
Her eyes light up the whole scene just before singing 'stayyy'. I love her incredible singing and acting in this song, thank you so much for looking into it!
This song is so underrated.. The lyrics, the music everything in this song is beautiful.. And Phillipa's voice!!My God!!it's so beautiful and peaceful...She's an amazing performer...❤❤
I love how in this song it has almost the same rhyme as it’s quite uptown, and then in it’s quite uptown Hamilton says that would be enough Like what Eliza said in this song Edit: I just noticed that, that is the same bench in Burn that Hamilton sat on with Eliza
It’s amazing that if you couldn’t hear their voices, it would look like Eliza and Hamilton are just talking when they’re actually singing a very heartfelt number
Just struck me that, when this was filmed, they had been doing the show for well over a year, 8 times a week. Yet here they make it look so fresh, not just rote repetition. Amazing.
This is the one song in the show that is actually a private conversation - not a song. Her words and expressions bring us into that singular moment you feel guilty intruding upon in a marriage - the moment in their relationship when Eliza nearly begs Hamilton to see the same future she wants, trying to find the words that will make Alexander understand.
I’m not sure if I’ve read too far into it but the way she goes “We don’t need money, we don’t need legacy” is clearly Eliza talking about them as a whole. But Alexander as an individual does need. They may not, but HE does. Which is why her saying all of this stuff to him really goes in one ear and out the other in the grand scheme of things.
can you please do take a break next? WAIT NO!!! NONSTOP!!!! my absolute favorite number, it throws so many scenes together and it combines so many different song and melodies and makes one big delicious hamilton smoothie :D
I also think “non-stop” is one of my favorites. It really display’s Lin-Manuel’s genius as a writer - both folding together all the numbers of the first act, but also in combining a large chunk of Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton into ONE SONG.
I think Lin's voice being cracked, twisted and downward conveys so much emotion to me. Perhaps it is more character performance than pure song, but it hits harder all the more for the contrast to how perfect Phillipa's voice is in the moment. It wouldn't have the same impact if he was singing clear and on point, how could he in that situation?
Being onstage with her, hearing her voice singing those words, seeing her, how could you not just get caught up in it and lose your focus on the song? Such a lovely performance.
Hey man. Just popping in to say don't worry about pausing a lot and commenting in the moment. You might not remember every point you want to make at the end. I come here for your analysis. Keep up the good work! :)
I have to admit I always cry to this song for multiple reasons some examples are Just it’s pippa’s voice just come on she’s beautiful, so talented and everything else Some of the lines come back in it’s quiet uptown and other songs throughout the show and if you don’t cry at its quiet uptown who are you?!?! We all know that eliza is the real main character here, she does so much after she deserves more credits Ok you get the idea it’s a sad song and if you really listen to the lyrics it’s just like tears running down your face😭
PREACH I have been trying to find a comment like this lol I LOVE Pippa so much and she is absolutely amazing and she is THE ONLY reason I cry in Hamilton, and yeah c'mon she's the main character in this
this is lowkey one of my favorite numbers in the show. from the first time i saw "hamilton," something about this song resonated with me, and i was humming it afterward for days (when i wasn't humming "you'll be back" lol). the line "i relish being your wife" is just great. i love how phillipa sings this song, i love the melody, and it's a nice reprieve between all of those powerful, upbeat, fast numbers around it. it's also great song to listen to at night when i am trying to sleep - very relaxing!
Definitely a superficial reading of the play if a person comes away seeing Hamilton as a person "who can do no wrong". If anything, there is no protagonist per se; just a tale about hubris and ambition and the humanity within each. I also LOVED Sousa's performance in this song. Her palpable desire for connection and hope in her words even as you see the knowledge in her face that he'll never be satisfied with enough--hit me in the feel so hard. I couldn't help crying.
I like how you brought up hubris because I'm reading The Iliad and listening to Hamilton a lot lately, and Hamilton's obsession with legacy and his ego really reminds me of Achilles
It's actually incredible to see two of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time debut in back to back years. Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. I love both shows, and who doesn't love Philippa Soo, but there is something about Dear Evan Hansen (for me) that is just so moving and inspiring. Now, Eliza's final song in Hamilton is just plain incredible, but if you listen to some of the discarded songs from Dear Evan Hansen, it's just a gift to see two truly great musicals emerge towards the end of the last decade. We are blessed.
Phillipa’s voice is like liquid crystal. That’s the best way I can describe it. In my opinion, this is the most underrated number in the show. When I first started listening to Hamilton, I listened to the songs randomly for some reason, so I got to it’s quiet uptown before this one, so this wrecked me more than it should’ve on a first listen. Can you please react to Lin Manuel Maranda and Ben Plat singing found/tonight
I love this song! Its one of my favorites and im so glad you covered it. I always feel so sad when listening to it because eliza is begging alexander to love her enough to stay home, and then in the following song he leaves off to the war and never stops working from that point in the show. it really provides a lot of sympathy for eliza
true but what I love about the moment in the next song when he leaves its Eliza that hands him his coat without any request from him. She just knows him that well. To me THAT is one of Eliza's best moments her true strength of character
I've watched Hamilton at least 12 times and it never gets old. Absolutely love the voices of every actor/singer, specifically Phillipa Soo, Renee Goldsberry and Christopher Jackson. But Phillipa's voice...oh, 💗.
When does that line about a poor man's wife I do that when cry when I sing. I go into my throat too. I don't know how to not but I always have done that so in my mind he's being real and honest about not wanting to be less.
I do consider Alexander the "protagonist" of the story (though I think Eliza is both the heart and the author), but I definitely don't think he's painted as a heroic, perfect person that we should always look up to. I think he is often impulsive, immature, selfish and short-sighted - just like I think he's brave, driven, and an actual intellectual genius. And I think the fact that he is of those things is what makes this show so incredible. In fact, I would say that we need a play like this for of our founding fathers, and many other people besides, who were all complicated people, most of whom did both incredibly wonderful and terrible things. Every human being is many things all at once, both good and bad, and you can appreciate the good while acknowledging the bad at the same time.
This was the song that always made me cry. This was the one that would cause such a intense reaction in me. Very very beautiful. Yall shouldve seen me boohooing the first time I got to see Hamilton at home.
Yeah Lin's crying voice doesn't do him justice. His range in In the Heights is gonna knock you on your butt. We all make choices, and that tearful voice was a CHOICE.
I also am one that thinks you are hard on Lin at times like this. I LOVE how he delivers "will you relish being a poor man's wife" because it shows so much emotion. That has always grabbed me.
I saw the show live and Lin wouldn’t swallow and cry through every emotional line. He was doing it more because it was being recorded and he could get away with it.
Just a minor note: Protagonist means main character. Alexander Hamilton is 100% the protagonist of the musical. However, he is not an entirely sympathetic character. Think about it like Tony Soprano in The Sopranos or Dexter in Dexter. Both of those characters are pretty despicable, but they are clearly the protagonists of their shows. Many people confuse "protagonist" to mean "good," but that is not the case.
Can you cover Catherine Zeda Jones or Renee Zellweger in Chicago? I love your content. I discovered you a few weeks ago, and I'm all caught up. Thank you for your time. Seriously.
I dunno how many times I've listened to this song, and I know you mentioned it, but for some reason this was the first time I particularly noticed those crisp consonants, particularly in the titular lines, but throughout all of her lines. I think, though, the part of the song that always strikes me is right after she has that crescendo. Phillipa Soo's control throughout the entire song makes that one moment, where it almost sounds like her voice breaks just a moment, that much more emotional and engaging, like Eliza had just a moment of desperate need in her pleading. It's really quite wonderful.
Through the show there are a lot of lines about how unpolished Hamilton is. I think that's what Lin tries to deliver and I like it a lot. And Phillipa is just perfect. ❤️
I think he’s supposed to be crying when he says “do you relish being a poor mans wife” which makes sense because money and legacy was his big ideal pursuit
Isn’t he crying when he says “do you relish being a poor mans wife” because the most important thing to him his legacy - his legacy of going from having nothing to a successful person (having money)
That's how I interpret it, when he uses the 'thicker' sounding voice it's supposed to convey that Hamilton is in tears and choking back sobs. It's not pretty but crying isn't pretty either.
****Spoiler warning**** my favorite lines in the entire Hamilton musical is the reprises of "would be enough". From her saying family would be enough, to Hamilton saying if he can takes his son's place (death) and see Eliza's smile would be enough, to the finale where Eliza is now preserving their legacy and asking "have i done enough". And then the ending, she breaks the 4th wall and sees the crowd and realized she's done enough, the Hamilton legacy is being told.
When she expresses not understanding why he needs to be the 'hero" and do all these other things, she is coming from a position of privilege. She's never been in position of want...never. His background has taught him that privilege not only has it's privileges but that it is also rewarded and admired. What he's trying to secure is not money per se (although with a certain status comes money) but status period. Where he won't be looked down on because of where he came, but lauded because of how far he's come. And usually people who were born into privilege/born with privilege don't understand the drive that people who weren't born with or into that kind of privilege have. When you've never had to struggle for things,, you don't understand why other people feel the need to struggle to get what you've been given. To me that's what this song is about. She's trying to manipulate him because she doesn't really understand what drives her husband.
I don't think she's trying to manipulate him at all. Eliza is trying to find a way to get Alexander to understand that their marriage and their children are just as great of a legacy for him as any fame and glory he could gain in fighting in the war. She knows that Alexander married her as a means to raise his status, but she loved him anyway and was willing to be any part of his life. However, now that he was sent home and they're going to be parents, she's trying to show him that he could find his future there with her so maybe he wouldn't be so upset about Washington sending him home. Of course, we know that Alexander really doesn't learn to be "satisfied" with his family until after he loses Eliza due to his affair and his son to death. It's Eliza's grace that she forgives him and they have a period of relative happiness before his death.
I agree with everything but the manipulate part. I don’t think she’s manipulating. I think she’s speaking from her perspective as is he. She can’t seem to understand why he’d need so much when he has her and their upcoming family. So she speaks from her perspective just as he acts from his perspective.
*Lin acts* Marc Daniel: I will never be satisfied...😅 But on the real, we know what you mean Marc but Lin has to have some kind of flaw. He was gifted with his "top notch brain" and that will be enough.... ok I'll stop now😂
I know we’re on a Hamilton reaction spree but I really really hope that you can react to In The Heights first 8 minutes or maybe the soundtrack. I really think Lin’s voice matures and elevates in the movie. Maybe because he sings in Spanish lol but it’s amazing!😆👏🏾
It's so frustrating to effortlessness with which Phillipa put buckets of emotion in every single line, while Lin-Manuel has to work so hard and sacrifice his voice to try to show emotion. Her greatness at portraying how her character feels amplifies how much he seems to struggle with that same task.
The thread that gives me chills starts in this scene. Eliza wrote herself into the narrative when marrying Hamilton, wrote herself out of the narrative after his affair, but in the end she WROTE the narrative of his life! The CIRCLES! I took Lin’s voice cracking here to show the audience he was broken. First by Washington’s rebuff & now Eliza’s plea, that no one understood him.
I will mention that I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing the spread-vowel technique unless you're a more experienced singer because it can easily cause tension unless your vocal muscles are so solidly trained to maintain the proper placement in order to avoid such a strain. Phillipa is obviously incredibly knowledgeable about how to use and control her voice so when she spreads her vowels, it still remains relaxed.
Would you ever think of doing a non Broadway show , I would love to know what you think of Disturbed's live version of The Sound of Silence, from the Conan show. ?
I saw your reaction to Andrew Rannells in Book of Mormon. Speaking of Andrew, would you consider doing some reactions to selections from "Falsettos"? I loved Stephanie J Block's performance of "I'm Breaking Down"
Although she’s singing, it’s like she’s just having a regular conversation with him. You know you’ve done something right when a song can be portrayed that way.
Since I have seen, finally, all of HAMILTON I feel more comfortable commenting. I think the key to Hamilton is "if". The recurring theme is that Hamilton is never satisfied. There is never enough. This may be due to his history before coming to the colonies. He so much wants to be accepted by society that has this need to overcompensate. Even Eliza tries to convince him that what they have is enough and she is content as long as he comes home to her which he did not do through his indiscretions. Lin Manuel is not a singer. His voice is low placed and does not have the training to clearly and comfortably project his voice. That said, he is brilliant in his creation of HAMILTON. I am still gazing into the crystal ball waiting for a sign that Marc Daniel Patrick will be featured on one his videos.🤞🏽
A couple thoughts. I loved how this song was more a traditional musical number, in that it had a melody line & lyrics that get carried over/paralleled later in the film (It's Quiet Uptown - lines like, I know who I married, That would be enough... there may be one or two more; plus the piano chords). Re: the character of Hamilton. I do have some empathy for him. Based on this show, no, he's not perfect... he's very flawed. Helpless is one of the motifs in the play; Miranda seems to be trying to make Hamilton a guy who easily falls for women who he views that way. Of course, I can't find the darn video where I heard that idea. The guy ties it back to his mother's death & the whole bit about how he was with her when she died & he couldn't do anything.
A few things: - LMM intentionally wrote Hamilton so that neither Hamilton nor Burr were portrayed as the protagonist or antagonist because we, as humans, are all inherently flawed individuals. He wanted both characters to generate empathy and distain at different times and different moments. - Anyone else think that maybe Hamilton had ADHD? I mean, he has a whole list of features for it. It would explain so much. It would explain his forthrightness, his oversharing, his insane productivity (a lot of ppl manage their constantly buzzing brain by continually staying productive), his insomnia, being a polymath (hyper focus can be a blessing and a curse), and his ability to win over people - ya know, those letters to Eliza - (ADHDers can be incredibly charismatic because they can read social cues and continually analyze a situation to determine the next best move), and well, I could go on. - I like the emotional moments. It feels more realistic and less like a put on performance. I feel like LMM is feeling the words vs just feeling the music. I appreciate that. It helps me feel the whole context of the situation even more. - I love this song. I mean, I love all these songs, but this one especially because I feel like I can connect with both characters. I've had moments in my life where I've felt just like Eliza does... that as long as we have what we need, we're good... but at the same time, I frequently feel like Alexander does... continually and constantly wanting to strive for more, to prove people wrong, to always be my best, to never disappoint... and I imagine being by George's side gave Alexander a lot of much needed structure and guidance that he had severely lacked since childhood... the conflict he must have been feeling. George must have cared a lot about Alexander to force him home when he needed to be home.
Yeah it does fit with Alexander having ADHD. Always doing, always over sharing, and ADHD people are often very intelligent people and if you can steer them in the right direction they can do AMAZING things. It would fit with the line "why do you always write like you are running out of time"
@Stephanie Jane It was the "am I talking too loud? Sometimes I get over excited, shoot off at the mouth" for me. I apparently am usually too quiet but I know other neurodivergent people struggle with their volume in the other direction. Also I've read some articles saying that Hamilton may have had bipolar disorder but ADHD is also commonly misdiagnosed as that.
Can you do a video explaining why Emmy Raver-Lampman pipped Phillipa Soo to the tony award? I personally couldn’t choose so would love some professional insight
Hamilton technically wasn't an orphan and wasn't more educated. His dad and his brother moved away, but they weren't dead. Burr's both parents died when he was a child, but he did come from good family. Burr was more educated, but Hamilton was more passionate and had more real-world experience and people generally liked him more.
Ive never understand why people don't like the emotion Lin puts into his voice. It suits the way he plays the character of Hamilton, who is ultimately a broken man from start to finish in the show. Hes portrayed as someone who cant keep his emotions in check, and I think the breaks in his voice play into that well.
agreed. especially here - rebuked and sent home by George Washington, his plans to make a name for himself derailed, now faced with the prospect of being a father and trying to provide for a growing family. I get exactly why he's breaking down.
Phillipa’s voice sounds like a violin 😭
LMAOOO
Yes!!!!
So beautifully and aptly put
Lin certainly has an interesting way to perform, and he's by no means the best out there, but I can't help but love the level of imperfection he brings to the stage. It's like he makes the character a little bit more human, you know?
Eliza’s arc in the musical is on display here. She say’s “we don’t need a legacy” but in the end, her life’s work is ensuring her husband’s legacy. She says “let me be a part of the narrative” but in “Burn” she writes herself out of it. She is a complex character. It’s a beautiful tribute to a woman that mid-19th century America saw as a national treasure, but who was gradually forgotten over the next century and a half.
FWIW my own opinion of the gasp at the end is that she sees through the fourth wall and realizes this enormous audience. Her goal of creating a legacy was complete.
I totally agree with you, especially about the gasp
i feel like making the audience feel the emotions of the character are more important than delivering crisp vocals, I think lin was perfect in doing that
Yes, when he sings it that way, I feel way more emotion that if it was sung clear. Especially when just listening to the soundtrack where you can't see the emotion he is portraying.
Phillipa Soo has one of the most beautiful voices that I have ever heard. It's insane how she can get you emotional with her voice 😍
Her belting is amazing, her voice projection and resonance are stunning and my gosh what a perfect pitch! No wonder why she studied at Julliard 🥰
Eliza is the true protagonist of the show. That's why it's called Hamilton and not Alexander Hamilton. It's made clearest in the finale though
I rarely disagree with you Marc but in this case I do a little bit. Since Lin doesn't have the strongest vocal and is well aware of it, what he can do is put emotion into his voice. Rather than aiming for a clean tone with emotion portrayed in his expressions and body like the others, he instead extends his vocal to become an acting tool, something I actually think is very clever and he does very successfully.
Phillipa Soo is so mature in both her acting and her singing, which is particularly amazing when you realize she was just in her mid-twenties when she first starred in Hamilton. She just embraces this role with her body and voice. Particularly beautiful to hear her Eliza talk about wanting to be part of the narrative, which of course she was, and how that could be enough - just so touching.
Great video as always. I know you’re critical of Lin and his vocals at several points, but to the untutored his vocals really do convey vulnerability, pain,lack of confidence, and sadness so we’ll. The things you dislike are some of what really conveyed feeling for me. I do see the difference in how other cast members convey emotion, but when Lin’s voice intentionally breaks, it sets up how I’m supposed to feel.
I agree with this completely. It conveys a raw, broken vulnerability that is truly human.
Couldn't agree more
I think Lin sings like that because he’s trying to portray the emotion. When you’re about to cry, everything is up in your throat. I guess he’s an actor before he’s a singer so it must be an artistic choice.
I think the reason Lin sounds so choked up in the emotional numbers is because he genuinely is. He's a huge empath and despite dealing with the subject day in and day out and writing it himself he just feels those emotions every time he plays it.
The emotion Lin puts into his voice in this song is amazing. It makes Hamilton real.
One of my favorite things about Hamilton and the way Lin Manuel Miranda writes it is the circles he draws and completes from the very first song all the way through it. Little melodies and lines he repeats, and I just realized at the end of this song is the beginning of “It’s Quiet Uptown”. The next time you hear it, she finally has him as the husband and father she always wanted him to be but at the heart wrenching cost of infidelity and a loss of her son first. For that brief chunk of time she and the family “was enough” for him. That contrast of the hopeful newlyweds with the new baby and the later weathered marriage barely holding on by the death of the same child just hits deeper now. 😭😭💔
The emotion in her eyes shows a lot. It truly does show emotions that someone going through this would show. But also Lins performance in this song. He puts that spin on his voice cause like a actual father to be the words would get caught in your throat. I believe that's what he was trying to replicate. You can kind of see it when he's sitting there. It looks like he is thinking "how am I gonna be able to provide for this new life we are bringing into the world?"
I love how in this song Eliza asks to be part of the narrative and in the song Burn, she asks to be removed from it but none of that actually happened because she ended up being its author.
YES
In "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" she says, "I put myself back in the narrative" Then goes on to list all the ways she tried to keep Hamilton's legacy alive after his death.
One of my favourite moments of the entire musical here at 8:42 when she sings “And I could be enough”. I just love this performance, it’s pleading, but not blaming, It’s sweet but stern, the way she sings is dripping with love, but not a soppy over-romantic love... a realistic caring love, one where not everything is perfect, but it’s worth the fight. It’s beautifully complex.
Anyone who has ever struggked with the inner conflict of expecting to be more do more but having people tell you you need to slow down and maybe shift your priorities.
Lin portrays that so well
Her eyes light up the whole scene just before singing 'stayyy'. I love her incredible singing and acting in this song, thank you so much for looking into it!
This song is so underrated..
The lyrics, the music everything in this song is beautiful..
And Phillipa's voice!!My God!!it's so beautiful and peaceful...She's an amazing performer...❤❤
I love how in this song it has almost the same rhyme as it’s quite uptown, and then in it’s quite uptown Hamilton says that would be enough
Like what Eliza said in this song
Edit: I just noticed that, that is the same bench in Burn that Hamilton sat on with Eliza
Hamilton is my comfort musical and listen Pipa singing this song just warms my heart.
It’s amazing that if you couldn’t hear their voices, it would look like Eliza and Hamilton are just talking when they’re actually singing a very heartfelt number
Just struck me that, when this was filmed, they had been doing the show for well over a year, 8 times a week. Yet here they make it look so fresh, not just rote repetition. Amazing.
The most underrated and beautiful song in Hamilton in my opinion 🥰♥️😍
This is the one song in the show that is actually a private conversation - not a song. Her words and expressions bring us into that singular moment you feel guilty intruding upon in a marriage - the moment in their relationship when Eliza nearly begs Hamilton to see the same future she wants, trying to find the words that will make Alexander understand.
Title of this video should be “Reveling in the perfection of Phillipa Soo and how we’re all not worthy.”
I’m not sure if I’ve read too far into it but the way she goes “We don’t need money, we don’t need legacy” is clearly Eliza talking about them as a whole. But Alexander as an individual does need. They may not, but HE does. Which is why her saying all of this stuff to him really goes in one ear and out the other in the grand scheme of things.
It's my favorite in the whole play. Her crescendo gives me chills because she is normally such a wall-flower.
can you please do take a break next? WAIT NO!!! NONSTOP!!!! my absolute favorite number, it throws so many scenes together and it combines so many different song and melodies and makes one big delicious hamilton smoothie :D
I also think “non-stop” is one of my favorites. It really display’s Lin-Manuel’s genius as a writer - both folding together all the numbers of the first act, but also in combining a large chunk of Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton into ONE SONG.
This song always makes me cry! It's so emotional 😭
I think Lin's voice being cracked, twisted and downward conveys so much emotion to me. Perhaps it is more character performance than pure song, but it hits harder all the more for the contrast to how perfect Phillipa's voice is in the moment. It wouldn't have the same impact if he was singing clear and on point, how could he in that situation?
Being onstage with her, hearing her voice singing those words, seeing her, how could you not just get caught up in it and lose your focus on the song? Such a lovely performance.
I would just drop dead
Hey man. Just popping in to say don't worry about pausing a lot and commenting in the moment. You might not remember every point you want to make at the end. I come here for your analysis. Keep up the good work! :)
I have to admit I always cry to this song for multiple reasons some examples are
Just it’s pippa’s voice just come on she’s beautiful, so talented and everything else
Some of the lines come back in it’s quiet uptown and other songs throughout the show and if you don’t cry at its quiet uptown who are you?!?!
We all know that eliza is the real main character here, she does so much after she deserves more credits
Ok you get the idea it’s a sad song and if you really listen to the lyrics it’s just like tears running down your face😭
PREACH I have been trying to find a comment like this lol I LOVE Pippa so much and she is absolutely amazing and she is THE ONLY reason I cry in Hamilton, and yeah c'mon she's the main character in this
Find someone who looks at you the way Marc looks at amazing performances like Phillipa’s 😍
A song from Hamilton plays at least once in my house per day.
Same here! Satisfied is a must in my house.
“Once per day?” That would be enough... but it’s Non-Stop under my roof!
this is lowkey one of my favorite numbers in the show. from the first time i saw "hamilton," something about this song resonated with me, and i was humming it afterward for days (when i wasn't humming "you'll be back" lol). the line "i relish being your wife" is just great. i love how phillipa sings this song, i love the melody, and it's a nice reprieve between all of those powerful, upbeat, fast numbers around it. it's also great song to listen to at night when i am trying to sleep - very relaxing!
Definitely a superficial reading of the play if a person comes away seeing Hamilton as a person "who can do no wrong". If anything, there is no protagonist per se; just a tale about hubris and ambition and the humanity within each.
I also LOVED Sousa's performance in this song. Her palpable desire for connection and hope in her words even as you see the knowledge in her face that he'll never be satisfied with enough--hit me in the feel so hard. I couldn't help crying.
I like how you brought up hubris because I'm reading The Iliad and listening to Hamilton a lot lately, and Hamilton's obsession with legacy and his ego really reminds me of Achilles
It's actually incredible to see two of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time debut in back to back years. Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. I love both shows, and who doesn't love Philippa Soo, but there is something about Dear Evan Hansen (for me) that is just so moving and inspiring. Now, Eliza's final song in Hamilton is just plain incredible, but if you listen to some of the discarded songs from Dear Evan Hansen, it's just a gift to see two truly great musicals emerge towards the end of the last decade. We are blessed.
In the bedroom down the hall
Phillipa’s voice is like liquid crystal. That’s the best way I can describe it. In my opinion, this is the most underrated number in the show. When I first started listening to Hamilton, I listened to the songs randomly for some reason, so I got to it’s quiet uptown before this one, so this wrecked me more than it should’ve on a first listen.
Can you please react to Lin Manuel Maranda and Ben Plat singing found/tonight
“The only thing you ever had to do to make me happy was come home at the end of the day.” - President Josiah Bartlet, to his daughter Ellie.
Stunningly performed and so emotionally charged. Great comments from you as well.
And right after this Washington is all “I need my right hand man back”, and Alex is all “be right there!” 😆
and Eliza hands him his coat with no reservation
I love this song! Its one of my favorites and im so glad you covered it. I always feel so sad when listening to it because eliza is begging alexander to love her enough to stay home, and then in the following song he leaves off to the war and never stops working from that point in the show. it really provides a lot of sympathy for eliza
true but what I love about the moment in the next song when he leaves its Eliza that hands him his coat without any request from him. She just knows him that well. To me THAT is one of Eliza's best moments her true strength of character
I've watched Hamilton at least 12 times and it never gets old. Absolutely love the voices of every actor/singer, specifically Phillipa Soo, Renee Goldsberry and Christopher Jackson. But Phillipa's voice...oh, 💗.
When does that line about a poor man's wife I do that when cry when I sing. I go into my throat too. I don't know how to not but I always have done that so in my mind he's being real and honest about not wanting to be less.
I do consider Alexander the "protagonist" of the story (though I think Eliza is both the heart and the author), but I definitely don't think he's painted as a heroic, perfect person that we should always look up to. I think he is often impulsive, immature, selfish and short-sighted - just like I think he's brave, driven, and an actual intellectual genius. And I think the fact that he is of those things is what makes this show so incredible. In fact, I would say that we need a play like this for of our founding fathers, and many other people besides, who were all complicated people, most of whom did both incredibly wonderful and terrible things. Every human being is many things all at once, both good and bad, and you can appreciate the good while acknowledging the bad at the same time.
This was the song that always made me cry. This was the one that would cause such a intense reaction in me. Very very beautiful. Yall shouldve seen me boohooing the first time I got to see Hamilton at home.
Yeah Lin's crying voice doesn't do him justice. His range in In the Heights is gonna knock you on your butt. We all make choices, and that tearful voice was a CHOICE.
Love love love her voice...its melodic shower for the senses!
I also am one that thinks you are hard on Lin at times like this. I LOVE how he delivers "will you relish being a poor man's wife" because it shows so much emotion. That has always grabbed me.
I don't know how many times I have seen this, on Disney+, since it came out, on 7/4. I LOVE this version! 😍
I saw the show live and Lin wouldn’t swallow and cry through every emotional line. He was doing it more because it was being recorded and he could get away with it.
Just a minor note: Protagonist means main character. Alexander Hamilton is 100% the protagonist of the musical. However, he is not an entirely sympathetic character.
Think about it like Tony Soprano in The Sopranos or Dexter in Dexter. Both of those characters are pretty despicable, but they are clearly the protagonists of their shows.
Many people confuse "protagonist" to mean "good," but that is not the case.
I love how much this dude loves theater. It is totally making me get into it too. 🤘
Can you cover Catherine Zeda Jones or Renee Zellweger in Chicago? I love your content. I discovered you a few weeks ago, and I'm all caught up. Thank you for your time. Seriously.
I think Lin sings this with a lot of emotions because learning he is about to become a parent would be very emotional to him. He is an orphan.
I dunno how many times I've listened to this song, and I know you mentioned it, but for some reason this was the first time I particularly noticed those crisp consonants, particularly in the titular lines, but throughout all of her lines. I think, though, the part of the song that always strikes me is right after she has that crescendo. Phillipa Soo's control throughout the entire song makes that one moment, where it almost sounds like her voice breaks just a moment, that much more emotional and engaging, like Eliza had just a moment of desperate need in her pleading. It's really quite wonderful.
I have seen on and off Broadway shows, in NY. Hamilton tops them all! Extremely well done!
What a beautiful voice she has!!
Through the show there are a lot of lines about how unpolished Hamilton is. I think that's what Lin tries to deliver and I like it a lot. And Phillipa is just perfect. ❤️
SHE ISSS
I think he’s supposed to be crying when he says “do you relish being a poor mans wife” which makes sense because money and legacy was his big ideal pursuit
Isn’t he crying when he says “do you relish being a poor mans wife” because the most important thing to him his legacy - his legacy of going from having nothing to a successful person (having money)
That's how I interpret it, when he uses the 'thicker' sounding voice it's supposed to convey that Hamilton is in tears and choking back sobs. It's not pretty but crying isn't pretty either.
This & the final song Eliza sings are my two favorites of the whole show of Hamilton.
SAME
****Spoiler warning**** my favorite lines in the entire Hamilton musical is the reprises of "would be enough". From her saying family would be enough, to Hamilton saying if he can takes his son's place (death) and see Eliza's smile would be enough, to the finale where Eliza is now preserving their legacy and asking "have i done enough". And then the ending, she breaks the 4th wall and sees the crowd and realized she's done enough, the Hamilton legacy is being told.
“Who lives, who dies who tells your story”. That’s pretty much what Eliza does in the end.
When she expresses not understanding why he needs to be the 'hero" and do all these other things, she is coming from a position of privilege. She's never been in position of want...never. His background has taught him that privilege not only has it's privileges but that it is also rewarded and admired. What he's trying to secure is not money per se (although with a certain status comes money) but status period. Where he won't be looked down on because of where he came, but lauded because of how far he's come.
And usually people who were born into privilege/born with privilege don't understand the drive that people who weren't born with or into that kind of privilege have. When you've never had to struggle for things,, you don't understand why other people feel the need to struggle to get what you've been given. To me that's what this song is about. She's trying to manipulate him because she doesn't really understand what drives her husband.
I don't think she's trying to manipulate him at all. Eliza is trying to find a way to get Alexander to understand that their marriage and their children are just as great of a legacy for him as any fame and glory he could gain in fighting in the war. She knows that Alexander married her as a means to raise his status, but she loved him anyway and was willing to be any part of his life. However, now that he was sent home and they're going to be parents, she's trying to show him that he could find his future there with her so maybe he wouldn't be so upset about Washington sending him home.
Of course, we know that Alexander really doesn't learn to be "satisfied" with his family until after he loses Eliza due to his affair and his son to death. It's Eliza's grace that she forgives him and they have a period of relative happiness before his death.
I agree with everything but the manipulate part. I don’t think she’s manipulating. I think she’s speaking from her perspective as is he. She can’t seem to understand why he’d need so much when he has her and their upcoming family. So she speaks from her perspective just as he acts from his perspective.
This was a great analysis.
*Lin acts*
Marc Daniel: I will never be satisfied...😅
But on the real, we know what you mean Marc but Lin has to have some kind of flaw. He was gifted with his "top notch brain" and that will be enough.... ok I'll stop now😂
I have to say you are wayyy tooo hard on Lin. He’s showing his vulnerable side
I know we’re on a Hamilton reaction spree but I really really hope that you can react to In The Heights first 8 minutes or maybe the soundtrack. I really think Lin’s voice matures and elevates in the movie. Maybe because he sings in Spanish lol but it’s amazing!😆👏🏾
I would like to see you do Nonstop next!
It's so frustrating to effortlessness with which Phillipa put buckets of emotion in every single line, while Lin-Manuel has to work so hard and sacrifice his voice to try to show emotion. Her greatness at portraying how her character feels amplifies how much he seems to struggle with that same task.
I know you like Leslie a lot and if you can you should react to his version of “a change is gonna come” from one night in Miami
The thread that gives me chills starts in this scene. Eliza wrote herself into the narrative when marrying Hamilton, wrote herself out of the narrative after his affair, but in the end she WROTE the narrative of his life! The CIRCLES!
I took Lin’s voice cracking here to show the audience he was broken. First by Washington’s rebuff & now Eliza’s plea, that no one understood him.
I will mention that I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing the spread-vowel technique unless you're a more experienced singer because it can easily cause tension unless your vocal muscles are so solidly trained to maintain the proper placement in order to avoid such a strain. Phillipa is obviously incredibly knowledgeable about how to use and control her voice so when she spreads her vowels, it still remains relaxed.
Im just here to say: your skin is looking amazing 🙌🏼
Would you ever think of doing a non Broadway show , I would love to know what you think of Disturbed's live version of The Sound of Silence, from the Conan show. ?
I saw your reaction to Andrew Rannells in Book of Mormon. Speaking of Andrew, would you consider doing some reactions to selections from "Falsettos"? I loved Stephanie J Block's performance of "I'm Breaking Down"
th-cam.com/video/t8yJiM2ooYM/w-d-xo.html
Although she’s singing, it’s like she’s just having a regular conversation with him. You know you’ve done something right when a song can be portrayed that way.
Since I have seen, finally, all of HAMILTON I feel more comfortable commenting. I think the key to Hamilton is "if". The recurring theme is that Hamilton is never satisfied. There is never enough. This may be due to his history before coming to the colonies. He so much wants to be accepted by society that has this need to overcompensate. Even Eliza tries to convince him that what they have is enough and she is content as long as he comes home to her which he did not do through his indiscretions.
Lin Manuel is not a singer. His voice is low placed and does not have the training to clearly and comfortably project his voice. That said, he is brilliant in his creation of HAMILTON.
I am still gazing into the crystal ball waiting for a sign that Marc Daniel Patrick will be featured on one his videos.🤞🏽
Just an idea for a video or a QandA. Could you explain the difference between a vocal coach, a director, and a musical theatre coach?
Who lives, how dies, who tell you Story.
Phillipa has a beautiful bell like tone that for me makes her the Sarah Brightman of hip.hop.
A couple thoughts. I loved how this song was more a traditional musical number, in that it had a melody line & lyrics that get carried over/paralleled later in the film (It's Quiet Uptown - lines like, I know who I married, That would be enough... there may be one or two more; plus the piano chords).
Re: the character of Hamilton. I do have some empathy for him. Based on this show, no, he's not perfect... he's very flawed. Helpless is one of the motifs in the play; Miranda seems to be trying to make Hamilton a guy who easily falls for women who he views that way. Of course, I can't find the darn video where I heard that idea. The guy ties it back to his mother's death & the whole bit about how he was with her when she died & he couldn't do anything.
We are going to see in the heights tomorrow 😀
Have you seen Pippa on Turning The Tables- it's hilarious!
Hope you would react to In the heights the movie after hamilton
A few things:
- LMM intentionally wrote Hamilton so that neither Hamilton nor Burr were portrayed as the protagonist or antagonist because we, as humans, are all inherently flawed individuals. He wanted both characters to generate empathy and distain at different times and different moments.
- Anyone else think that maybe Hamilton had ADHD? I mean, he has a whole list of features for it. It would explain so much. It would explain his forthrightness, his oversharing, his insane productivity (a lot of ppl manage their constantly buzzing brain by continually staying productive), his insomnia, being a polymath (hyper focus can be a blessing and a curse), and his ability to win over people - ya know, those letters to Eliza - (ADHDers can be incredibly charismatic because they can read social cues and continually analyze a situation to determine the next best move), and well, I could go on.
- I like the emotional moments. It feels more realistic and less like a put on performance. I feel like LMM is feeling the words vs just feeling the music. I appreciate that. It helps me feel the whole context of the situation even more.
- I love this song. I mean, I love all these songs, but this one especially because I feel like I can connect with both characters. I've had moments in my life where I've felt just like Eliza does... that as long as we have what we need, we're good... but at the same time, I frequently feel like Alexander does... continually and constantly wanting to strive for more, to prove people wrong, to always be my best, to never disappoint... and I imagine being by George's side gave Alexander a lot of much needed structure and guidance that he had severely lacked since childhood... the conflict he must have been feeling. George must have cared a lot about Alexander to force him home when he needed to be home.
Yeah it does fit with Alexander having ADHD. Always doing, always over sharing, and ADHD people are often very intelligent people and if you can steer them in the right direction they can do AMAZING things. It would fit with the line "why do you always write like you are running out of time"
@Stephanie Jane It was the "am I talking too loud? Sometimes I get over excited, shoot off at the mouth" for me. I apparently am usually too quiet but I know other neurodivergent people struggle with their volume in the other direction. Also I've read some articles saying that Hamilton may have had bipolar disorder but ADHD is also commonly misdiagnosed as that.
U should do the Renolds pamphlet
This scene shows the contrast between Eliza and Hamilton so much. He wants to build a legacy and riches and she just wants a husband and family.
Can you do a video explaining why Emmy Raver-Lampman pipped Phillipa Soo to the tony award? I personally couldn’t choose so would love some professional insight
Hamilton technically wasn't an orphan and wasn't more educated. His dad and his brother moved away, but they weren't dead. Burr's both parents died when he was a child, but he did come from good family. Burr was more educated, but Hamilton was more passionate and had more real-world experience and people generally liked him more.
We need to see you dig into "Cabaret." And soon.
I am low key in love with Phillipa Soo.
Eliza is the true hero of this.
I recently discovered Nick Pitera on TH-cam. Can you review his one man Les Mis medley of his One man Phantom of the opera. He is amazing.
And nobody does hard consonants like Pippa!
Please do the first 8 minutes of In The Heights