My Shot, Hamilton soundtrack, 2015
There are certain unflattering things I know and accept about myself. One is that I am a bit of a pop culture snob. I rarely jump on bandwagons and tend to shy away from anything that is hyped or trendy. Yes, Lin-Manuel Miranda has
been on my radar since he did In the Heights back in 2008 but when Hamilton blew up in 2015, it turned me off. I was skeptical … I thought, seriously, how can anything truly be groundbreaking in the 21st century?
Hamilton was unstoppable, though, and the hype continued to escalate over the next five years. When Disney made it available to the masses July 3, 2020, in the midst of a life-limiting pandemic, I thought, sure, I’ll give this a shot.
In my defense, yes, I’m a snob but I’m also the first to admit when I’m wrong. Wow. I was so wrong for questioning the groundbreaking brilliance of Hamilton. Academically speaking, I am a historian and political scientist. Personally speaking, I really do love and appreciate all genres of music but as a child of the 80s, rap and hip hop hold a special place in my heart. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s melding of history and politics with rap/hip hop compounded by the socio legitimacy of live theatre using an obscure, yet fascinating, storyline of Alexander Hamilton as a vehicle is honestly the most complete showing of pure brilliance I’ve witnessed in my lifetime.
Sure, I know the beloved Broadway standards that have infiltrated the mainstream over the years but the songs from Hamilton are so different. They’re timely and completely contemporary and yet also serve as a history lesson. The depth of word choice and arrangement is astonishing. As somewhat of a wordsmith myself, the Hamilton soundtrack is a shining example of the power of words being fully utilized by a masterful creator.
Plus, they’re good songs … they’re catchy … they’re earworms.
Today’s Song of the Day, My Shot, echoes in my brain very often. There’s a duality of meaning, of course … Lin-Manuel Miranda exploits the most well-known historical fact about Alexander Hamilton – the shot – but he layers the verbiage in such a way that not only gives insight into Hamilton’s ambition and motives, the song extends to the plight of current generations and is maximized by its relatable (style) delivery.
Listen to this song. If you haven’t seen Hamilton, see it. Don’t throw away your shot.
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