Happy Tuesday! I'm happy to join the #TTT or #ThreeTuneTuesday for the first time. Shoutout to @ablaze for the initiative.
The songs that I will feature in this blog are the songs from Hamilton, which happens to be one of my favourite musicals. My friends and I were thrilled when we found out that GMG Productions will be bringing Hamilton to the Philippines this September. In excitement, we couldn't help but listen to the songs on loop!
Music itself is powerful but knowing the lyrics can take the whole song to the next level. The lyrics can evoke our emotions and can make us feel like we're the characters in the story. In musicals, like Hamilton, music is important to express the character's feelings and to progress the plot. So, here I am, sharing with you my top three Hamilton songs that made me feel like I'm part of the story.
Alexander Hamilton
And a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean
By providence, impoverished, in squalor
Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?
Helpless
Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit
I'm helpless
Down for the count, and I'm drowning in 'em
(I'm so into you)
Out of all the songs in the musical, this one's my absolute favourite. It perfectly captures the joy and excitement of being in love. Everytime I sing this one, it feels like I'm Eliza Schuyler, describing how I met Alexander and how I fell in love with him.
One thing I really enjoy in this one is the rap interlude of Alexander Hamilton in which he describes what he feels for Eliza. When I sing this, I can't resist the urge to sing his part as if I'm confessing my feelings to someone I love.
Satisfied
Set my heart aflame, ev'ry part aflame
This is not a game
You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied
I'm sure I don't know what you mean
You forget yourself
If Helpless is my ultimate favorite for the upbeat category, Satisfied is for the emotional one. This song expresses the complicated relationship of the Schuyler sisters when it comes to love.
Whenever I sing this song, I feel as though I'm Angelica Schuyler, narrating my love for Hamilton and how I decided to let my sister, Eliza, marry him instead. It's bittersweet and heart-wrenching!
To the bride
From your sister
Who is always by your side
To your union
And the hope that you provide
May you always
Be satisfied
This song features the moment of sacrifice for Angelica as she sings 'I'll leave you to it'. It's painful but it's selfless at the same time as she's willing to put her sister's happiness before her own. Singing along with this song makes me feel like I'm experiencing the complexity of these emotions firsthand.
We don't just enjoy the songs because they're catchy, they can also transport us into different worlds and characters that will make us feel like we're experiencing everything that the singer is going through. They provide us insights into the thoughts and feelings of the singer.
What song/s transports you to a different world, as if you're the one experiencing what the singer is going through?
'Til my next ThreeTuneTuesday blog~
Song References:
Satisfied · Renée Elise Goldsberry · Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
Helpless · Phillipa Soo · Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton · Leslie Odom Jr. · Daveed Diggs · Okieriete Onaodowan · Lin-Manuel Miranda · Phillipa Soo · Christopher Jackson · Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton · Anthony Ramos
📸 Cover Image created on Canva