Since its premiere in 2015, Hamilton has become a hit sensation all around the world for its combination of American history and hip hop music.

The album includes 46 songs to convey Hamilton’s life, death, and relationships throughout the Revolutionary War and America’s founding moments. However, there are actually 47 songs in Hamilton if you include Laurens’ Interlude that is played during the actual musical (but not on the cast album). In case you didn’t know, 47 is the age that Alexander Hamilton died during his duel with Aaron Burr (Lin-Manuel Miranda thought of ALL THE DETAILS).

While Disney+ users have been re-watching Hamilton over and over again, the writers and reporters here at AllEars have been obsessed with the show since it debuted on the streaming service on July 3rd.

Although some of us have been die-hard HamilFans for years, and other AllEars team members have newly become enthusiasts of the musical, we have put together our list of our favorite songs from Hamilton for your listening pleasure!

“Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)”

We have to get excited whenever we’re watching “Yorktown” since it tends to get people on their feet and dancing! The song basically combines multiple musical pieces in one with surprises within the story that may shock people who haven’t watched Hamilton before (no spoilers here)!

The ability to create transitions and shift from one musical element to another is incredible in “Yorktown.” The amount of history that Lin is able to cover in a short amount of time without making the pace too fast, without getting rid of the integrity of the story he’s telling, and without disregarding the need for momentum that’s required to keep an audience engaged showcases his talent.

Plus, we just love a rousing ensemble number and get CHILLS every time they stand on the boxes at the end of the number.

“Wait For It”

While Aaron Burr has become “the villain in your history books,” he’s humanized instead of villainized in “Wait For It.” Instead of viewing him as a horrible person who has murdered Hamilton, you are able to see the raw emotion in his character — all the jealousy, insecurity, and pain.

He becomes a realistic person who has a love/hate relationship with Hamilton throughout the course of the song, which is apparent in Leslie Odom Jr.’s ability to act wonderfully.

“The Room Where It Happens”

Since there are holes in history that nobody can be too sure of what was said, Lin-Manuel Miranda had to construct songs based on these uncertainties. During “The Room Where It Happens,” Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton discussed financial plans for the United States behind closed doors.

Historians aren’t sure exactly what was said, so Lin created an absolute BOP sung by Aaron Burr detailing the outcome of the meeting and Burr’s own rivalry with Hamilton. (Does anybody else sing at the top of their lungs along with this during the show??)

“You’ll Be Back”

Jonathan Groff may be known as Kristoff in the Frozen films, but he was also the original King George in Hamilton! Although there is a lot of humor within the lyrics and musical timing during the musical, “You’ll Be Back” is one of the most comedic pieces in the show.

Groff has impeccable comedic timing as he makes the entire audience erupt in laughter during his appearances throughout the musical. And, we have to agree with King George — we’ll definitely be back to listen to this song on repeat whenever we get the chance.

“What’d I Miss?”

Daveed Diggs honestly just deserves an entire show to himself because he’s that talented. After originally walking out onstage as Lafeyette, in Act Two, Diggs transforms into Jefferson (who is portrayed as very sarcastic and sassy). We totally dig “What’d I Miss?” since it’s got a jazzy rhythm that most songs throughout Hamilton don’t carry.

Diggs also slowly shows Jefferson’s turn from arrogance into actual concern after he realizes what the state of his country is in thanks to Hamilton. (Fun fact: Jefferson’s “France?” line was actually improvisation on Diggs part!)

“Helpless” and “Satisfied”

The Schuyler Sisters have some of the most heartfelt and emotionally vulnerable songs within the show. Since “Helpless” and “Satisfied” are direct opposites of one another, we thought it was important to list them as a strong duo between Eliza and Angelica.

While Eliza weaves a story of love and happiness, Angelica “rewinds” the story to show her anguish over losing Hamilton due to her pride and familial position. Most importantly, the songs solidify the sisterly bond that Eliza and Angelica share as it’s obvious they would do anything for one another (even give up the possible love of their lives).

“Ten Duel Commandments,” “Blow Us All Away,” and “The World Was Wide Enough”

On top of that duo, “Ten Duel Commandments,” “Blow Us All Away,” and “The World Was Wide Enough” repeat some of the same melody and use duels to dive deep into tragedy. The parallels between Alexander and his son Philip throughout these pieces change how you feel about the outcome of the musical. Viewers’ perceptions of Aaron Burr are especially transformed as the audience sees how broken Burr feels about Alexander’s death.

So, when Aaron gets hot on trigger at the end of the show, it’s more devastating to the viewer since the father’s and son’s deaths were so similar (and because Burr genuinely tears himself apart over the fact he made a mistake in killing Hamilton).

“Burn”

The beauty of this song is the fact that its content is entirely fictionalized by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Since Eliza Hamilton burned all correspondence regarding her perception of her husband’s infidelity, historians haven’t been able to discern how she felt except by word of mouth or Angelica’s mentions of the situation in letters.

The use of literary tools within the lyrics are also stunning. Listeners can feel the emotional shock of Eliza’s love for Alexander when she states he once built her “palaces out of paragraphs,” but now she can’t stand the fact that his “sentences border on senseless.”

“Burn” showcases Lin’s ability to storytell and Phillipa Soo’s incredible talents as Eliza’s story is told for once, instead of Hamilton’s. The alliteration within the pieces showcases how a relationship can crumble from a partner’s mistakes in a gripping way.

“Say No to This”

We need to stop for a second and talk about how UNDERRATED “Say No to This” is! While Jasmine Cephas-Jones originally debuts as Peggy, she later comes out onstage as the sultry Maria Reynolds. And, we have to comment on the absolute vocal DEMAND of the actress that plays Maria in this.

The training someone has to go through in order to sing this is intense since there are high belts and shifts into airier tones that require the singer to have INSANE vocal control. We have to be honest that this is one of the hardest songs to sing for a female in Hamilton (let alone one of the best R&B pieces in the musical).

“The Schuyler Sisters”

We’re finishing this list on a note of girl power because “The Schuyler Sisters” is one of the most ICONIC parts of Hamilton. We will never get over Angelica’s comment that when she meets Thomas Jefferson, she’ll “compel him to include women in the sequel”! Plus, the melody just HITS as you groove along to the trio’s stunning harmonies.

Although every song in the entire musical should be highlighted on its own, “the world will never be the same” after people watch Hamilton on Disney+. While we still love hits like “Alexander Hamilton” and “My Shot,” we can’t help but give some of our top picks some love over here at AllEars after watching the show for the 10th time in a few days.

And, if you haven’t listened to Hamilton or watched the musical on Disney+ yet, we recommend rocking your socks off and tuning in ASAP!

Take home your own Hamilton Playbill with this printable keepsake!

What is your favorite song from Hamilton? Let us know in the comments below!

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