(For the most part, these songs are organized chronologically, meaning they go in the order of events in Hamilton’s life).
#1 “New York, New York,” Frank Sinatra: A relatively self-explanatory start to a relatively self-explanatory playlist! New York was Hamilton’s city and he loved it as though it was his natural-born home.
#2 “Take A Chance on Me,” ABBA: Dedicated to Hamilton’s hot-blooded pursuit of Eliza Schuyler. Undoubtedly, she was the love of his life and their marriage proved to be one of the best decisions he ever made.
#3 “I’m From There,” Bouncing Souls: A song crafted perfectly for the relationship between Hamilton and his best friend/fellow soldier, John Laurens. They were indeed “two brothers forever” and Laurens’s death marked the end of Hamilton’s openness with his feelings.
#4 “Forever Young,” Alphaville: Here is a song that is placed in no particular order yet serves to sum up Hamilton’s life. He lived young, he died young, and thus he is forever remembered as youthful and ambitious. Can a single soul imagine him old?
#5 “Frankly, Mr. Shankly,” The Smiths: Have you ever experienced a moment in which you found a song that perfectly described a historical figure? I HAVE~ and this song holds utter testament to such a finding. Every single word in this song perfectly describes Hamilton and Washington’s Revolutionary relationship. Hamilton yearned for a battlefield command but Washington consistently denied it, leaving the younger man frustrated and defiant.
#6 “Respect,” Aretha Franklin: Because frankly (AHA PUNS) who doesn’t find the idea of Hamilton singing this entertaining? He was often verbally lambasted by those in opposition to his fiery personality, but all the man wanted was a little respect.
#7 “Inbetween Days,” The Cure: As Hamilton’s life progressed, he sometimes grew fed-up with the constant banter between Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and his various other enemies. I often imagine Hamilton stepped back from the scene to examine his day-to-day struggles with the disposition prevalent in this song.
#8 “Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet,” Fall Out Boy: Hamilton’s first introduction to the duplicitous Maria Reynolds is profiled here.
#9 “Government Hooker,” Lady Gaga: The first time I heard this song, Hamilton immediately popped into my mind. Here is yet another tune dedicated to his affair with Maria Reynolds—an affair which assuredly cemented his falling out of favor with the public.
#10 “In One Ear,” Cage the Elephant: Similar to the purpose of “Respect”, “In One Ear” made this playlist as a result of its “fuck you” attitude. At this point in Hamilton’s life, his reputation was plummeting. Still, he stuck to his guns and continued to voice his increasingly unpopular opinions.
#11 “Walking Alone,” Green Day: Hamilton’s public tiff with John Adams tore the Federalist party asunder and left Hamilton to strike out on his own.
#12 “I Know Where You Sleep,” Emilie Autumn: Another, “HOLY SHIT HISTORY” song that stuck out in mind as a display of Hamilton’s paranoia over Aaron Burr. Hamilton loathed this man for reasons we will never entirely understand; however, I choose to believe his feeling stemmed entirely from personal feelings of inadequacy. Hamilton was threatened by Burr’s popularity and made it his life’s mission to tear apart everything Burr attempted to do. Hamilton was a man obsessed.
#13 “Alejandro,” Lady Gaga: Because Ham/Burr shipping. And Mexico. Renee understands.
#14 “Asleep,” The Smiths: This song was perhaps the most heart-rending for me to add to this playlist. Truly one of the saddest songs every crafted, “Asleep” chronicles Hamilton’s depression and regression from the public eye after the tragic death of his son, Phillip, and the insanity suffered by his daughter, Angelica. Hamilton became reserved and his passion cooled. He was a man who had lost his respect, his family, and his innate sense of ambition. In essence, he was a shell and he was tired.
#15 “My Way,” Frank Sinatra: If I had to name one singular song to sum up Hamilton’s life, this would be it. In the end, he did it his way, and as far as we can tell—he regretted nearly nothing.
