NOCTILUCA June 2016

CULTURE Appleton, Wisconsin June 2016 Vol. XXI Issue III Page 10 By Rachel Flom ‘Hamilton’: A soundtrack to remem ber

can ally during the Revolu- tionary War. Most of the songs in the album have historical back- ground information within them; “Non-Stop” is about the Federalist Papers be- ing written, whereas “The Reynold’s Pamphlet” is about Alexander’s written admittance of his affair. Hamilton, despite being known as a rap and hip hop album, truly is meant for everyone. History fanat- ics will adore “Alexander Hamilton,” “Schuyler De- feated,” and “The Election of 1800,” along with the rest of the musical. For the heart-eyed romantic, songs like “Helpless” and “Dear Theodosia” are bound to make eyes start to water. For those that love a good heartbreaker, “It’s Quiet Uptown” and “Burn” will create an emotional roller coaster. To recover from those songs, try listening to the upbeat tempos found in “The Schuyler Sisters,” “What’d I Miss?” and “Take a Break.” To those that refuse to listen to anything under the rap or hip hop genre, try listening to Hamilton. With 46 songs that are nothing like the one before, there’s guaranteed to be a song that will make your feet

start tapping or get your heart pumping. The songs featured in the Hamilton album bring life to the cen- turies-old founding fathers, making the creation of our nation seem like it occurred 20 minutes ago instead of 200 years ago. Even the historical figures—who seem nothing like us in to- day’s world—become re- latable. With its versatile song choice and abundance of historical and musical ref- erences, Hamilton is an album (and musical) that everyone can love. Lin- Manuel Miranda’s dedica- tion to the life of Alexander Hamilton has truly paid off; the Grammy-winning album tugs at the heart- strings of parents, teachers, Broadway-fanatics, and ev- eryday people. If you haven’t experi- enced the phenomenal mu- sical and scoring of Ham- ilton, you don’t know what you’re missing. History class will seem intriguing after spending just over two hours being exposed to the gift that is Hamilton. After all, Miranda and his songs have proved that founding fathers, as “ancient” and “unrelatable” as they may seem, are more similar to us than we think.

One of the most up- and-coming rap albums includes songs about heart- break and betrayal, life goals and love, and even politics. However, it’s not the typical rap album. Lin- Manuel Miranda, a Broad- way star known for his scoring of Into the Heights, recently created, scored and starred in Hamilton, a musical about founding fa- ther Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the Ca- ribbean, helped create the United States Constitution, became the first ever Sec- retary of the Treasury, and had one of the most infa- mous political sex scan- dals at the time. Although the story of Hamilton’s life takes place mainly during the 18th century, the is- sues that he faced are still relevant today. In fact, a majority of Hamilton’s fan- base includes teenagers and college students. The album focuses on the major events that oc- curred during Alexander Hamilton’s lifetime, from the first Constitutional Convention to the election of Thomas Jefferson to the death of Alexander and his son. The album is split into two acts, which are divided

One of the most popular songs of the show, “Alex- ander Hamilton,” is showcased above on one of the many iTunes playlists it now occupies. Photo courtesy of Nora Ptacek

The musical is known for fast-paced and high- stakes songs like “Cabinet Battle #1,” “Cabinet Battle #2,” and “Guns and Ships,” the last of which is one of the fastest-paced songs in Broadway history. Rapping a record-breaking 16 words in a mere 3 seconds, Dav- eed Diggs, who plays for- mer president Thomas Jef- ferson, also raps the songs that feature Marquis de La- fayette, a French military officer who was an Ameri-

into the beginning half and ending half of Alexander’s life; Act I is about the rises and successes of Hamilton and his close ones, whereas Act II is about the ultimate fall of the formerly beloved founding father. Each of the numbers fea- tured in the 46-song musi- cal illustrate the emotions and thoughts of the main characters, including Ham- ilton, his family, his fellow founding fathers, and his enemies.

What’s on your playlist? By Maddy Schilling

Maeve Salm Junior

Evan Erb Senior

Ms. Vechart Choir Teacher

Natalie Painton Freshman

Briana Arnold Sophomore

• “Mad Hatter” - Melanie Martinez • “Half About Being a Wom- an” - Caroline Smith • “Talk Me Down”

• “Ground Up” -Dan & Shay • “Wanted” -Hunter Hayes • “Mayday” -Cam • “Die a Happy Man” -Thomas Rhett • “Holy” -Florida Georgia Line

• “The Wolves” (Act I and II) -Bon Iver • “Come Talk to Me”

• “Photograph” -Def Leppard • “Walking on a Dream” -Empire of the Sun • “Human” -The Human League • “Down” -Mat Kearney • “Staying Out All Night” -Wiz Khalifa

• “Move (Keep Walkin’)” -TobyMac • “Diamonds” -Hawk Nelson • “Alone” -Hollyn ft. TRU • “Not Backing Down” -Blanca

-Peter Gabriel • “Avalanche” -Walk the Moon

-Troye Sivan • “Love Me” -The 1975 • “South” -Hippo Campus

• “I Found” -Amber Run • “Fire and the Flood” -Vance Joy

• “Happiness” -Needtobreathe