Alexander Hamilton

The song "Alexander Hamilton" serves as the powerful opening number and thematic overture for the entire musical. Its primary meaning is to establish the central question of the show: how an individual can overcome insurmountable odds to leave an indelible mark on history. It introduces the core themes of ambition, legacy, and the 'immigrant story' that are central to the American narrative. By summarizing Hamilton's brutal early life—his illegitimacy, orphan status, and poverty—the song immediately frames him as the ultimate underdog. His rise is not presented as a matter of luck, but as a direct result of his intellect, relentless work ethic, and his ability to use his writing as a tool for advancement. The song's central message is that genius and determination can triumph over circumstance. Furthermore, it introduces the complex narrative structure of the musical, where history is told by the very people who shaped it, complete with their biases and perspectives. Aaron Burr, Hamilton's eventual killer, is established as the primary narrator, creating a fascinating tension and sense of tragic irony from the very beginning. The song essentially answers its opening question by showing that Hamilton rose to greatness through sheer, relentless labor and an unwavering belief in his own potential.

The narrative begins with a direct and captivating question posed by Aaron Burr: How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, abandoned in a forgotten Caribbean island, living in poverty and squalor, manage to rise up and become a hero and a scholar? This opening sets the stage for the incredible and improbable life story of Alexander Hamilton. The song functions as a comprehensive prologue, summarizing the first two decades of Hamilton's life before he arrives in America. Various characters, who will become central figures in his life, step forward to contribute pieces of his history. John Laurens speaks of Hamilton's difficult start, with his father leaving and his mother dying, leaving him an orphan at a young age. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison add details of his suffering, describing how he contracted a sickness and was left destitute. These future rivals paint a picture of a desperate young man, ready to do anything to survive. The song highlights Hamilton's precocious intellect and relentless drive. It details how, by the age of fourteen, he was put in charge of a trading charter. A pivotal moment in his early life is described: a devastating hurricane destroys his town. In the face of this destruction, Hamilton turns to writing, pouring his experiences into a piece of prose that is so powerful and moving it captures the attention of the community. His writing becomes his salvation. The people, moved by his words and recognizing his immense potential, take up a collection to send him to the mainland for an education. This act of communal support is the catalyst for his journey to New York. The final verses of the song act as a powerful piece of foreshadowing. As Hamilton’s ship arrives in the harbor, the principal characters deliver lines that hint at their future relationships with him. His allies and friends, like Laurens, Mulligan, and Lafayette, declare, “We fought with him.” Those who will become his lovers or be touched by his love—Eliza, Angelica, and Maria Reynolds—proclaim, “I loved him.” His mentor, George Washington, states, “I trusted him.” And finally, his rival and the song’s narrator, Aaron Burr, delivers the chilling confession: “And me? I’m the damn fool that shot him.” The song concludes with the company asking if America will remember his struggles and recognize how he fundamentally changed the nation, asserting that the world will never be the same because of Alexander Hamilton.

The creation of "Alexander Hamilton" is the origin story of the musical itself. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show's creator, was on vacation in 2008 when he picked up Ron Chernow's 2004 biography, Alexander Hamilton. Miranda was immediately struck by Hamilton's life story, seeing it as a quintessential hip-hop narrative: a man rising from poverty and obscurity through the power of his words. This song was the very first piece Miranda wrote for the project, which he initially conceived as a concept album or mixtape called The Hamilton Mixtape. On May 12, 2009, Miranda was invited to perform at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word. Instead of performing a song from his previous hit, In the Heights, he took a risk and performed the draft of "Alexander Hamilton" before President Barack Obama and other guests, explaining that he believed Hamilton embodied the spirit of hip-hop. The performance was met with a surprised but positive reception, which encouraged Miranda to continue developing the project. He has stated that while the song was first written as a monologue for Aaron Burr, he later expanded it to include the entire company to set the stage, inspired by the prologue of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. The song and the musical were developed over the next several years, premiering Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on February 17, 2015, before its official Broadway opening on August 6, 2015. The cast album was released digitally on September 25, 2015.

The rhyme and rhythm of "Alexander Hamilton" are foundational to its hip-hop style and narrative power. The song employs a dense and intricate rhyme scheme that goes far beyond simple end rhymes.

• Rhyme Scheme: Lin-Manuel Miranda utilizes complex poetic devices common in rap, such as multisyllabic rhymes (e.g., "squalor" and "scholar"), internal rhymes within single lines ("Got a lot farther by working a lot harder"), and imperfect or slant rhymes ("Scotsman" and "dropped in") to create a sophisticated lyrical texture. This intricate weaving of sound makes the lyrics more dynamic and memorable.
• Rhythm and Meter: The song is characterized by a driving, propulsive rhythm that builds momentum and excitement. The meter is not a traditional Broadway song structure but is based on the flow and cadence of modern hip-hop. This rhythmic complexity allows for a large amount of biographical information to be delivered quickly and energetically, condensing the first 40 pages of Ron Chernow's biography into a single four-minute song. The interplay between the lyrical rhythm of the rap and the underlying musical orchestration creates a sense of urgency and relentless forward motion, mirroring Hamilton's own character.

"Alexander Hamilton" showcases the innovative stylistic fusion that defines the entire musical.

• Musical Genre Fusion: The most prominent technique is the blending of contemporary musical genres—primarily hip-hop, rap, and R&B—with traditional Broadway show tunes to tell a historical narrative. This makes the history feel immediate, urgent, and accessible to a modern audience.
• Expository Narration: The song functions as a prologue, using Aaron Burr as the primary narrator. This is a classic theatrical device, but the use of Hamilton's chief rival and killer adds a layer of dramatic irony and complexity.
• Ensemble Storytelling: Rather than a single narrator, the story is passed between different characters. Each principal character (Laurens, Jefferson, Madison, Eliza, Washington, etc.) contributes a piece of Hamilton's backstory, which both efficiently delivers exposition and introduces the key players and their future relationships with the protagonist.
• Foreshadowing: The song is heavily laden with foreshadowing. Lines like "We fought with him," "I loved him," and Burr's stark confession, "I'm the damn fool that shot him," explicitly lay out the major conflicts and relationships of the story to come, clearing away false suspense and focusing the audience on the 'how' and 'why' rather than the 'what'.
• Vocal Delivery: The song masterfully alternates between rapped verses that convey large amounts of information quickly and melodically sung passages that underscore emotional or thematic weight. This dynamic vocal delivery keeps the energy high and the storytelling engaging.

The song "Alexander Hamilton" serves as the introduction to a musical that became a global cultural phenomenon, revolutionizing musical theatre. Its impact is extensive:

• Commercial Success: The Original Broadway Cast Recording was a massive success, debuting at number 12 on the Billboard 200, the highest for a cast recording since 1963. It eventually reached number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the Billboard Rap Albums chart, a first for a cast album.
• Critical Acclaim: The musical received near-universal acclaim, winning 11 Tony Awards, a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
• Cultural Discourse: Hamilton sparked widespread conversations about American history, immigration, representation, and national identity. Casting actors of color as the white Founding Fathers was a deliberate choice to make the story of "America then, told by America now."
• Education: The musical and its opening number have been widely used in educational settings. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History partnered with the show to create the Hamilton Education Program (EduHam), providing educational resources to students.
• Mainstream Breakthrough: The show's appeal transcended typical theatre audiences, reaching fans of hip-hop, history buffs, and the general public. The release of the filmed version on Disney+ in 2020 brought the production to an even larger global audience, winning an Emmy Award. The song was also performed live from its Broadway stage for the 2016 Grammy Awards, a rare occurrence.

The song is rich with symbolism and metaphors that recur throughout the musical.

• The Hurricane: The hurricane is a central, dual-layered symbol. Literally, it was the storm that devastated Hamilton's island, prompting him to write the essay that would become his ticket to America. Metaphorically, the hurricane represents the chaos and destruction of his early life and, later, the political and personal turmoil he creates and endures. In the song "Hurricane," he feels he is once again in the "eye of a hurricane," a psychological and social storm of his own making.
• Writing as Salvation: Hamilton's ability to write is symbolized as his primary weapon and tool for survival and advancement. He literally "wrote his way out" of his circumstances. This motif represents his intellect, his ambition, and his power to control his own narrative and shape his legacy.
• Diamond in the Rough: In a subsequent song, "My Shot," Hamilton directly refers to himself as "a diamond in the rough, a shining piece of coal," a metaphor that is implicitly established in this opening number. It encapsulates his unpolished genius and vast potential hidden beneath his humble origins.
• The Opening Question: The first line, "How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman... grow up to be a hero and a scholar?" is a symbolic representation of the American Dream. It frames Hamilton's life as a testament to the idea that one's origins do not have to determine one's destiny. Miranda himself called this the story of "the rose that grew out of some concrete," a nod to a Tupac Shakur poem, linking Hamilton's story to the defiant spirit of hip-hop.

The opening number introduces several key lyrical and musical motifs that are woven throughout the entirety of Hamilton.

• "Alexander Hamilton": The simple statement of his name becomes a powerful motif, often sung with a rising, fanfare-like musical theme. It represents his assertion of identity and his arrival on the world stage.
• The Opening Question: The line "How does a bastard, orphan..." recurs as a thematic touchstone, reminding the audience of Hamilton's origins and the improbability of his rise.
• "Just you wait": This phrase, repeated by the company, becomes a motif of Hamilton's simmering ambition and the dramatic potential of his life. It foreshadows his future actions and impact.
• Musical Motifs: The song establishes a fanfare-like, seven-note musical theme that is often associated with scene-setting and the introduction of major events. One analysis points out that the rhythm of this motif matches the phrase "Not throwing away my shot," a central theme from a later song.
• Gunshot Sound Effect: The sound of a bullet, heard after Burr's line "I'm the damn fool that shot him," becomes a recurring sound motif throughout the show, signaling duels, deaths, and moments of intense conflict.