Hamilton: The Revolution

by Lin-Manuel Miranda

with chords. As Lac looked for ways to lift the song off the page, he thought about using a harpsichord, which would evoke the song’s era and the royal stature of the person singing it. But the cheery music and romantic lyrics (it’s a love song, even if it does threaten mass murder) also reminded him of the other British invasion, of the late 1960s. “It just spoke to me, it was so Beatlesque,” says Alex. “If we’re gonna go there, let’s really go there.” Listen closely to it now, and you’ll hear a guitar homage to “Getting Better” and a vibraphone nod to “Penny Lane.” There’s even a synth shout-out to “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.” The contrast between those sunny songs and the king’s threats makes him sound even more sociopathic, and hilarious. Alex was delighted to have a chance to evoke The Beatles, whom he regards with “mad respect, mad wonder. There’s nothing better. That, to me, is the ultimate.” It turns out the admiration flows both ways. After an early performance of the show at the Public Theater, Lin and Alex walked into the green room to find an actual Beatle standing there. Sir Paul McCartney told them how much he liked their vocal harmonies. Somebody snapped the photo that appears on this page, the one that shows three resourceful musicians standing together: Lin grinning under Sir Paul’s left arm, Alex beaming under his right.