Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)
| "Yorktown" | |
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| Song |
"Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)" is the nineteenth song from Act 1 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. It recounts the story of the Battle of Yorktown.
Synopsis
The song begins with Alexander Hamilton, having been promoted to a command position in the Continental Army by George Washington, meeting with his friend Marquis de Lafayette and discussing their plans after the impending conclusion of the war. It is revealed that Hamilton's friend Hercules Mulligan was spying on the British forces to give information to the American forces. Hamilton also remarks on his wife and her pregnancy with their first child, and how John Laurens went to South Carolina in an effort to form a black battalion of soldiers.[1] The Continental Forces then proceed to begin fighting, with Hamilton ordering his three battalions to remove the bullets from their firearms before their assault on British Redoubts 9 and 10. The Americans, assisted by the French, succeed in the battle, with their opponents waving a white flag. Hamilton then describes the British retreat, saying that he heard "the drinking song they were singing.[2]
Analysis
The song takes its title from an English ballad, which according to legend was performed by the British army band on the orders of Lord Cornwallis during their retreat. Whether or not this is historically accurate is not known, as it was incorporated into the story a century after the siege.[3]
Much of the song, particularly towards its beginning, function as a reprise of "My Shot", as Hamilton remarks on how potential death lies ahead. Critics also remarked on how it contains a hint of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, one of many callbacks in the musical to hip-hop and rap.[4]
Critical reception
A community poll on Buzzfeed ranked the song as the 21th best in the musical[5], while The Young Folks had it ranked 27th.[6]
Elizabeth Logan, writing for Huffington Post, stated that the song was a "rollicking remix",[4], while Vibe.com said that the song gave the audience the opportunity to "hear the perseverance of the soldiers in the war". [7]
Legacy
The original Broadway cast, having been introduced by Barack and Michelle Obama, performed the song, as well as its immediate predecessor, at the 70th Tony Awards prior to winning eleven awards.[8] However, following the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, they did not use muskets out of respect.[9]
References
- ^ http://www.revolutionary-war.net/john-laurens.html
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html
- ^ http://www.visitingyorktown.com/surrender.html
- ^ a b http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-logan/i-have-an-opinion-on-ever_b_8223496.html%7Ctitle=I Have an Opinion on Every Song in "Hamilton"|first=Elizabeth|last=Logan|date=October 1, 2015|website=huffingtonpost.com|accessdate=May 5, 2017}}
- ^ None. "A Ranking Of Every Song In Hamilton". BuzzFeed Community. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Every Song from 'Hamilton,' Ranked - The Young Folks". www.theyoungfolks.com. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ "Going H.A.M.: A Track-By-Track Review Of The 'Hamilton' Soundtrack". vibe.com. October 20, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ^ http://nerdist.com/watch-the-hamilton-performance-from-the-2016-tonys/
- ^ http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/06/12/hamilton_tonys_cast_performs_yorktown_the_world_turned_upside_down_video.html