It's Quiet Uptown

"It's Quiet Uptown"
Song by Cast of Hamilton from the album Hamilton
Released 2015
Genre
Writer Lin-Manuel Miranda
Composer Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda
Language English
Hamilton track listing

"Stay Alive (Reprise)"
(17)		 "It's Quiet Uptown"
(18)		 "The Election of 1800"
(19)

"It's Quiet Uptown" is a song from Act 2 of the 2015 stage musical Hamilton.

Background

Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton's musical director said the show's best use of strings is "probably 'It’s Quiet Uptown,' when there’s nothing else playing except those two guys. The lyric's 'It's quiet uptown' — you're not getting quieter than two strings playing gently."[1]

Synopsis

The song describes Alexander Hamilton and his wife Eliza's unimaginable grief as they try to come to terms with their son's death. This "hushed instrumental" sees them "reflect on everything that has happened over the course of their lives together as Alexander tries his best to apologize to his wife."[2]

Analysis

The Huffington Post offers an explanation to the vague nondescript language used throughout the song: "Our guide, our word-playing, rhyming, subtle, subtextual, double-meaning beacon of logic and reason is utterly unable to comprehend the death of his son, rendered speechless. By telling us that he can't tell us about it, Miranda shows us Hamilton's despair".[3]

The New York Times likened the song to "Biggie’s 'Suicidal Thoughts,' still one of the most chilling hip-hop songs of all time", as they both "confront [their] own mortality...end[ing] up exhausted, frayed, desperate".[4] Varsity suggests the song is influenced by Laurence O'Keefe.[5]

Critical reception

The song has received critical acclaim.

New York Theatre Guide wrote that the song "literally left me a tear-stained wreck of a human being".[6] Entertainment Weekly said the song "[isn't] afraid to slow the story down for moments of hushed sincerity".[7] Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times said "No contemporary musical has touched grief in a song as profoundly as 'It's Quiet Uptown,' which I'll confess is impossible for me to listen to without tearing up".[8] Emertainment Monthly said the song is "one of Miranda’s most poetic numbers".[9] Patheos says the song is "tear-jerking because of the way...it takes a death to bring [Eliza and Hamilton] together" after his infidelity.[10] TheatreMania said the "tearjerker" is "devastatingly beautiful".[11] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the "exquisite [song] resonates with such raw, wrenching feeling it elicits sobs from the audience".[12] Record Collector News noted the song "slows the pace to capture Hamilton’s grief over a loss", describing it as "one of the saddest songs ever heard since Jacques Brel’s 'The Desperate Ones.'"[13] Hannah McFadden from Yakima Herald said the song "always leaves me a sniveling and pathetic mess."[14] Papyrus wrote "I have listened to the full album around twenty times now...and I have not been able to listen to this full song without crying."[15] Noisey said the song is "agonized" and "atypically melodic".[16] Library Journal explained that the song is "guaranteed to make me cry just thinking about it".[17]

References

  1. ↑ Nate Jones (January 13, 2016). "Nerding Out With Hamilton’s Musical Director – Vulture". Vulture.
  2. ↑ "Going H.A.M.: A Track-By-Track Review Of The 'Hamilton' Soundtrack". Vibe.
  3. ↑ "I Have an Opinion on Every Song in "Hamilton"". The Huffington Post. 1 October 2015.
  4. ↑ Anthony Tommasini and Jon Caramanica (30 August 2015). "Exploring ‘Hamilton’ and Hip-Hop Steeped in Heritage". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Hamilton: Fresh off the block". Varsity Online, University of Cambridge. January 22, 2016.
  6. ↑ Tom Millward. "Show of the Week: Hamilton at Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway". New York Theatre Guide – Online.
  7. ↑ Leah Greenblatt. "'Hamilton': EW stage review". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
  8. ↑ Los Angeles Times (4 November 2015). "Review: 'Hamilton' is a watershed musical that sets a Founding Father's tale to hip-hop – LA Times". latimes.com.
  9. ↑ "A Day Spent Listening to 'Hamilton'". Emertainment Monthly.
  10. ↑ "Hamilton The Musical: An Album Review". Monique Ocampo Writes.
  11. ↑ Zachary Stewart (6 August 2015). "Hamilton". TheaterMania.com.
  12. ↑ David Rooney (31 August 2015). "Critic's Notebook: Why 'Hamilton' Counts as a Legitimate Game Changer". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. ↑ "THE BEST OF 2015".
  14. ↑ Hannah McFadden (14 February 2016). "Soundtrack conveys all power, pop of musical ‘Hamilton’". Yakima Herald-Republic.
  15. ↑ "Hamilton: An American Musical". Greenville College Papyrus.
  16. ↑ "Poets, Playwrights, and Pranksters: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". NOISEY.
  17. ↑ "Best Media 2015: Music". Library Journal Reviews.
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