A Hamilton starter

HT Jessie for the best Hamilton image currently on the internet.

So: someone whose taste you trust has recommended the musical Hamilton to you. But you don't know where to start. Getting into new music can be tricky; often multiple listenings are required. And with a musical, there's this story you're supposed to follow, too, and - hopefully - eventually sing along to with great emotion and volume on road trips. Maybe you started Hamilton at the beginning with the title track and thought: what is this? I can't understand hardly a word they're saying and is that...hip-hop? This is NOT 1776.

No, it's not! As you are, I once was. I wrote up this Hamilton starter to ease you into this work of genius. Try getting to know this musical by listening to the tracks in this order at first. Repeat as many times as necessary until you feel you're ready to take on the entire work from start to finish.

You'll be back/What comes next. King George III singing to the American colonies about their revolution: come on, you know this story, you got this. The beat and lyrics are accessible and catchy and you WILL find yourself singing "Awesome! Wow!" to yourself in no time. Lyrics to listen for: Aforementioned "Awesome! Wow!" + "And when push comes to shove/I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!"

The ten duel commandments. OK, fighting duels - you know this stuff, too. Didn't Alexander Hamilton die in a duel? Is that why this song is here? Yes! It's exposition AND foreshadowing. Lyrics to listen for: "Aaron Burr, sir" - you'll be hearing that all through the musical. Also: "ruinous" being rhymed with "doin' this."

That would be enough. Moving on to quieter moments. The musicals you like usually have love stories, don't they? So does this one! Here is a song sung by a husband and wife who love each other. It's beautiful, it's heartbreaking, and it will only get better when you listen to the rest of the musical (if you would like to cheat, skip ahead and listen to Burn. Yeah). Lyrics to listen for: "Look around, look around/at how lucky we are to be alive right now." That line (in its slightly different renditions) will pop up throughout the musical...and in your daily interactions with others because you won't be able to keep yourself from quoting it.

Wait for it. The musicals you like usually have villains, right? But they're complicated, with motivations you're sympathetic to, and sometimes they stalk off and sing dark, angsty songs, right? I'd like to introduce you to Aaron Burr, sir. Yes, THAT Aaron Burr. Lyrics to listen for: "I'm not falling behind or running late/I'm not standing still/I am lying in wait."

Alexander Hamilton. Time to go back to the title track. Now that you have a little more musical context, how does this sound on a re-listen? How about totally intriguing and addictive? Lyrics to listen for: the last 25 seconds, which lay out the major elements of the story.

Now that you've listened to some of the major themes of the musical, you should be ready to dive in. I hope you enjoyed this Hamilton starter.

Hamilton veterans, what other songs might be good access points for newbies?