Say No to This
 | The article's lead section may need to be rewritten. (July 2016) |
| "Say No to This" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Say No to This" is a song from the second act of the 2015 musical Hamilton, in which "Hamilton’s eye begins wandering".[1]
Background
According to Slate, the song "began with a quote from LL Cool J’s “I Need Love”", but due to clearance issues from Atlantic Records, "the line was removed before the show’s transition to Broadway".[2]
Synopsis
The song outlines Alexander Hamilton's infidelity with Maria Reynolds. This was the first major political scandal in US history.[3] The song is sung by Alexander Hamilton, Maria Reynolds, James Reynolds, and Company.[4]
Analysis
Vibe described the song as "a ’90s slow jam, Usher-style".[3] Screen Fellows deemed it "the best 90s slow jam R. Kelly never wrote".[5] Musical director Alex Lacamoire noted that he used the cello to represent the character of Angelica, and implements it in a "really snaky and sinister" fashion in this song.[6]
In this song, which Lin-Manuel Miranda describes as “the ultimate infidelity jam”, he includes a reference to a song from the musical The Last Five Years titled “Nobody Needs to Know”.[2]
Critical reception
The Huffington Post wrote that the song includes "classic dude logic: I was crazy tired, so I had to cheat on my wife".[7] Jezebel said that Maria Reynolds has "chilling, low vibrations" in this song.[8] Patheos praised the musical for not making Hamilton "Mister Perfect”, noting that this song illustrates his "short-sightedness."[9] WIUX describes it as "three minutes of sex and inner turmoil".[10] The New Yorker called the song "beautiful".[11]
References
- ^ Anthony Tommasini, Jon Caramanica (30 August 2015). "Exploring ‘Hamilton’ and Hip-Hop Steeped in Heritage". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Forrest Wickman (24 September 2015). "Hamilton's hip-hop references: All the rap and R&B allusions in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical". Slate Magazine.
- ^ a b "Going H.A.M.: A Track-By-Track Review Of The 'Hamilton' Soundtrack". Vibe.
- ^ "'Hamilton' Songs". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ^ "'HAMILTON' Cast Recording Review: An American Masterpiece - FELLOWSHIP OF THE SCREEN". FELLOWSHIP OF THE SCREEN.
- ^ "Nerding Out With Hamilton's Musical Director -- Vulture". Vulture.
- ^ "I Have an Opinion on Every Song in "Hamilton"". The Huffington Post. 1 October 2015.
- ^ Julianne Escobedo Shepherd. "Should You Listen to the Soundtrack to Hamilton If You Have Not Seen Hamilton?". The Muse.
- ^ "Hamilton The Musical: An Album Review". Monique Ocampo Writes.
- ^ "Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)". WIUX.
- ^ Adam Gopnik (5 February 2016). ""Hamilton" and the Hip-Hop Case for Progressive Heroism". The New Yorker.