The Story of Tonight

"The Story of Tonight" is the fourth 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.

Synopsis

The song recounts a meeting which occurred in 1776 between Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan and Marquis de Lafayette. In the song, the four young revolutionaries declare their loyalty and fealty to the newly-started revolution, and consume alcohol in a bar. They state that their liberty and freedom can never be taken from them, and that there will soon be more people joining their cause. They also confess that they are willing to die in the fight.

Reprises

The song has two reprises in the first act of the musical:

The Story of Tonight (Reprise)

The first reprise of the song is the twelfth song in Act One of the musical. It takes place following the wedding of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler in 1780. The group from the first rendition of the song is reunited, and jokingly sing about the consequences of his marriage. They refer to Alexander as "the tomcat", referencing a moniker given to him by Martha Washington as a result of his promiscuous nature. Mulligan states that he is "newly not poor", as he has married into the wealthy Schuyler family. Their drunken festivities are interrupted by the arrival of Aaron Burr, who had recently been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Hamilton expresses envy at Burr's command, and Burr congratulates Hamilton on his nuptials, and Laurens inquires as to Burr's own romantic status. Hamilton dismisses his friends, Burr reveals that he is unlawfully consorting with the wife of a British officer. Hamilton asks Burr why he is so hesitant, and Burr proceeds to reveal his world-view and philosophy.

Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us

The second reprise of the song occurs towards the end of Act One. Hamilton is at home when his wife Eliza informs him that he has received a letter from South Carolina. Hamilton ignores the letter, as he knows it is from John Laurens. However, Eliza reveals that the letter contains information about Laurens' death in the Battle of the Combahee River. Hamilton laments on how Laurens was killed fighting in a battle when the war was already won, and comes to an ephiphany that he must work at a more rapid pace.

The song is not included on the original cast recording as Miranda considers it to be a scene, rather than an individual song.^[1]

Analysis

The songs stylistically differs from many other songs in the musical due to the absence of hip-hop elements. Elizabeth Logan remarked that the original song demonstrates the "characters' naïveté", as they are consumed with dreams of glory.^[2]

The song is referenced multiple times in the musical, most importantly in "The World Was Wide Enough", when, having been wounded in a duel in Weehawken, New Jersey, Hamilton's final words in his final soliloquy is "Raise a glass to freedom".

Critical reception

The Young Folks considered the original song to be the musical's 28th best, and its first reprise to be the 44th.^[3]

Cover

We the Kings, an American rock band, performed a cover version of "The Story of Tonight" in 2016.^[4][5]

References