Released 2015 Length 4:03 Composer(s) Lin-Manuel Miranda | Genre R&B
soul
show tune Writer(s) Lin-Manuel Miranda Lyricist(s) Lin-Manuel Miranda | |
"Say No to This" is the fourth song from Act 2 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. In this song, "Hamilton’s eye begins wandering", as he has an affair with Maria Reynolds.
Contents
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".
Synopsis
The song outlines Alexander Hamilton's infidelity with Maria Reynolds. This was the first major political scandal in US history. The song is sung by Alexander Hamilton, Maria Reynolds, James Reynolds, and the show's company.
Analysis
Vibe described the song as "a ’90s slow jam, Usher-style". Screen Fellows deemed it "the best 90s slow jam R. Kelly never wrote". 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.
Miranda included a reference to a song from the musical The Last Five Years titled “Nobody Needs to Know," which he described as "the ultimate infidelity jam."
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". Jezebel said that Maria Reynolds has "chilling, low vibrations" in this song. Monique Ocampo of Patheos praised the musical for not making Hamilton "Mister Perfect”, noting that this song illustrates his "short-sightedness." WIUX describes it as "three minutes of sex and inner turmoil". Adam Gopnik of The New Yorker called the song "beautiful".