Best of Wives and Best of Women

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"Best of Wives and Best of Women"
Song by Phillipa Soo, Lin-Manuel Miranda from the musical Hamilton
from the album Hamilton
Released2015
Genre
Length0:47
Songwriter(s) Lin-Manuel Miranda
Audio
"Best of Wives and Best of Women" on YouTube

"Best of Wives and Best of Women" is a short number from the second act of the 2015 musical Hamilton , a musical biography of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. [1] Phillipa Soo and Miranda performed the song on the original Broadway album. The song was the basis of a TikTok trend in 2025.

Contents

History

The song was not included in the Vassar College performance of The Hamilton Mixtape, the pre-cursor to the Broadway musical, in 2013. [2] [3] It was included in the musical when it started in The Public Theater. [4]

Setting

Former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, having arranged a dawn duel with then U.S. vice president Aaron Burr, and anticipating his death, [5] [6] is writing late into the night, when his wife Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, Eliza, asks him to "come back to sleep". [7] Alexander explains in an affectionate manner, [8] that he's just writing something, and Eliza, echoing sentiments, and leitmotif, expressed in That Would Be Enough , and Take a Break , [9] assures him that his presence is enough. Hamilton's last words to Eliza in the song, and in the musical before his death, are "best of wives and best of women". [10]

Analysis

The song features some of the words, including its title, [11] featured in the real Hamilton's last letter to his wife. [12] [13] The chords are those from "It's Quiet Uptown". [14] It does not feature the ensemble cast. [15] In 2020, Jennifer Forestal and Menaka Philips of The Washington Post listed the song as evidence of Hamilton's acknowledgement of the "unsung labors of wives", echoing Hamilton's historically attested devotion to Eliza. [11]

Reception

A demonstrator holds a placard with the title of the song dedicated to Michelle Obama Ann Arbor Women's March in January 2017 Michelle Obama Best of Wives Best of Women.jpg
A demonstrator holds a placard with the title of the song dedicated to Michelle Obama Ann Arbor Women's March in January 2017

Artist Stef Masciandaro's painting inspired by the song was featured in Arielle Jovellos's art collection, "#Ham4Pamphlet", inspired by the songs of the musical. [16] [17]

TikTok trend

In July 2025, Irish TikToker Zoe Coyle, actuallyhamilt0n, posted a clip portraying Alexander attempting to sneak out of a window, as a lip dub to the track. [18] [19] [20] Released around the ten year anniversary of the Broadway musical, re-enactments of the clip, began to trend on TikTok and other short video platforms. [21] [22] [19] [23] Many of the recreations featured gender flipped portrayals. [24]

At a screening of the film version of the musical, in September 2025, actors Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo re-enacted the trend in the audience. [25] [26] [27] Soo had also recreated it at a pre-screening photoshoot. [28]

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [29] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Massie, Allan (August 26, 2016). "Best of Wives and Best of Women" . Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  2. ↑ Evans, Suzy (August 9, 2016). "New York Stage and Film's Developmental Juggling Act". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ ( Travis 2017 , p. 27)
  4. ↑ ( Travis 2017 , p. 31)
  5. ↑ Henriques, Peter R. "Death Wish?". American History. 53 (1 - Apr2018): 34–41. ISSN   1076-8866 – via Ebscohost.
  6. ↑ Gaynor, Michael J. (June 6, 2018). "Be like Hamilton: Get your education". The Washington Post – via Ebscohost.
  7. ↑ "Hamilton: Act 2: Best of Wives and Best of Women — Summary & Analysis". LitCharts.com.
  8. ↑ ( Travis 2017 , p. 62)
  9. ↑ thatiranianphantom. "Post by @thatiranianphantom". Tumblr . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  10. ↑ Beuriot, Juliette (2018). "Hamilton: A Diverse Musical?". University of Le Havre – via Academia.edu.
  11. 1 2 Forestal, Jennifer; Philips, Menaka (August 6, 2020). "Hamilton and the unsung labors of wives". The Washington Post .
  12. ↑ Hamilton, Alexander. "Founders Online: Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Hamilton, [4 July 1804]". Archives.gov . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  13. ↑ Wurzburger, Andrea (July 8, 2020). "10 Historical Easter Eggs from Hamilton You Might Have Missed". People.com – via Ebscohost.
  14. ↑ "Best of Wives and Best of Women Lyrics". AllMusicals.com.
  15. ↑ ( Travis 2017 , p. 67)
  16. ↑ Romano, Aja (June 8, 2016). "45 artists illustrated every song in Hamilton, and the results are stunning". Vox. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  17. ↑ "#Ham4Pamphlet: 45 Illustrators Draw the 46 Tracks of "Hamilton"". Arielle Jovellanos. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  18. ↑ O'Mongain, Colm (September 11, 2015). "When 16 year old Zoe uploaded a silly Hamilton-inspired TikTok from her Granny's house at 2am back in July ... #Liveline". RTÉ Radio – via Facebook.
  19. 1 2 "A TikTok Trend That Gets at the Complex Legacy of 'Hamilton'". September 10, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  20. ↑ ""Alexander Come Back to Sleep" Trend / Hamilton Window Trend". Know Your Meme. August 12, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  21. ↑ Donaldson, Clare (August 7, 2025). "The 'Hamilton' Trend Having Women Sneak Out of Their Houses". Daily Beast . New York State – via Ebscohost MasterFILE.
  22. ↑ Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo React to Hamilton TikTok Trend #linmanuelmiranda #phillipasoo. ET . Retrieved September 11, 2025– via YouTube.com.
  23. ↑ Silva, Christianna (August 11, 2025). "'Hamilton' TikTok trend goes viral as musical marks 10th anniversary". Mashable. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  24. ↑ Katz, Leslie. "TikTok 'Hamilton' Trend Has Women Squeezing Out Of Windows And Dog Doors". Forbes.com . Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  25. ↑ Wright, Joshua. "Video: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Phillipa Soo Recreate Viral HAMILTON Trend". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  26. ↑ Burke, Sammi (September 4, 2025). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Is a 'Total Delight' in 'Brilliant' Take on 'Hamilton' Trend". Parade. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  27. ↑ "How can he sleep on a night like this?". Hamilton. September 4, 2025 – via Facebook.
  28. ↑ History has its eyes on Phillipa Soo at the world premiere of #Hamilton ⭐️ Get your tickets now at the link in bio! (video). Fandango Media. September 2025 – via TikTok.
  29. ↑ "American single certifications – ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST OF HAMILTON – Best of Wives and Best of Women". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 1, 2023.

Sources

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