We Weren’t Ready for the New Hamildrop Feat. Barack Obama

Want to cry on a Friday? Well, take a listen to President Barack Obama giving George Washington’s speech in the new Hamildrop. That’s right, Barack Obama is coming for an EGOT, because being president just wasn’t enough.

For those unaware, “Hamildrops” are when Hamilton creator Lin Manuel Miranda reimagines songs from the musical with fun additions. This time, he wanted to remind us of a time when Obama was president, and he gave us the musical that would dominate our ears for years to come, to show us just how far we’ve gone downhill since.

It’s real fun. Thanks, Lin. I’m not sobbing on my couch or anything.

Look, 2018 was rough. If we’re being honest, from January of 2017 until now, it has been rough. Or from November 2016. Or from the start of the 2016 campaign—not because everything was perfect before, but because we once felt more optimistic that it could soon get better.

This administration is rough, the world is on fire, and all we want is the happiness we felt when Barack Obama was president. Much like how Alexander Hamilton felt, in the musical, when Washington was stepping down, that’s how we all still feel about Obama.

So, now that we’re nearly two years into Donald Trump’s administration (gag), you’d think the wishful thinking of Obama we all have would have diminished, right? Wrong, and hearing him give Washington’s speech was a Christmas gift that I’d like to take back to 2012 when we still had four more years with him.

The song is a beautiful version of the original, a bit more modern and still featuring Chris Jackson as the George Washington we know and love.

You can find links to where to listen here:

Prepare, though. I was so emotionally charged that I just simply shut my laptop for a second and cried about Obama. Because really, you just had to get him to say Washington’s speech? You couldn’t have had Obama rapping to “Guns and Ships” or something, Lin? You just wanted us to cry at Christmas?

We’ll get the rest of the new Hamildrops in 2019; this little sneak peak to get us through the holidays, but it serves as a reminder of what a president should be and what it was like back when Obama was in office. He is one of the main reasons we even have a show like Hamilton in the first place, and the class and intelligence that radiated from both himself and Michelle were what America needed.

So, hold please, I’m crying again, but please go listen to Obama giving Washington’s speech. Do it for your soul.

(image: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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