No. 13. “Satisfied”

HAMILTON (2015). By Lin-Manuel Miranda (music, books, and lyrics). Inspired by the book ALEXANDER HAMILTON by Ron Chernow

Fall 2015. You’re at Hamilton, a hip-hop musical about the guy on the $10 bill written by, and starring, Lin-Manuel Miranda. The concept sounds like an annoying audience prompt at an improve comedy show, but everyone has been losing their minds over it, and posting a Playbill from your seat is THE ultimate status symbol at the moment. The stage looks pretty sparse—a wood deck with a mezzanine that has a vaguely nautical vibe. In the opening number, a mostly BIPOC cast dressed in colonial-American fashion (and 21st century hair) sings about the title character, ending with Aaron Burr saying “I’m the damn fool who shot him.” The musical then traces the beginnings of both the Burr-Hamilton relationship and America’s fight for independence. To your surprise, the modern r&b score doesn’t feel like a gag or a gimmick. When you hear the founding fathers rap about being “young scrappy and hungry,” you start to them as a rag tag group of kids, and not the tights-wearing intellectuals you imagined in high school history class. Also, it turns out that “hip hop” as a genre has a lot of variety, musicality, and emotional impact. Burr, Hamilton, and friends attend a ball hosted by the wealthy and influential Schuyler sisters (Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy). The song “Helpless” (which has a 1990s Maria Carey vibe) tracks Hamilton meeting Eliza at the ball, their courtship, and culminates at their wedding. Angelica begins a wedding toast when suddenly the scene dissolves into ”Satisfied,” and the company recreates all the events covered in “Helpless,” but as seen from Angelica’s point of view.

Believe it or not, Hamilton celebrates its 10th Broadway-versary this July. A LOT has happened in those ten years, and I for one am nostalgic for a time when we had time as a country to collectively obsess over a musical. It was considered a “game changer” at the time, mostly because of its diverse casting and the fact that it got the olds locked in to rap music. But I think it’s legacy goes back to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s earlier Broadway outing, In the Heights. A leading narrative at the time was his use of programs like Garage Band to record melodies and build numbers with layers and loops, as opposed to sitting down and composing at a piano. Hamilton took this to higher level of sophistication, both musically and dramaturgically. It showed that this toolbox could tackle epic themes. It’s also something that one person could do alone without a lot of fancy equipment, and a younger generation of self-taught composers is coming up and reaching new audiences on untraditional platforms. (See Six, Epic: The Musical, The Unoffical Bridgerton Musical, or anything considered a TikTok musical.)

Recommended Recording: ”Satisfied,” Hamilton (2015 Original Broadway Cast)

The Hamilton OBCR is the most successful cast recording of all time by a considerable margin—it’s certified Diamond , i.e. 10x Platinum. (For reference, the 2nd most successful cast album,the Les Mis OBCR, is 4x Platinum.) “Satisfied” is one of the most exciting numbers I’ve ever seen staged. In general “going back and seeing something from a different character’s point of view” is one of my favorite narrative devices. And the execution hits on all levels—from the writing to Tommy Kail/Andy Blankenbueller’s staging to Renee Elise Goldsberry’s riveting performance. She’s one of those performers with such presence and confidence that the minute she comes on stage you feel you’re in good hands. (Incidentally, she has also appeared in the previous two Turning Points: She plays Mimi in the Rent pro-shot and is a former Nala on Broadway.)

Alternate Performances

Hamilton has only received two cast recordings, one of which is in German.

• The Hamilton Mixtape (2016): The 1950s and 60s saw pop interpretations of all manner of Broadway scores, but aside form teh oddd single here and there the practice has ceased entirely. The Hamitlon Mixtape is a particularly interesting example because L-MM and Co were involved in its creation, and it features many artists whose work inspired the score. Sia, Miguel, and Queen Latifah do a fun cover of “Satisfied,” but Kelly Clarkson’s rendition of “It’s Quiet Uptown” walks away with the whole thing.

• Proshot (2020): Disney bought the rights to a proshot made with the original cast, with the intention of a theatrical release. They ended up dropping it on Disney+ in July 2020, which was a nice thing to do with the “world turned upside down” by Covid -19. It’s exceptionally rare to have a proshot of this caliber—and this accessible—come out when the original production is still running around the globe…but it does not seem to have any adverse affect on box office. If you start at 30:24, you can watch “Helpless” followed immediately by “Satisfied.”

• 2023 Original Hamburg Cast:This German highlights recording is the only other Hamilton cast on record besides Broadway. The actress who plays Angelica is named “Charity Crisp,” which is my new favorite name. “Zufrieden” is the translation of “Satisfied.”

• 2025 Renee Elise Goldsberry Single: This “bonus” recommendation was just released on May 23, 2025. It’s a sort of accoustic solo record backed by a guitar with an entirely different energy than it has on stage. It’s pretty great! It will be part of Who I Really Am,an album of original songs written and performed by Goldsberry set to release this Friday (June 6).

Is it Covered by The Rat Pack, Audra McDonald, or Glee?

• Audra McDonald has not recorded “Satisfied.” But, she did sing a jazzy version of another Hamilsong—“No to This”—as Billie Holiday for the digital #Ham4Ham, a series of performances that used to accompany the in-person lottery for rush tickets. When the #Ham4Ham crowds became large enough to be considered a public safety issue, the lottery and #Ham4Ham went online.

• Glee ended its run before it could do any songs from Hamilton, but Jonathan Groff—the original Broadway King George—had appears as Jesse St. James in season 1.

In the Wings

The last Turning Point comes out next week! Until then, you can see the original cast of Hamilton reunite at the Tony Awards this Sunday. They’ve also brought back #Ham4Ham recently, and you can find new and classic performances on YouTube. You can also read about the original cast’s successful fight for a share of Hamilton’s royalties.