The cast album for the musical premiered in September 2015 on NPR's website.[3] Its digital release on September 25, 2015, debuted on numerous charts and was released in stores as a two-disc set on October 16, 2015. It debuted at number one on the Top Broadway Albums chart, as well as number 3 on Top Rap Albums.[1] Hamilton's debut was the second-biggest first week sales of a Broadway cast album, just behind the cast album for the musical Rent. It debuted at number 12 on the overall Billboard 200 chart for sales, with over 2.1 million streams combined from digital service providers, the largest streaming debut for a cast album ever.[1] Following the 70th Tony Awards in 2016, the album re-peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it one of only three cast recordings to reach the top 10 in the last 50 years.[4] The album reached a new peak of number two in July 2020, following the release of the live stage film of the Broadway production on July 3, 2020. This made Hamilton the highest charting cast album since Hair in 1969. This peak also came on the album's 250th consecutive week on the Billboard 200.[5]
The album was the highest-selling Broadway cast album of 2015 and peaked at number one on the Top Rap Albums chart, the first cast album to ever do so.[2] It achieved the largest first week sales for a digital cast album and was the highest-charting cast album debut since 1963.[1] It sold 169,000 copies in 2015, and a further 739,000 copies in 2016, making it the fifth best-selling album of 2016.[6] It was certified 6x Multiplatinum by the RIAA on April 4, 2019, making it the best-selling cast recording of all time.[7] That record was extended when the album was certified 7× platinum on September 16, 2020.[7] As of July 2020 the album has sold 1.97 million pure copies.[5] On June 26, 2023, it became the first cast album to receive a Diamond certification.[8]
Hamilton was met with critical acclaim. Billboard called the album an "eye-popping debut", giving it a 5-out-of-5 star review and listing it at number 2 on the magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2015.[11]Rolling Stone gave it a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating, listing it at number 8 on the magazine's Top 50 Albums of 2015.[13][15]Robert Christgau wrote in Vice, "I can attest that the intrinsic intellectual interest [Lin-Manuel Miranda] powers up here is so impressive it's exciting".[14]
"Blow Us All Away" contains elements of "Ten Crack Commandments" written by Martin, Wallace, and Turner; and "Shook Ones Pt. II" written by Johnson and Muchita.
"The World Was Wide Enough" contains elements of "Ten Crack Commandments" written by Martin, Wallace, and Turner.
Notes
Lin-Manuel Miranda made a conscious decision to exclude one scene in the performance from the cast album, "Tomorrow There'll Be More of Us", also known as Laurens' Interlude.[16]
^ abcdCaulfield, Keith (October 7, 2015). "Hamilton's Historic Chart Debut: By The Numbers". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^ abEstevez, Marjua (November 18, 2015). "Hamilton Broadway Album Tops Billboard Rap Chart". Vibe. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^Jekket, Frannie (September 21, 2015). "Review: Cast Recording, 'Hamilton'". NPR Music. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^Caulfield, Keith (June 19, 2016). "'Hamilton' Cast Album Races to No. 3 on Billboard 200 Chart After Tony Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 21, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
^ abCaulfield, Keith (July 12, 2020). "Pop Smoke's 'Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
^Caulfield, Keith (February 15, 2018). "'Hamilton' Surpasses Jersey Boys'". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
^Culwell, Logan (June 26, 2023). "Hamilton Broadway Album 1st Cast Recording to Be Certified Diamond by RIAA". Playbill. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
^"Hamilton: An American Musical [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Lin-Manuel Miranda". Metacritic. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
^Donelson, Marcy. "Hamilton: An American Musical [Original Broadway Cast Recording] – Lin-Manuel Miranda". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
^ abGale, Alex (October 1, 2015). "Hamilton, the Best Broadway Musical Ever, Boasts an Equally Thrilling Cast Recording: Album Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^Delerme, Felipe (October 2, 2015). "Various Artists: Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
^ abSpanos, Brittany (September 25, 2015). "Hamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^ abChristgau, Robert (February 19, 2016). "Poets, Playwrights, and Pranksters: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
^"Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2015". BrooklynVegan. December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^Miranda, Lin-Manuel. "COMPLETISTS ONLY (Spoilers)". Lin-Manuel Miranda's Official Tumblr. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
^"Australiancharts.com – Musical – Hamilton - Original Broadway Cast Recording". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
^"Ultratop.be – Musical – Hamilton - Original Broadway Cast Recording" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
^"Canadian Albums Chart". Billboard. July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
^"Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2016. 28. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
^ abcdefghijklmnopq"British single certifications – Hamilton". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 2, 2023. Select singles in the Format field.Type Hamilton in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
^Ward, Marguerite (December 22, 2015). "Hamilton Fan Art: Animation Student Beautifully Recreates Scenes from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway Smash Hit". International Business Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^"Creed Tops 47th Annual NAACP Image Award Nominations". Ebony. February 5, 2016. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
^"2017 BBMAs Announce Non-Televised Award Recipients". Billboard Music Awards. May 21, 2017. Archived from the original on June 5, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2017.