"Non-Stop" is the final song from Act 1 of the musical
''Hamilton'', based on the life of
Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in 2015.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for creating the Broadway musicals ''Hamilton'' (2015) and '' In the Heights'' (2005), and the soundtracks for the Disney animat ...
wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.
Synopsis
Following the end of the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
and the news of the tragic death of
John Laurens
John Laurens (October 28, 1754 – August 27, 1782) was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his criticism of slavery and his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for thei ...
at the hands of fleeing British soldiers after the war's conclusion, "Non-Stop" closes out the first act by recounting Hamilton's exceedingly busy and self-centered life. He co-authors the ''
Federalist Papers'' and is selected by now-president
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
to serve as the
Secretary of the Treasury
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
of the new nation. In the meantime,
Angelica
''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They gr ...
moves to London with her new husband, and
Eliza
ELIZA is an early natural language processing computer program created from 1964 to 1966 at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory by Joseph Weizenbaum. Created to demonstrate the superficiality of communication between humans and machines, ...
begs Hamilton to stay with her to be a father to his son, but instead he buries himself in his work and begins to have friction with his former friends and loved ones including Eliza, Washington, and
Aaron Burr.
Analysis and reception
As the final song in Act 1 just ahead of intermission, "Non-Stop" wraps up many story threads while setting up Hamilton's character conflict leading into the political and personal turmoil of the second act.
Of all the songs in ''Hamilton'', "Non-Stop" has been described by some as the best summation of Alexander Hamilton's character. One reviewer described the track's key success being tied to its relentlessness, mirroring Hamilton's own character. Other comparisons have included the song's "urgency and momentum" as the nation is built following the end of the war.
"Non-Stop" is notable for its culmination of various motifs established throughout the first act of the play,
such as Angelica Schuyler's "Satisfied", George Washington's "History Has Its Eyes on You", Eliza Hamilton's "That Would Be Enough", and "Alexander Hamilton".
Certifications
References
{{Hamilton (musical)
Songs from Hamilton (musical)
Songs about writers
Songs about American politicians
2015 songs