Top Five Songs: In the Heights

Here’s a bit more about everyone’s favorite Latin hip-hop Broadway musical!  As I said in my review, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s score is simply phenomenal – catchy, clever, genuine, and emotional.  It deftly weaves different styles together while telling its story in a compelling way.  It’s a score that’s hard to narrow down to only five favorites, but this is my best shot.

 

“In the Heights” – The fabulous opener introduces the major characters, as well as the central focus of everyone in the neighborhood doing their best to get by.  Though these characters aren’t rich or even comfortable, they don’t dwell on it, instead emphasizing community, relationships, and dreams.  Not to mention, Usnavi’s witty, exuberant rapping fits him to a T.

 

Best Line:  “I am Usnavi / And you prob’ly never heard my name; / Reports of my fame / Are greatly exaggerated.”

 

“It Won’t Be Long Now” – In the Heights sometimes feels filled with “I want” songs, and this is one of the best.  Vanessa has been spinning her wheels at the salon, but this upbeat solo shows how she pushes aside her problems to keep her goals firmly in view.

 

Best Line:  “As I sweep the curb, / I can hear those turbo engines / Blazing a trail through the sky. / I look up and think about the years gone by, / But one day - / I’m walkin’ to JFK / And I’m gonna fly!”

“96,000” – Another “I want” song, this one features a good chunk of the main cast.  When it’s discovered that a winning lotto ticket was sold at Usnavi’s bodega, word spreads through the neighborhood and everyone imagines what they’d do with the money, funding everything from education to relocation to urban rehabilitation.

 

Best Line:  “For real, though, / Imagine how it would feel goin’ real slow / Down the highway of life with no regrets, / And no breakin’ your neck / For respect / Or a paycheck.”

 

 
“Blackout” – The Act I finale is less about theme and more about plot – all the characters are caught in the chaos of a massive blackout, and the resulting tumult sets up several second-act complications.  Still, it’s technically masterful.  The song juggles numerous threads and characters, layering melodies on melodies that come together for a gorgeous climax at the end.

 

Best Line:  There aren’t many lyrics that particularly stand out here, but I really like the dual meanings of the repeated line, “We are powerless, / We are powerless.”

“Everything I Know” –After a startling event, Nina reflects on the past, her own and that of the entire block, on the things and people who came before her and made her who she is.  This beautifully contemplative solo is thanks to those who formed her and promises to be worth it.

 

Best Line:  “On the day they ran, / Did she dream of endless summer? / Did her mother have a plan? / Or did they just go? / Did somebody sit her down and say, / ‘Claudia, get ready / To leave behind everything you know.’”