Best of Wives and Best of Women
| "Best of Wives and Best of Women" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Phillipa Soo, Lin-Manuel Miranda from the musical Hamilton | |
| from the album Hamilton | |
| Released | 2015 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 0:47 |
| Songwriter | Lin-Manuel Miranda |
| Audio | |
| "Best of Wives and Best of Women" on YouTube | |
"Best of Wives and Best of Women" is a short number from the second act of the 2015 musical Hamilton, a musical biography of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.[1] Phillipa Soo and Miranda performed the song on the original Broadway album. The song was the basis of a TikTok trend in 2025.
History
Though the song was not a part of the Vassar College performance of The Hamilton Mixtape, the precursor to the Broadway musical, in 2013,[2][3] it was included in the musical when it premiered at The Public Theater, in 2015.[4]
Setting
Former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, having arranged a dawn duel with then U.S. vice president Aaron Burr, and anticipating his death,[5][6] is writing late into the night, when his wife Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, Eliza, asks him to "come back to sleep".[7] Alexander explains in an affectionate manner,[8] that he's just writing something, and Eliza, echoing sentiments, and leitmotif, expressed in That Would Be Enough, and Take a Break,[9] assures him that his presence is enough. Hamilton's last words to Eliza in the song, and in the musical before his death, are "best of wives and best of women".[10]
Analysis
The song features some of the words, including its title,[11] featured in the real Hamilton's last letter to his wife.[12][13] The chords are those from "It's Quiet Uptown".[14] It does not feature the ensemble cast.[15] In 2020, Jennifer Forestal and Menaka Philips of The Washington Post listed the song as evidence of Hamilton's acknowledgement of the "unsung labors of wives", echoing Hamilton's historically attested devotion to Eliza.[11]
Reception
Artist Stef Masciandaro's painting inspired by the song was featured in Arielle Jovellos's art collection, "#Ham4Pamphlet", inspired by the songs of the musical.[16][17]
TikTok trend
In July 2025, Irish TikToker Zoe Coyle, actuallyhamilt0n, posted a clip portraying Alexander attempting to sneak out of a window, as a lip dub to the track.[18][19][20] Released around the ten year anniversary of the Broadway musical, re-enactments of the clip began to trend on TikTok and other short video platforms.[21][22][19][23] Many of the recreations featured gender flipped portrayals.[24]
At a screening of the film version of the musical, in September 2025, actors Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo re-enacted the trend in the audience.[25][26][27] Soo had also recreated it at a pre-screening photoshoot.[28]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[29] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Massie, Allan (August 26, 2016). "Best of Wives and Best of Women". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Evans, Suzy (August 9, 2016). "New York Stage and Film's Developmental Juggling Act". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ (Travis 2017, p. 27)
- ^ (Travis 2017, p. 31)
- ^ Henriques, Peter R. "Death Wish?". American History. 53 (1 - Apr2018): 34–41. ISSN 1076-8866 – via Ebscohost.
- ^ Gaynor, Michael J. (June 6, 2018). "Be like Hamilton: Get your education". The Washington Post – via Ebscohost.
- ^ "Hamilton: Act 2: Best of Wives and Best of Women — Summary & Analysis". LitCharts.com.
- ^ (Travis 2017, p. 62)
- ^ thatiranianphantom. "Post by @thatiranianphantom". Tumblr. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Beuriot, Juliette (2018). "Hamilton: A Diverse Musical?". University of Le Havre – via Academia.edu.
- ^ a b Forestal, Jennifer; Philips, Menaka (August 6, 2020). "Hamilton and the unsung labors of wives". The Washington Post.
- ^ Hamilton, Alexander. "Founders Online: Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Hamilton, [4 July 1804]". Archives.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Wurzburger, Andrea (July 8, 2020). "10 Historical Easter Eggs from Hamilton You Might Have Missed". People.com – via Ebscohost.
- ^ "Best of Wives and Best of Women Lyrics". AllMusicals.com. August 2025.
- ^ (Travis 2017, p. 67)
- ^ Romano, Aja (June 8, 2016). "45 artists illustrated every song in Hamilton, and the results are stunning". Vox. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ "#Ham4Pamphlet: 45 Illustrators Draw the 46 Tracks of "Hamilton"". Arielle Jovellanos. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ O'Mongain, Colm (September 11, 2015). "When 16 year old Zoe uploaded a silly Hamilton-inspired TikTok from her Granny's house at 2am back in July ... #Liveline". RTÉ Radio – via Facebook.
- ^ a b "A TikTok Trend That Gets at the Complex Legacy of 'Hamilton'". September 10, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ ""Alexander Come Back to Sleep" Trend / Hamilton Window Trend". Know Your Meme. August 12, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Donaldson, Clare (August 7, 2025). "The 'Hamilton' Trend Having Women Sneak Out of Their Houses". Daily Beast. New York State – via Ebscohost MasterFILE.
- ^ Lin-Manuel Miranda and Phillipa Soo React to Hamilton TikTok Trend #linmanuelmiranda #phillipasoo. ET. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via YouTube.com.
- ^ Silva, Christianna (August 11, 2025). "'Hamilton' TikTok trend goes viral as musical marks 10th anniversary". Mashable. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Katz, Leslie. "TikTok 'Hamilton' Trend Has Women Squeezing Out Of Windows And Dog Doors". Forbes.com. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Wright, Joshua. "Video: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Phillipa Soo Recreate Viral HAMILTON Trend". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ Burke, Sammi (September 4, 2025). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Is a 'Total Delight' in 'Brilliant' Take on 'Hamilton' Trend". Parade. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ "How can he sleep on a night like this?". Hamilton. September 4, 2025 – via Facebook.
- ^ History has its eyes on Phillipa Soo at the world premiere of #Hamilton ⭐️ Get your tickets now at the link in bio! (video). Fandango Media. September 2025 – via TikTok.
- ^ "American single certifications – ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST OF HAMILTON – Best of Wives and Best of Women". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ Fierberg, Ruthie (June 26, 2023). "'Hamilton' cast recording becomes first Broadway album certified diamond". Broadway News. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
Sources
- Travis, Matthew L. (April 21, 2017). "Hamilton: A Musical Analysis of Ensemble Function" (PDF). University of Connecticut.
External links
- Zoe Coyle (July 23, 2025). #bestofwivesandbestofwomen #hamilton #hamiltonmusical #foryoupage #linmanuelmiranda #alexanderhamilton #fyp (video). — original TikTok video by user actuallyhamilt0n
- Compilation of the meme involving children from the Hamilton official Facebook