{"id":28172,"date":"2017-12-15T07:59:29","date_gmt":"2017-12-15T15:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/?p=28172"},"modified":"2017-12-15T08:03:59","modified_gmt":"2017-12-15T16:03:59","slug":"for-hamilton-fans-listen-to-the-decemberists-perform-ben-franklins-song-by-lin-manuel-miranda-colin-meloy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/2017-12\/for-hamilton-fans-listen-to-the-decemberists-perform-ben-franklins-song-by-lin-manuel-miranda-colin-meloy\/","title":{"rendered":"For Hamilton Fans: Listen to The Decemberists Perform “Ben Franklin’s Song” By Lin-Manuel Miranda\/Colin Meloy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For the insatiable fans of\u00a0Hamilton<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and The\u00a0Decemberists<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(and they are legion), Lin-Manuel Miranda<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and The Decemberists<\/strong> have today announced The Decemberists’<\/strong> opening salvo, Ben Franklin’s Song<\/strong><\/em>, for\u00a0The Hamildrops<\/em><\/strong>. The Hamildrops<\/strong><\/em> will consist of new\u00a0Hamilton<\/em><\/strong> content being released every month from now until December 2018.<\/p>\n

The Decemberists<\/strong> explain the project thus:<\/p>\n

“Well, it happens that Mr. [Lin-Manuel] Miranda reached out to our own Colin Meloy to put music to a set of lyrics that had been written for HAMILTON but had never been used: a first-person introduction to one of the US\u2019s founding fathers, Mr. Benjamin Franklin. Lin said that he\u2019d wanted to include Franklin as a character in the show initially, but it just never quite worked \u2014 something about not wanting to remove the audience more than once from the action taking place in our nascent United States. Funnily enough, he said he\u2019d imagined Franklin singing in a sort of Decemberist-y way, whatever that means. FAST FORWARD TO 2016: Lin passed on the lyrics to Colin, who was very much up to the task, and a new song was born: BEN FRANKLIN\u2019S SONG, to be exact. We really like it. It\u2019s very swear-y, but there\u2019s a clean version too.<\/p>\n

We hope you like it. It was a lot of fun to write and record. If you\u2019re a HAMILTON fan, we hope it will add a new dimension to the world of the show for you \u2014 but you can also just enjoy it as a history lesson. Franklin invented bifocals, you know. And the glass harmonica. WHAT A F***ING GUY.<\/p>\n

Yours,
\nThe Decemberists”<\/p>\n

Listen below (to the “clean” version) on Spotify or pick your poison HERE<\/strong><\/a>. Once again, The Decemberists<\/strong> have acquitted themselves beautifully with Ben Franklin’s Song<\/strong><\/em>. The melody and playing are quintessential Decemberists<\/strong>. Miranda’s<\/strong> intelligent, oft-hilarious lyrics are at bottom.<\/p>\n