Songs I Keep On Repeat: 96,000 (In The Heights)

 A while ago I have mentioned how the movie and musical "In The Heights" is a summer favorite of mine. There are so many mentions of the summer heat, the season itself and things associated with summer, and even two songs about selling shaved ice. I am sure I will talk about the show, the movie, its songs, themes and more in the future, but today I wanted to highlight the song "96.000". 

Most of the cast whether it is in the film or the stage show, hear of a winning lottery ticket that sold, to the tune of 96.000. everyone begins to fantasize about what they would do with that amount of money. Each character singing about their dreams, many we have heard about before in the show, or line up with their characters and seems like what they would want. From wanting to start a new life elsewhere, to giving back to the neighborhood and investing in activism, to just wanting to take a break. 

The song is  very high energy with lyrics that are outdated in some ways in the case of the Broadway version but there is plenty of the song that still holds up, and different lyrics in the film version. The lyrics are comedic, light hearted, but also relatable. The instrumentation is very energetic, with great lyrics to match. The song has a great use of solos and the whole ensemble, culminating in a huge finish for the song, making it an well paced, fantastic listen. This song is fun from start to finish, filled to the brim with character. Hearing everyone say their piece on what they would do with the money, whether comedic, or being something the listener can see themself saying themselves or even a mix of both.

Usnavi singing about wanting to get his financials in order, but knowing he needs to work because he can't count on winning the lotto echoing the thoughts he sang about in the opening number, knowing his place in the world it seems, while Benny sings about just wanting to take things easy for a moment. The instrumentals shifting speeds and styles with each character, makes the song move and flow, covering a topic from many different angles and keeps it interesting at the same time. I love how each section lets the character have their own moment to shine, talk to each other, and even share something a little bit more about themselves. 

The visuals of the film make this amazing showing a giant conversation at the pool while every checks their tickets. Showing fantastic choreography and lots of great dynamic shots. This song starts off with just a couple of friends talking and grows into the whole town wanting that cash. Naturally flowing between multiple singers, and styles. Vanessa's moment being slower and expressing her thoughts displayed in "It Won't Be Long Now", then building to the use of whole cast just repeating "96,000" and leading to a great climax in the song, multiple singers at once, a great instrumentation, and ending on an energized note.

This song is paced incredibly well, always changing in such a dynamic way that keeps it interesting. Even the moments where the lyrics repeat fit so well, especially because they are combined with another piece, and help make something familiar yet different. Showing the listener all the pieces and then placing them together, which Lin Manuel Miranda has done well in many instances, including here. 

This song is just great, I love listening to it, relating to some of the lyrics, and just singing along. I love the movies rendition, giving the song great visuals and a great summer setting that fits along with the feeling established in the show. This show fits so much for the summer feeling, and I might need to dive into its themes and even more later. This song is worth at least one listen, I listen to both versions of the song, I just don't sing along to every lyric of the Broadway version. The film rendition using different instrumentation is also performed fantastically, if you are new to the song I recommend listening to this version or even watching the movie. The visuals fitting perfectly. This song is simply great and one I enjoy listening to and will continue to do so, this lottery song is real winning number. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nintendos Music App: First Impressions

 I have not talked about anything gaming-related on here for a while, and I want to change that, amidst movies, shows, music, or whatever I feel like talking about here, I want to bring video games back on the table (Which is also how this blog started). Something that came out of nowhere this past week was Nintendo dropping a music app for NSO (Nintendo Switch Online) members at no cost. There is no AD model or a premium one, it is just the music as is and it comes with your subscription, so far there is music ranging from current Switch titles to Wii Channels and even the NES. Some Mario, Animal Crossing, Kirby, Zelda, and more, so what do I think? Let's download this app and find out!  The app is modeled as a standard music app and works as such. You can mark favorites, make playlists, and extend some songs, not all but some. You can extend a song to 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour, causing one of my minor gripes I will get into later. Overall the presentation of this ap...
Read more

Knockout Tour

 The new Mario Kart game is here, Mario Kart World, and there is plenty to talk about. I want to for now focus on the part of the game that I have been spending the most amount of time on, I have done some racing, and I really enjoy relaxing with the free roam mode,but when I boot up the game there is one mode I can not stop playing. Knockout tour, a battle royale mode where 24 players race through the different tracks trying to get in a certain place or higher, get lower then what is required and that is the end of the race for you. Passing through each check point and eliminating more and more racers until only 4 are left and the exhilarating sprint for first pace is closer then ever before. Using items, drifting, shortcuts, and collecting coins to keep your chosen vehicles acceleration up, all while making sure you are in a good position to not get eliminated means there's plenty to keep in mind, adding to the enjoyable yet frantic nature of this mode.   I can not stop...
Read more

Popcorn Buckets Fascinate Me

 Summer movie season is here, though it began in May with Thunderbolts. The time of year where a new movie is coming out every weekend, from animated hits, to super hero stories, to reboots and sequels. When going to the movies aside from trailers, epic stories, and depending on where you go potentially Nicole Kidman. Of course there is always the option of candy, soda, and the staple of popcorn, but now in recent years that classic movie snack is being presented in so many different ways. The modern movie popcorn bucket, collectors items that have been taking theaters and the internet by storm. I even own a special popcorn bucket and have seen some, from the Dune Sandworm that broke the internet and even caused a SNL parody song, to a hammer from Lord Of The Rings. Whenever a movie is announced and approaches its release now every chain has a popcorn bucket to call its own that you can only find at their establishments. Meaning that with an upcoming film, you can compare buckets b...
Read more