Do you know who the f*ck I am? It was safe to say most fans at The Decemberists‘ concert on Tuesday at SummerStage in Central Park recognized special guest Lin Manuel-Miranda when he came out during the band’s encore. Together they played “Ben Franklin’s Song”, one of the tracks featured on the 2017 Hamildrops compilation of songs that didn’t make it into the sensational 2015 musical.
Ahead of the performance—and prior to Manuel-Miranda’s entrance from stage left—Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy warned the audience, many of whom brought small children, that the next song contained “extremely vulgar” language. “The one saving grace is that I am not responsible for the lyrics,” he said. “I just wrote the music.” The lyrics, he explained, were written by Lin Manuel-Miranda, who had yet to reveal himself from the wings. The words were leftover from Hamilton and since Manuel-Miranda couldn’t figure out a way to fit them into Ben Franklin’s mouth, he tried Colin Meloy’s.
Following the release of Hamilton, Lin Manuel-Miranda traded the Broadway stage for high-profile, cross-genre collaborations with an array of popular artists and personalities. In addition to The Decemberists’ version of “Ben Franklin’s song”, the Hamildrops series also hosted contributions from “Weird Al” Yankovic, Nas, and even former President Barack Obama.
Watch The Decemberists perform “Ben Franklin’s Song” with Lin Manuel-Miranda in Central Park on Tuesday. The Decemberists’ Arise From The Bunkers Tour winds down this weekend with shows at The Met Philadelphia (8/25), Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (8/27), and finally Atlanta’s The Tabernacle (8/28), with Jake Xerxes Fussell as support. Visit the band’s website for tickets.
The Decemberists, Lin Manuel-Miranda – “Ben Franklin’s Song” – 8/23/22
[Video: Larry Rulz 5]