Hadestown cast recordings
The musical Hadestown, written by American singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and based on her 2010 studio album of the same name, has had two official cast recordings. In addition, various songs from Hadestown were re-recorded by Mitchell for her 2014 studio album Xoa, including the musical's opening number "Anyway the Wind Blows" which had not appeared on the original concept album. The song "Why We Build the Wall" has been covered by a variety of artists including English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg for his 2017 EP Bridges Not Walls, Ben Fisher, Ben Dunham, Lilli Lewis, and Robert Neustadt.
Live Original Cast Recording
| Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Live Original Cast Recording) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cast recording by Hadestown Original Cast | |
| Released | October 6, 2017 |
| Recorded | June 28–29, 2016 |
| Studio | New York Theatre Workshop |
| Genre | Showtunes, Folk, jazz |
| Label | Ghostlight Records, Parlophone Records |
Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Live Original Cast Recording) is the cast album of the 2016 Off-Broadway production at New York Theatre Workshop. It was released digitally and on CD on October 6, 2017 through Ghostlight Records and Parlophone Records.[1] A four-track EP containing live recordings of "Way Down Hadestown," "All I've Ever Known," "Wait For Me," and "Why We Build the Wall" entitled Why We Build The Wall (Selections from Hadestown. The Myth. The Musical. Live Original Cast Recording) was released for digital retailers on October 13, 2016 in promotion of the album.[2] The live album was recorded from the June 28 and 29, 2016 performances.[3] The recording does not contain every song from the production. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard Cast Albums chart.[4]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Anaïs Mitchell.
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Road to Hell (Live)" | Chris Sullivan, Hadestown Original Cast | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Livin' It Up On Top (Live)" | Amber Gray, Chris Sullivan, Damon Daunno, Hadestown Original Cast | 3:52 |
| 3. | "All I've Ever Known (Live)" | Nabiyah Be, Damon Daunno | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Way Down Hadestown (Live)" | Chris Sullivan, Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Damon Daunno, Nabiyah Be, Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Hadestown Original Cast | 4:55 |
| 5. | "Epic II (Live)" | Damon Daunno, Hadestown Original Cast | 2:46 |
| 6. | "Chant (Live)" | Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be, Damon Daunno, Hadestown Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub, Original Cast | 5:27 |
| 7. | "Hey Little Songbird (Live)" | Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be | 3:47 |
| 8. | "When the Chips are Down (Live)" | Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub | 2:34 |
| 9. | "Gone I'm Gone (Live)" | Nabiyah Be, Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub | 1:33 |
| 10. | "Wait For Me (Live)" | Damon Daunno, Chris Sullivan, Hadestown Original Cast | 2:48 |
| 11. | "Why We Build the Wall (Live)" | Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be, Chris Sullivan, Hadestown Original Cast | 5:04 |
| 12. | "Our Lady of the Underground (Live)" | Amber Gray, Hadestown Original Cast | 5:29 |
| 13. | "Way Down Hadestown II (Live)" | Chris Sullivan, Nabiyah Be, Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub | 4:18 |
| 14. | "Chant II (Live)" | Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Chris Sullivan, Nabiyah Be, Damon Daunno, Hadestown Original Cast | 5:05 |
| 15. | "Epic III (Live)" | Damon Daunno, Patrick Page, Hadestown Original Cast | 5:17 |
| 16. | "Word to the Wise (Live)" | Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub | 0:54 |
| 17. | "His Kiss the Riot (Live)" | Patrick Page | 3:49 |
| 18. | "Promises (Live)" | Nabiyah Be, Patrick Page, Hadestown Original Cast | 3:29 |
| 19. | "Wait For Me II (Live)" | Chris Sullivan, Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be, Hadestown Original Cast | 2:10 |
| 20. | "Doubt Comes In (Live)" | Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub, Damon Daunno, Nabiyah Be | 3:33 |
| 21. | "Road to Hell II (Live)" | Chris Sullivan, Amber Gray, Hadestown Original Cast | 3:12 |
Original Broadway Cast Recording
| Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording) | |
|---|---|
| Cast recording by Hadestown Original Broadway Cast | |
| Released | July 26, 2019 |
| Genre | Showtunes, Folk, jazz |
| Length | 2:02:38 |
| Label | Sing It Again |
Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is the official recording of the Broadway production of Hadestown. It was originally announced to be released on June 7, 2019 on all major digital and streaming platforms, but on May 31 it was revealed that due to delays in production only a selection of music would be released on that date, with the rest of the cast album released in "character drops" over the course of the next few weeks, with the full album available on July 26.[5][6] A compact disc and vinyl release followed on November 1 and November 29, 2019 respectively.[7] Unlike the original live recording, the Broadway cast recording contains the complete score. The 40-track recording won Best Musical Theater Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[8]
Promotion
The first drop on June 7, 2019 contained the songs "Livin' It Up on Top," "When the Chips are Down Intro," "When the Chips are Down," "Gone, I'm Gone," "Wait For Me Intro," "Wait For Me," "Why We Build the Wall," "Why We Build the Wall Outro," "Our Lady of the Underground," "Flowers," and "Road to Hell (Reprise)." The second drop, themed around Hades and Persephone, was released on June 28 and featured "Way Down Hadestown," "Hey, Little Songbird," "Papers Intro," "Papers Instrumental," "How Long?," "Chant (Reprise)," and "We Raise Our Cups." The third drop on July 12 was themed around Hermes, The Fates, and the Workers' Chorus and featured "Road to Hell," "Chant," "A Gathering Storm," "Way Down Hadestown (Reprise)," "Nothing Changes," "Word to the Wise," "Wait for Me (Reprise) Intro," and "Wait For Me (Reprise)." The final character drop on July 26 was themed around Orpheus and Eurydice and contained the remaining songs from the cast album.[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Anaïs Mitchell.
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Road to Hell" | André De Shields & Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 5:17 |
| 2. | "Any Way the Wind Blows" | Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, & Kay Trinidad | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Come Home with Me" | Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, André De Shields, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, Kimberly Marable, John Krause, & Ahmad Simmons | 1:47 |
| 4. | "Wedding Song" | Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, John Krause, Ahmad Simmons, & Kimberly Marable | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Epic I" | Reeve Carney & André De Shields | 3:12 |
| 6. | "Livin' It Up on Top" | Amber Gray, André De Shields, Reeve Carney, & Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 5:29 |
| 7. | "All I've Ever Known ("In spite of herself...") [Intro]" | André De Shields | 0:40 |
| 8. | "All I've Ever Known" | Eva Noblezada & Reeve Carney | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Way Down Hadestown" | Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 5:00 |
| 10. | "A Gathering Storm" | André De Shields, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, & Kay Trinidad | 1:34 |
| 11. | "Epic II" | Reeve Carney | 2:26 |
| 12. | "Chant" | Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 6:31 |
| 13. | "Hey, Little Songbird" | Patrick Page & Eva Noblezada | 3:36 |
| 14. | "When the Chips are Down ("Songbird vs. rattlesnake...") [Intro]" | André De Shields | 0:20 |
| 15. | "When the Chips are Down" | Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad, & Eva Noblezada | 2:14 |
| 16. | "Gone, I'm Gone" | Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, & Kay Trinidad | 1:42 |
| 17. | "Wait for Me ("Hey, The big artiste...") [Intro]" | André De Shields & Reeve Carney | 1:31 |
| 18. | "Wait for Me" | André De Shields, Reeve Carney, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad, Timothy Hughes, Malcolm Armwood, Jessie Shelton, Kimberly Marable, Khaila Wilcoxon, Ahmad Simmons, Afra Hines, T. Oliver Reid, & John Krause | 3:34 |
| 19. | "Why We Build the Wall" | Patrick Page & Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 4:02 |
| 20. | "Why We Build the Wall ("Behind closed doors...") [Outro]" | André De Shields | 0:57 |
| 21. | "Our Lady of the Underground" | Amber Gray | 5:24 |
| 22. | "Way Down Hadestown (Reprise)" | André De Shields, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad, Eva Noblezada, Timothy Hughes, Malcolm Armwood, Jessie Shelton, Kimberly Marable, Khaila Wilcoxon, Ahmad Simmons, Afra Hines, T. Oliver Reid, & John Krause | 3:50 |
| 23. | "Flowers" | Eva Noblezada | 3:32 |
| 24. | "Come Home with Me (Reprise)" | Reeve Carney & Eva Noblezada | 1:01 |
| 25. | "Papers (Intro)" | Patrick Page, Amber Gray, André De Shields, Eva Noblezada, & Reeve Carney | 1:53 |
| 26. | "Papers (Instrumental)" | Hadestown Original Broadway Band | 1:14 |
| 27. | "Nothing Changes" | Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, & Kay Trinidad | 1:14 |
| 28. | "If it's True" | Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, John Krause, Kimberly Marable, & Ahmad Simmons | 4:13 |
| 29. | "How Long?" | Amber Gray & Patrick Page | 3:41 |
| 30. | "Chant (Reprise)" | Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 4:01 |
| 31. | "Epic III" | Reeve Carney & Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 5:51 |
| 32. | "Epic III (Intro) [Instrumental]" | Hadestown Original Broadway Band | 1:39 |
| 33. | "Promises" | Eva Noblezada & Reeve Carney | 2:43 |
| 34. | "Word to the Wise" | Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, & Kay Trinidad | 1:20 |
| 35. | "His Kiss, The Riot" | Patrick Page | 3:05 |
| 36. | "Wait for Me ("If you wanna walk out of hell...") [Intro] [Reprise]" | André De Shields, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, Kimberly Marable, John Krause, & Ahmad Simmons | 1:36 |
| 37. | "Wait for Me (Reprise)" | André De Shields & Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 3:12 |
| 38. | "Doubt Comes In" | Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad, Afra Hines, John Krause, Kimberly Marable, Timothy Hughes, & Ahmad Simmons | 4:51 |
| 39. | "Road to Hell (Reprise)" | André De Shields & Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 5:00 |
| 40. | "We Raise Our Cups" | Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, & Hadestown Original Broadway Company | 2:05 |
Charts
| Charts (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 (Billboard)[10] | 49 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[11] | 4 |
| US Cast Albums (Billboard)[12] | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2019) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Cast Albums[13] | 6 |
References
- "Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Live Original Cast Recording) by Hadestown Original Cast". Apple Music. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- "Why We Build the Wall (EP - Selections from Hadestown. The Myth. The Musical. Live Original Cast Recording)". Apple Music. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- Levitt, Hayley (June 29, 2019). "Hadestown to Record Live Cast Album at New York Theatre Workshop". Theatermania. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- "Cast Albums". Billboard Biz. October 28, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- McHenry, Jackson. "Hadestown First Listen: Hear 3 Songs From the New Broadway Cast Recording". Vulture. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- @anaismitchell (1 June 2019). "David! We got deep into editing & mixing these (beautiful! epic!) performances and realized we just need more time! We care sooooo much about this music and we know you do too— thank you for your patience from the bottom of our hearts! It will be worth the wait! 🦄🦄🦄" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Culwell-Block, Logan (September 17, 2019). "Hadestown Broadway Cast Recording Sets Dates for CD and Vinyl Releases". Playbill. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- "2020 Grammy Nominees". grammy.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- "Character Drop Announcement". Hadestown Official Instagram. June 4, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- "Billboard 200 chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- "Independent Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- "Cast Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- "Cast Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2019.