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
ReleasedOctober 6, 2017
RecordedJune 28–29, 2016
StudioNew York Theatre Workshop
GenreShowtunes, Folk, jazz
LabelGhostlight 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.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Road to Hell (Live)"Chris Sullivan, Hadestown Original Cast2:48
2."Livin' It Up On Top (Live)"Amber Gray, Chris Sullivan, Damon Daunno, Hadestown Original Cast3:52
3."All I've Ever Known (Live)"Nabiyah Be, Damon Daunno2:43
4."Way Down Hadestown (Live)"Chris Sullivan, Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Damon Daunno, Nabiyah Be, Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Hadestown Original Cast4:55
5."Epic II (Live)"Damon Daunno, Hadestown Original Cast2:46
6."Chant (Live)"Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be, Damon Daunno, Hadestown Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub, Hadestown Original Cast5:27
7."Hey Little Songbird (Live)"Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be3:47
8."When the Chips are Down (Live)"Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub2:34
9."Gone I'm Gone (Live)"Nabiyah Be, Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub1:33
10."Wait For Me (Live)"Damon Daunno, Chris Sullivan, Hadestown Original Cast2:48
11."Why We Build the Wall (Live)"Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be, Chris Sullivan, Hadestown Original Cast5:04
12."Our Lady of the Underground (Live)"Amber Gray, Hadestown Original Cast5:29
13."Way Down Hadestown II (Live)"Chris Sullivan, Nabiyah Be, Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub4:18
14."Chant II (Live)"Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Chris Sullivan, Nabiyah Be, Damon Daunno, Hadestown Original Cast5:05
15."Epic III (Live)"Damon Daunno, Patrick Page, Hadestown Original Cast5:17
16."Word to the Wise (Live)"Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub0:54
17."His Kiss the Riot (Live)"Patrick Page3:49
18."Promises (Live)"Nabiyah Be, Damon Daunno, Hadestown Original Cast3:29
19."Wait For Me II (Live)"Chris Sullivan, Amber Gray, Patrick Page, Nabiyah Be, Hadestown Original Cast2:10
20."Doubt Comes In (Live)"Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, Shaina Taub, Damon Daunno, Nabiyah Be3:33
21."Road to Hell II (Live)"Chris Sullivan, Amber Gray, Hadestown Original Cast3:12

Original Broadway Cast Recording

Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Cast recording by
Hadestown Original Broadway Cast
ReleasedJuly 26, 2019
GenreShowtunes, Folk, Jazz, Americana
Length2:02:38
LabelSing It Again
Producer
  • Mara Isaacs
  • David Lai
  • Anaïs Mitchell
  • Todd Sickafoose

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.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Road to Hell"André De Shields and Hadestown Original Broadway Company5:17
2."Any Way the Wind Blows"Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer and Kay Trinidad3:45
3."Come Home with Me"Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, André De Shields, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, Kimberly Marable, John Krause and Ahmad Simmons1:47
4."Wedding Song"Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, John Krause, Ahmad Simmons and Kimberly Marable3:33
5."Epic I"Reeve Carney and André De Shields3:12
6."Livin' It Up on Top"Amber Gray, André De Shields, Reeve Carney and Hadestown Original Broadway Company5:29
7."All I've Ever Known (Intro) ("In spite of herself...")"André De Shields0:40
8."All I've Ever Known"Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney4:03
9."Way Down Hadestown"Hadestown Original Broadway Company5:00
10."A Gathering Storm"André De Shields, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer and Kay Trinidad1:34
11."Epic II"Reeve Carney2:26
12."Chant"Hadestown Original Broadway Company6:31
13."Hey, Little Songbird"Patrick Page and Eva Noblezada3:36
14."When the Chips Are Down (Intro) ("Songbird vs. rattlesnake...")"André De Shields0:20
15."When the Chips Are Down"Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad and Eva Noblezada2:14
16."Gone, I'm Gone"Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer and Kay Trinidad1:42
17."Wait for Me (Intro) ("Hey, the big artiste...")"André De Shields and Reeve Carney1:31
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 and John Krause3:34
19."Why We Build the Wall"Patrick Page and Hadestown Original Broadway Company4:02
20."Why We Build the Wall (Outro) ("Behind closed doors...")"André De Shields0:57
21."Our Lady of the Underground"Amber Gray5:24
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 and John Krause3:50
23."Flowers"Eva Noblezada3:32
24."Come Home with Me (Reprise)"Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada1:01
25."Papers (Intro) ("You're not from around here, son...")"Patrick Page, Amber Gray, André De Shields, Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney1:53
26."Papers (Instrumental)"Hadestown Original Broadway Band1:14
27."Nothing Changes"Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer and Kay Trinidad1:14
28."If It's True"Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, John Krause, Kimberly Marable and Ahmad Simmons4:13
29."How Long?"Amber Gray and Patrick Page3:41
30."Chant (Reprise)"Hadestown Original Broadway Company4:01
31."Epic III"Reeve Carney and Hadestown Original Broadway Company5:51
32."Epic III (Instrumental) ("They danced...")"Hadestown Original Broadway Band1:39
33."Promises"Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney2:43
34."Word to the Wise"Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer and Kay Trinidad1:20
35."His Kiss, the Riot"Patrick Page3:05
36."Wait for Me (Reprise) (Intro) ("If you wanna walk out of hell...")"André De Shields, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, Kimberly Marable, John Krause and Ahmad Simmons1:36
37."Wait for Me (Reprise)"André De Shields and Hadestown Original Broadway Company3:12
38."Doubt Comes In"Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad, Afra Hines, John Krause, Kimberly Marable, Timothy Hughes and Ahmad Simmons4:51
39."Road to Hell (Reprise)"André De Shields and Hadestown Original Broadway Company5:00
40."We Raise Our Cups"Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada and Hadestown Original Broadway Company2:05

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
Chart (2020) Position
US Cast Albums[14] 4

If the Fates Allow: A Hadestown Holiday Album

If the Fates Allow: A Hadestown Holiday Album
Cast recording by
Various Artists
ReleasedNovember 20, 2020
Genre
Length56:40
Label
Producer
  • David Lai
  • Todd Sickafoose
  • Liam Robinson
  • Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer

If the Fates Allow: A Hadestown Holiday Album is a Christmas album by the Original Broadway Cast of Hadestown that was released on November 20, 2020 through Broadway Records. Principal vocals were provided by Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad, and Jewelle Blackman, with additional appearances from the rest of the cast. The album features "beloved holiday classics as well as songs composed by Gonzalez-Nacer, Hadestown’s Tony-winning songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, and Hadestown music director Liam Robinson".[15]

Track listing

All songs performed by Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, and Kay Trinidad.[16]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Thank God It's Christmas" (featuring Hadestown Original Broadway Company)
4:22
2."Sleigh Ride"
3:52
3."Come Healing" (featuring Patrick Page)
3:43
4."Song of the Magi"Anaïs Mitchell4:02
5."Low How a Rose E'er Blooming"Traditional4:41
6."Purple Snowflakes"Marvin Gaye3:31
7."Blue Christmas" (featuring André De Shields)
  • Billy Hayes
  • Jay W. Johnson
3:49
8."Winter Song" (featuring Reeve Carney & Eva Noblezada)Sara Bareilles4:08
9."Gift for an Angel"
  • Seth L. Johnson
  • Gonzalez-Nacer
3:49
10."Someday at Christmas"
  • Ron Miller
  • Bryan Wells
3:35
11."The Longest Winter" (featuring Amber Grey)
  • Jean Rohe
  • Liam Robinson
4:31
12."8 Days (Of Hanukkah)"
3:19
13."'Twas the Night"
4:54
14."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
4:24

References

  1. ^ "Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. (Live Original Cast Recording) by Hadestown Original Cast". Apple Music. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Why We Build the Wall (EP - Selections from Hadestown. The Myth. The Musical. Live Original Cast Recording)". Apple Music. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  3. ^ Levitt, Hayley (June 29, 2019). "Hadestown to Record Live Cast Album at New York Theatre Workshop". Theatermania. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "Cast Albums". Billboard Biz. October 28, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  5. ^ McHenry, Jackson (31 May 2019). "Hadestown First Listen: Hear 3 Songs From the New Broadway Cast Recording". Vulture. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  6. ^ @anaismitchell (June 1, 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.
  7. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (September 17, 2019). "Hadestown Broadway Cast Recording Sets Dates for CD and Vinyl Releases". Playbill. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "2020 Grammy Nominees". grammy.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  9. ^ "Character Drop Announcement". Hadestown Official Instagram. June 4, 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Billboard 200 chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  11. ^ "Independent Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  12. ^ "Cast Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  13. ^ "Cast Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  14. ^ "Cast Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Fierberg, Ruthie (October 8, 2020). "The Fates of Hadestown to Release New Holiday Album". Playbill. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  16. ^ "Credits / If the Fates Allow: A Hadestown Holiday Album / Various Artists". Tidal. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
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