Sit Down, John

"Sit Down, John" is the opening number of the 1969 musical 1776 , a dramatization of the debate over and signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. In the song, John Adams is seen making the case for independence to the Second Continental Congress, while members of Congress, distracted by the heat of Philadelphia and annoyed by Adams, repeatedly call on him to sit down. The song—primarily performed by William Daniels in the role of Adams in the 1969 original Broadway production and the 1972 film version—introduces the musical's irreverent tone toward the founding fathers. "Sit Down, John" influenced lyrics in and the tone of Hamilton , a 2015 musical in which Adams does not appear but in which he is discussed.

The musical begins with Adams giving a speech alone on stage criticizing the Congress for its unwillingness to vote for independence for the colonies from Great Britain. The curtain then rises to reveal the Congress, who sing "Sit down, John!" The number continues with Adams urging the delegates to the Congress to vote for independence, while the Congress replies with a refrain of "Sit down, John!"^[1] This is interspersed with calls to open a window in the Pennsylvania State House due to the oppressive summer heat, which eventually elicits replies that the window is closed because there are too many flies in Philadelphia.

The song—described by Dan Dietz as a 10-minute operetta number in the style of Mozart ^[2] —introduces Adams as a "ludicrous" foil to the more romantically portrayed Thomas Jefferson and contributed to Adams' portrayal in history as somewhat comical and crotchety.^[3] One scholar interprets the refrain of "Sit down, John!" as a sign of Congressional delegates' panic when considering the full implications of a declaration of independence.^[4]

Peter Stone, who wrote the book for 1776, said later that "[t]he minute you heard ["Sit Down, John"], you knew what the whole show was. . . . You knew immediately that John Adams and the others were not going to be treated as gods or cardboard characters, chopping down cherry trees and flying kites with strings and keys on them. It had this very affectionate familiarity; it wasn't reverential."^[5]

The tone of the song influenced Lin-Manuel Miranda in the writing of Hamilton . "To begin an opening number with everyone telling another guy to shut up—what better way to pull these people that we see on statues and on our currency off of the pedestal? It’s an extraordinary opening number," Miranda said.^[1] Adams does not appear as a character in Hamilton, but he is discussed.^[6] Miranda echoes the refrain of "Sit Down, John" in the Hamilton song "The Adams Administration", in which the title character raps "Sit down, John, you fat motherfu-".^[7]

• Songs from musicals
• 1969 songs
• Songs based on American history

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