You'll Be Back

In the book Hamilton: The Revolution, Miranda says that he went for a drink with Hugh Laurie after filming their 2009 episodes of Laurie's series House, in which Miranda guest starred. "I told him I wanted to write a breakup letter from King George to the colonies," Miranda writes. "Without blinking, he improv'd at me, 'Awwww, you'll be back,' wagging his finger. I laughed and filed it away. Thanks, Hugh Laurie."{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=Erin |title=12 Excellent Lyrical Annotations from Hamilton: The Revolution |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78478/12-excellent-lyrical-annotations-hamilton-revolution |website=Mental Floss |language=en |date=April 12, 2016 |access-date=December 26, 2019 |archive-date=December 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226190408/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78478/12-excellent-lyrical-annotations-hamilton-revolution |url-status=live }}

The song was featured in a 2016 Ham4Ham clip in which Jimmy Fallon sang the song through various musical impersonations.{{Cite web |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=2016-01-21 |title=Watch Jimmy Fallon Sing 'Hamilton' Track as McCartney, Bowie |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/watch-jimmy-fallon-sing-hamilton-track-as-mccartney-jagger-bowie-238954/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043733/http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/watch-jimmy-fallon-sing-hamilton-track-as-mccartney-jagger-bowie-20160121 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} Fallon covered it once again as a part of The Hamilton Mixtape.

The song was covered by Callum Howells in a 2017 episode of Let It Shine, airing on BBC One.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v6m_qeR5Ew|title=Callum Howells performs 'You'll Be Back' from the musical Hamilton - Let It Shine - BBC One|via=www.youtube.com|access-date=July 10, 2020|archive-date=September 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904221625/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v6m_qeR5Ew|url-status=live}}

The song briefly appears as an Easter egg in a scene from the film adaptation of Miranda's earlier musical In the Heights, where it is used as hold music for a phone call.

King George III is dismayed by the American War of Independence and expresses his belief that the American Colonists will crawl back to the British Empire once their rebellion is quashed.

The melody is reprised twice in the play for King George's other two numbers: "What Comes Next?", in which the king ultimately refuses to help the recently freed United States if it struggles with its independent leadership; and "I Know Him", in which the king seems concerned that John Adams will not be as effective a president as George Washington was, before expressing disdainful amusement at the thought of the United States becoming divided over Adams' leadership.

While the majority of songs in the musical Hamilton are in the genre of hip-hop, R&B, or soul, this one is described by Vibe as being in the style of the Beatles.{{cite web |last=Woods |first=Monesha |date=October 20, 2015 |title=Going H.A.M.: A Track-By-Track Review Of The 'Hamilton' Soundtrack |url=http://www.vibe.com/2015/10/hamilton-soundtrack-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321125057/http://www.vibe.com/2015/10/hamilton-soundtrack-review/ |archive-date=March 21, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2016 |work=Vibe}} Vulture described it as "a Carnaby Street breakup song not unlike 'With a Little Help From My Friends'",{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2015/02/theater-review-lin-manuel-mirandas-hamilton.html|title=Theater Review: Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton -- Vulture|work=Vulture|author=Jesse Green|date=February 17, 2015|access-date=March 13, 2016|archive-date=September 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926091547/http://www.vulture.com/2015/02/theater-review-lin-manuel-mirandas-hamilton.html|url-status=live}} and The New York Times deemed it "chiming '60s Britpop".

Vibe deemed it a "sunny, playful take on the airing of grievances". The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the "melodically rich number" has "sardonic humor".{{cite web |author=Scheck |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Scheck |date=August 6, 2015 |title=Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'Hamilton': Theater Review |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lin-manuel-mirandas-hamilton-theater-813145 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320091522/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/lin-manuel-mirandas-hamilton-theater-813145 |archive-date=March 20, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2016 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}} The Daily Review wrote that any Australian thinking about the possibility of a republic will thoroughly enjoy King George's "bemoaning" of the revolutionary war.{{cite web |last=Perrett |first=Janine |author-link=Janine Perrett |date=February 4, 2016 |title=Hamilton: the first 'new' musical of the 21st century |url=http://dailyreview.com.au/hamilton-the-first-new-musical-of-the-21st-century/36252 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314031528/http://dailyreview.com.au/hamilton-the-first-new-musical-of-the-21st-century/36252 |archive-date=March 14, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2016 |work=Daily Review: film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more}} The New York Times deemed it "sneering yet wonderfully breezy".{{cite web |last=Tommasini |first=Anthony |author-link=Anthony Tommasini |last2=Caramanica |first2=Jon |author-link2=Jon Caramanica |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Exploring 'Hamilton' and Hip-Hop Steeped in Heritage |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/theater/exploring-hamilton-and-hip-hop-steeped-in-heritage.html |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226205037/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/30/theater/exploring-hamilton-and-hip-hop-steeped-in-heritage.html? |archive-date=December 26, 2016 |access-date=March 3, 2017 |work=The New York Times}} The American Conservative praised it as a "brilliant... creepy stalker ballad".{{cite web |last=Tushnet |first=Eve |author-link=Eve Tushnet |date=January 4, 2016 |title='Hamilton' and the Romance of Government |url=http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/hamilton-and-the-romance-of-government/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311033629/http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/hamilton-and-the-romance-of-government/ |archive-date=March 11, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2016 |work=The American Conservative}}

Alexander Hamilton biographer Ron Chernow said, "I can remember laughing uproariously when [Lin] first sent me King George III's satirical song to the colonists, 'You'll Be Back.'"{{cite web |last=Rosen |first=Jody |author-link=Jody Rosen |date=July 8, 2015 |title=The American Revolutionary |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/08/t-magazine/hamilton-lin-manuel-miranda-roots-sondheim.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617013314/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/08/t-magazine/hamilton-lin-manuel-miranda-roots-sondheim.html |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |access-date=March 3, 2017 |work=The New York Times}}

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|award=Gold|artist=Jonathan Groff/Hamilton Cast|title=You'll be Back|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|id=16761-5408-1|access-date=11 August 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|artist=Original Broadway Cast Of Hamilton|title=You'll Be Back|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|access-date=June 24, 2023}}

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Category:Songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda