Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr. Wrote An Incredibly Powerful Song For One Night In Miami

Regina King's One Night in Miami is a fictionalized look at a historic moment in time: the day before and night after Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) — the fighter who would go on to become Muhammad Ali — defeated Sonny Liston against all odds in Miami, Florida in 1964. The film, however, doesn't focus on the fight. Instead, it centers on a gathering between four legendary figures in Black history, all of whom were in Miami to witness the momentous occasion. Those figures included Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Clay, all of whom met in the Hampton House Hotel. The film is an imagining of what the four men would have discussed, given the era in which they lived.

And the soundtrack is also a testament to the era in which they lived. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Odom Jr. touched on his role in creating the soundtrack. "The producers were always very interested in whomever was cast as Sam [being] the person that would write the song for the movie," he explained. "That they would take that experience of Sam and then [write a song]."

The veteran Hamilton actor and performer created the film's title credits track "Speak Now," which he co-wrote with singer-songwriter Sam Ashworth. Odom Jr. explained the meaning of "Speak Now" to Rolling Stone: "In 'Speak Now,' we’ve called out to young people. It is an urgent call to action."

The soundtrack for One Night in Miami is available to stream now, but in the meantime here's the full track list:

• “Rumble, Young Man, Rumble!” – Terence Blanchard
• “Sam Cooke Comes to Stage / Copacabana Introduction” – One Night in Miami Band
• “Tammy” – Leslie Odom Jr.
• “Howl For Me Daddy” – Terence Blanchard, Keb’ Mo’ and Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball
• “Do Us All Proud” – Terence Blanchard
• “I Believe To My Soul” – One Night in Miami Band
• “Salah Time” – Terence Blanchard
• “I’m King Of The World!” – Terence Blanchard
• “Put Me Down Easy” – Hampton House – Leslie Odom Jr.
• “Put Me Down Easy” – L.C. Cooke
• “Greazee” – Billy Preston
• “Ain’t Yo Stuff Safe Here” – Terence Blanchard
• “Malcolm Looks Out The Window” – Terence Blanchard
• “You Send Me” – Leslie Odom Jr.
• “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” – Leslie Odom Jr.
• “Brother, What Is Going On?” – Terence Blanchard
• “I Wanna Damn Party” – Terence Blanchard
• “Lonely Teardrops” – Jeremy Pope
• “Chain Gang” – Leslie Odom Jr.
• “Good Times” – Leslie Odom Jr.
• “A Change Is Gonna Come” – Leslie Odom Jr.
• “Speak Now” – Leslie Odom Jr.