Over-Analyzing Six the Musical: Get Down

Over-Analyzing All the Historical References in Six: “Ex Wives,” “No Way,” “Don’t Lose Your Head” “Heart of Stone” “Haus of Holbein” “Get Down”

My last post in this “Over-analyzing All the Historical References in Six” series was in October 2020, so it’s high time for me to keep going and finally finish these up, yeah?

Note: I sourced a LOT of this content from my friend Heather Darsie’s book, Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s ‘Beloved Sister.’ I highly recommend it if you have a chance to read it!

Brittney Mack as Anna of Cleves with the Broadway cast of Six. *Credit: Joan Marcus*

CLEVES: So I guess you already know what happened next. How I came to England hopeful, summoned after the king saw my portrait. And how I, with my meager looks the way they are, didn’t live up to his expectations. I mean, it’s the usual story, isn’t it? The savvy educated young princess deemed repulsive by the wrinkled, wheezing, ulcer-riddled man twenty-four years her senior.

Rejection! Rejection from a king! I mean, how can anyone overcome the fate as devastating as being forced to move into a resplendent palace in Richmond with more money that I could ever spend in a lifetime? And not a single man around to tell me what to do with it. I mean, seriously, it’s just… tragic.

You’ve probably heard the story before - at least the story from Henry VIII’s point of view. King chooses a bride based on her portrait only to be disappointed by her appearance in real life. Henry had actually been trying to get out of the marriage contract since the day he met Anna of Cleves, claiming that he did not find her attractive, but his counselors couldn’t find him a good excuse. So a reluctant Henry married Anna on January 6, 1540, and the next day, he told his advisor Thomas Cromwell “I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse.” He claimed her breasts were saggy and said she had an unpleasant odor.

As Six points out quite rightly, Henry really had no place to talk about Anna’s appearance. Anna was a young woman who most everyone considered pretty. Everyone who saw her and her portrait said it was a good likeness of her, and Henry had chosen her based on that portrait, so he clearly considered her pretty at some point. In contrast, Henry was 25-26 years older than Anna, and had significant ulcers on both legs that were kept open most of the time; these ulcers constantly “wept” and likely were very smelly. At this point, he was in significant chronic pain and had trouble moving around. We know from a set of armor worn by Henry in 1540 that his waist was 51 inches around at this point. As I’ll discuss later, Henry, for one reason or another, was looking for a reason to get out of the marriage. Perhaps Anna offended him personally in other ways. Perhaps the political landscape had changed since the engagement was arranged. Either way, no one ever thought of Anna as repulsive except Henry himself.

Note: The use of the word “princess” isn’t quite accurate here. Anna wasn’t a princess, but the daughter of a Duke and Duchess. Her mother was the last in the line ruling the combined duchies of Jülich and Berg; since women could not hold property in their own right under Salic law, these duchies went to her husband, John III, Duke of Cleves and Mark, when they married. Thus, Anna’s father was Duke of not only his own family’s lands, but ruled as Duke over his wife’s lands as well.

Sittin' here all alone on a throne In a palace that I happen to own
Bring me some pheasant - Keep it on the bone

This song is all set from Anna’s point of view after her marriage was annulled, when she’s off on her own in her own house, enjoying her very nice divorce settlement. Henry likely gave her such a nice settlement partially out of gratitude that she wasn’t kicking up a fuss like Catherine of Aragon had, and partially to keep good relations with her brother, the Duke of Cleves, and his allies. Henry gave Anna the residences of Richmond and Bletchingley, which included houses and parks as well. She also received 8,000 nobles and many gifts, including jewels, pearls, plate, furniture, and hangings. She was officially named “the king’s sister,” and given precedence over all other ladies in England, apart from the King’s own wife and children.

Richmond was built after a previous royal residence, Sheen, burned down in 1497. When Henry VII rebuilt the residence in 1501, he named it Richmond Palace after his title of Earl of Richmond (which actually took its name from Richmond Castle in Yorkshire); the town of Sheen, which had been built up around the manor, changed its name to Richmond around the same time. The palace was placed on the River Thames and lay about nine miles from the Palace of Westminster. Before Anna was given the residence, Henry VIII’s daughter Mary lived there for a while.

Fill my goblet up to the brim Sippin' on mead
and I spill it on my dress with the gold lace trim
Not very prim and proper. Can't make me stop

This song is based off a classic hip hop style of braggadocio, where the singer basically tells you how amazing and rich they are. These songs are often from a male’s point of view, and the positioning of Anna as a woman bragging about her fantastic life is super empowering, particularly since she’s gone down in history as Henry VIII’s “ugly wife.”

Fun fact: The term braggadocio came from the name of a braggart character named Braggadocchio in the Tudor-era epic poem “The Faerie Queen,” by Edmund Spenser which partially praised and partially criticized Elizabeth I.

Anna actually did have a pretty great time post annulment! She was financially well off and had far more freedom living on her own in England than she did living with her brother back in Germany or as Henry’s wife in England. She was one of the highest ranking people in the country as the king’s “beloved sister.” In addition, the people of England really loved her, and she was popular with crowds wherever she went.

We have records indicating that she wore new clothes almost every day, and the French ambassador at the time described her “as joyous as ever.” She also sought licenses to order a huge amount of beer (800 tuns of beer, adding up to about 201,600 gallons) and export it, presumably for income.

Six’s portrayal of Anna as living the best life ever and having no regrets though is…alas, not quite accurate. Anna definitely made the best of her situation, and was probably quite grateful that she avoided the fate of Henry’s first two wives, but it wasn’t her ideal life. Neither Anna nor the people around her would consider her “the lucky one.”

The gold lace trim reference here may refer to the outfit Anna is wearing in her most famous portrait, which is trimmed in orange that could perhaps be read as gold and features gold fabric around the neck line that could be lace.

I wanna go hunting, any takers?
I'm not fake 'cause I've got acres and acres
Paid for with my own riches
Where my hounds at? Release the bitches (Woof)

Anna did hunt when she lived in Germany, although I don’t know if we have any evidence that she hunted in England. Hunting was a very popular past time for nobles then, so it’s quite possible.

And she absolutely did have actual acres of land!

Everyday. Head back for a round of croquet, yeah
'Cause I'm a playa and tomorrow, I'll hit replay

Although croquet as we think of it today did not exist in the 1500s, its predecessor Jeu de Mail may have been around by 1540, when Anna moved to Richmond Palace. Some sources claim it goes back to 1300s France, and while there’s a bit of skepticism about that, most people seem to think it developed in the 15th-16th century.

You, you said that I tricked ya
'Cause I, I didn't look like my profile picture
Too, too bad I don't agree
So I'm gonna hang it up for everyone to see
And you can't stop me 'cause

The chorus continues the musical’s comparison of Anna’s situation to online dating with the description of her portrait as a profile picture.

Although Henry complained to Thomas Cromwell before the wedding “Say what they will, she is nothing so fair as she hath been reported, howbeit she is well and seemly,” there’s no actual evidence indicating that Anna that the portrait was inaccurate. Hans Holbein had been specifically sent by Henry to paint realistic portraits of Anna and her sister, and everyone who had seen her and the portrait agreed it was a good likeness. Holbein himself kept his job with Henry VIII after the annulment and continued to paint portraits for him, strongly indicating that Henry had no problem with the actual painting or the artist who made it.

One theory of what led to Henry VIII’s dislike of Anna derives from what happened at their first meeting. Henry was a bit of a romantic and disguised himself to go surprise Anna earlier than planned; this was in line with courtly love traditions in England of the like that his previous queens and lovers had played along with. The idea was that the female target of such a disguising would somehow intuit the identity of her intended and fall in love with him at first sight. Records indicate that Anna did not know who Henry was and instead, ignored him and treated him like a servant. For a king who had been used to getting what he wanted since childhood, he probably was rather embarrassed.

There are other, political reasons that Henry may not have wanted to get or stay married to Anna. I’m not going to get into those in depth, but they basically have to do with the balance of powers throughout Europe, and those powers’ feelings toward Henry at the time. At one point it made political sense for Henry to marry Anna, as he was short on other allies; later, it made a lot less sense.

I'm the queen of the castle
Get down, you dirty rascal, Get down
Get down, Get down you dirty rascal
Get down, Get down, 'Cause I'm the queen of the castle

The chorus is based on the classic children’s rhyme of “King of the Castle” (which goes back to at least 1850), which adds a fun touch of playfulness to the musical.

When I get bored I go to court
Pull up outside in my carriage Don't got no marriage
So I have a little flirt with the footman As he takes my fur. As you were

Anna really did go to the royal court several times after her annulment. Most famously, she visited Hampton Court for New Year 1541, exchanging significant gifts with Henry VIII’s new queen Katherine Howard at the time.

Anna did relatively well after her marriage to Henry ended, and seemed to be determined to make the best of it, but we have records that she actually wasn’t very happy about it and did want to reunite with the king after Katherine Howard’s execution. She was actually in an impossible situation in a lot of ways. The annulment of her marriage was based on the assertion that she had a valid pre-contract and thus, was already married to another man. This made her married/unmarried status so tenuous that no man would be willing to pursue her as a potential spouse. Anna was very intelligent and would have realized this at the time. Thus, at age 25, Anna had to accept that she was never going to be able to get married or have children. We don’t really know if she wanted those things, but in any case, the choice was completely taken away from her.

As he takes my fur: Cleves' costume in Six actually is trimmed with fake fur! And Tudor winter clothes definitely were lined with fur at times to keep the wearer warm.

Making my way to the dance floor
Some boys making advance - I ignore them
'Cause my jam comes on the lute
Looking cute - Das ist gut

Records indicate that Anna of Cleves and Katherine Howard danced together when Anna visited Hampton Court for New Years’ Day.

Henry VIII loved music and kept a huge number of musicians on staff. Dancing music at court would commonly feature keyboard instruments and lutes.

“Das ist gut” is German for “this is good.”

All eyes on me No criticism
I look more rad than Lutheranism
Dance so hard that I'm causin' a sensation
Okay ladies, let's get in reformation

/sigh/ TL;DR Anna wasn’t really Protestant, but these lyrics are fire so I’ll excuse it.

Longer explanation: A lot of people assume Anna was Lutheran, because she grew up in Germany during the time of the Protestant Reformation. However, Anna’s very devout Catholic mother raised her children as Catholics. Cleves was allied with several Lutheran princes of other areas of Germany in the Schmalkaldic League, and was fairly tolerant of Reformist teachings, but this did not make the rulers of Cleves or Anna herself Protestant. When Anna married Henry, she started following his religious ways (which were themselves not really protestant, but more just “Catholic without a pope”), but later officially returned to Roman Catholicism when her step-daughter Mary I took the throne.

The term “Lutheran” actually was used as early as 1519, although it was originally used as a derogatory reference to follower’s of Martin Luther.

Fun Side Tangent: Henry VIII and Martin Luther kind of battled each other with words for years. Henry authored and published the 1521 tract known as “Assertio Septem Sacramentorum,” which defended Catholic views on sacraments against Martin Luther’s teachings. In it, Henry repeatedly refers to Luther as “little Monk.” Henry’s Assertio was translated into German and was actually pretty popular for a few years there. Luther responded in a 1521 work called “Contra Henricum Regem Anglie,” which mocked Henry quite sarcastically at times. One of my favorite parts is: “Where, pray, did this new God, the King of England, come from, this Creator of new articles of faith? Till now I have heard of but one God with the right to make articles of faith and to require belief in them.” He also just straight up called Henry a frivolous buffoon, so that’s fun. Translation here. Then Thomas More responded that with “Responsio ad Lutherum,” which included such choice insults as “When I began to read [Luther’s Contra Henricum Regem Anglie]—good God, what an ocean of nonsense, what a bottomless pit of madness presented itself.” It was a whole thing. Later, when Luther heard that Henry had broken with the Catholic Church, he was wholly unimpressed, and noted in letters that he believed Henry wasn’t actually a reformer but was pursuing his own desires instead.

“Okay ladies, let’s get in reformation” is a hilarious reference to Beyonce’s “Formation” (the original is “Okay ladies now let’s get in formation”) and the English reformation

[Chorus]

Now I ain't sayin' I'm a gold digger but check my prenup, and go figure

Strong reference to Kanye West’s “Gold Digger.” The original line goes “Now I ain’t saying she a gold digger,” and a later line in the song says “If you ain't no punk holla, ‘We want prenup!’”

Got gold chains - Symbolic of my faith to the higher power
In the fast lane - My horses can trot up to 12 miles an hour
Let me explain - I'm a wiener schnitzel, not an English flower
No one tells me I need a rich man
Doin' my thing in my palace in Richmond

Gold chain necklaces are often worn and referenced in songs as a way to brag about wealth. I like that in the middle of this bragging song, Anna takes a break to reference her actual religious faith.

My horses can trot up to 12 miles an hour: this plays off braggadocio songs, which sometimes reference fast cars. This line also probably is a playful reference to a cars' “horsepower” (motor lower). I read online that the average horse-drawn carriage can go up to 15 miles an hour, so this is a pretty realistic number actually.

Wiener schnitzel - wiener schnitzel refers to a type of schnitzel (a thin slice of meat, usually prepared by pounding) from Vienna, not Germany, so this is actually …a weird lyrical choice. In addition, wiener schnitzel didn’t show up in records until 1831, so it almost certainly didn’t exist in Tudor times.

English flower- Beautiful English women are often referred to as English roses.

“No one tells me I need a rich man” is a reference to a famous quote by Cher. "My mom said to me, 'You know sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man. And I said, 'Mom, I am a rich man.'“

[Chorus, various repeated lines]

It’s Anna of Cleves

By dropping her own name at the end of the song, Cleves references yet another hip-hop trope popular in braggadocio that has been more recently picked up by pop artists (see: 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj, Usher, Britney Spears, Jason Derulo).

All My Six Posts!
Over-Analyzing All the Historical References in Six- “Ex Wives,” “No Way,” “Don’t Lose Your Head” “Heart of Stone” “Haus of Holbein” “Get Down”
The Tudor Crown Inspiration in Six’s Logo; The Tudor Fashion Elements of the Costumes in Six (with Painting References)
Six the Musical Wives 1-3: Historical and Modern Costume Inspirations; Six the Musical Wives 4-6: Historical and Modern Costume Inspirations
The Ladies in Waiting of Six: Historical Inspirations and Costumes; Details from Six Costumer Gabriella Slade’s Instagram Takeover
The Early Costumes of Six the Musical: From Edinburgh to Cambridge to London
Updated Six the Musical Costumes for Broadway!; The Shoes of Six the Musical
The Alternate Costumes of Six the Musical; How the Six Alternates Change Their Styling for Each Queen
Virtual Dance Workshops and Q&As with Different Six Cast Members!