Javert At The Barricade Lyrics - Les Miserables

Song Overview

Song Credits

• Featured: Russell Crowe (Javert), Aaron Tveit (Enjolras), Daniel Huttlestone (Gavroche) plus Paris Student Ensemble
• Producers: Stephen Metcalfe, Lee McCutcheon, Cameron Mackintosh, Anne Dudley, Claude-Michel Schönberg
• Composer: Claude-Michel Schönberg
• Lyricists: Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel (French); Herbert Kretzmer (English)
• Arrangers / Orchestrators: Anne Dudley, Stephen Brooker & Chris Jahnke
• Release Date: December 21 2012 (Deluxe Soundtrack)
• Genre: Cinematic show-tune, symphonic rock-opera
• Key: E-minor
• Tempo: 121 BPM
• Length: 1 min 45 s
• Label: Republic / Universal Republic Records
• Meter: Driving 4/4 with swung quavers
• Instruments: 80-piece orchestra—strings tremolo, martial snare, French horns, low brass stabs, accordion pads
• Mood: Tense, accusatory, knives-out cat-and-mouse
• Poetic meter: Predominantly trochaic tetrameter in Javert’s boasts; Gavroche counters in jaunty anapaests
• Copyright ©: 1980 & 1985 Alain Boublil Music Ltd / Schönberg Music Ltd

Song Meaning and Annotations

The Javert at the Barricade lyrics mark the dramatic fulcrum where espionage crashes head-long into idealism. Schönberg converts tension into syncopated strings that twitch like rifle bolts; brass slides arrive in sarcastic glissandi whenever Javert flaunts “armies to spare.” Kretzmer’s English text keeps the language blunt—“Shoot me now or shoot me later”—so Russell Crowe can deliver it almost as spoken reportage. Aaron Tveit, meanwhile, counters with soaring legato, illustrating Enjolras’s faith in “our people” to out-think raw might.

Film-wise the cue fuses two stage numbers: “Upon These Stones (At the Barricade)” and “Javert’s Arrival.” Tom Hooper’s camera tilts ever-so-slightly, letting sand-bag walls loom like cliffs—visual shorthand for revolution built on shaky ground. Because the 2012 production captured vocals live on set, you can hear Crowe’s breath frosting the winter air whenever he spits out intel, a choice that Anne Dudley layered with whispered pizzicatos to mimic jittery nerves.

Gavroche’s interruption flips the musical script: the child’s melody jumps to C-major, a pocket of street-wise sunshine that humiliates the inspector on the spot. It’s a musical power-shift you can see on Crowe’s face—his hat drops a fraction lower, his consonants harden. The moment lasts nine bars, yet it tips the barricade into tragedy; suspicion becomes verdict, and Javert lands in makeshift jail. From here the score hurtles toward “The First Attack.”

Micro-Motifs

1. Javert’s Report

I have done as I said… I have counted each man.

The line rides a monotone E, signalling bureaucratic precision before tumbling down chromatically—truth turned trap.

2. Gavroche’s Exposure

Good evening, dear inspector… his name’s Inspector Javert!

An octave leap turns a schoolyard taunt into public indictment; a snare roll ratchets up court-martial vibes.

3. Javert’s Defiance

Shoot me now or shoot me later…

Meter flips to dotted rhythms, echoing the inspector’s heartbeat; horns answer in unison, foreshadowing his fatal rigidity.

Similar Songs

1. “Mea Culpa – Reprise” – Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 film)
   Both tracks spotlight an authority figure caught spying on insurgents. Andrew Lloyd Webber uses Middle-Eastern drums; Schönberg opts for martial snare, yet each number hangs its drama on terse, spoken-sung interrogation.
2. “Non-Stop” – Hamilton (2015)
   Lin-Manuel Miranda similarly stacks overlapping voices—reports, rebuttals, revelations—over a single relentless ostinato, illustrating political chess in real time.
3. “Prologue / Little Shop” – Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)
   Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette serve as street-corner narrators, much like Gavroche. Both songs pivot from exposition to accusation within a heartbeat.

Questions and Answers

Is “Javert at the Barricade” the same song as “Javert’s Arrival” on stage?

Essentially, yes. The film retitles and fuses the stage’s “Upon These Stones (At the Barricade)” with “Javert’s Arrival,” trimming some ensemble lines.

How long is the film cue?

1 minute 45 seconds on the Deluxe soundtrack, with a tempo of roughly 121 BPM.

Was it ever released as a single?

No—only bundled within the 42-track Deluxe album. Spotify lists it as track 26, but no standalone release charted.

Did the soundtrack win any Grammys?

It was nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 56th Grammy Awards (2014) but lost to Django Unchained.

Are there notable covers?

Plenty of amateur stagings—school editions rack up thousands of YouTube views—but no major commercial cover outside other cast albums.

Awards and Chart Positions

• Billboard 200: Deluxe soundtrack peaked at No. 1 (week of Jan 19 2013)
• UK Albums Chart: Spent 4 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, 13 weeks in the Top 10
• Grammy Awards: Nomination – Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (2014)

Fan and Media Reactions

“Crowe’s gravel tone turns ‘Death to each and every traitor’ into a bar-room growl—chilling.” – /r/lesmiserables thread

“That live-set breath in the cold? You can almost see it fog; authenticity level 100.” – Sound On Sound breakdown

“Aaron Tveit staring Javert down like he’s already writing history books—chef’s kiss.” – BroadwayWorld forum post

“School Edition kids nail the Gavroche call-out better than the movie, fight me.” – YouTube comment

“The cue’s gone in 105 seconds but my heart rate stays up for the next five tracks.” – Twitter user @BarricadeBeat