I am, along with many others, eagerly awaiting the
release of Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'.
One of my favourite books adapted by a director that has proven he can
film a visually rich and sumptuous movie, looks set to be one of the highlights
of the Hollywood calendar. One aspect of
the production that may prove to be slightly more questionable, is the
soundtrack. With Jay Z as executive
producer, it was never going to be a straightforward reproduction of popular
1920s standards (for that, see the Boardwalk Empire soundtrack which is absolutely
superb). Rather than incorporating
jazz-age music, considered daringly modern at the time of the novel's release,
it has been replaced with the contemporary equivalent; that is replacing jazz
with hip hop.
The opener, '100$
Bill' from Jay-Z, (who was also executive producer on the film) sets the
somewhat anachronistic tone for the rest of the album. The track does sample dialogue from the film,
but not in any meaningful way.
Following '100$ Bill' is 'Back to Black' by Beyoncé and André 3000. Originally by Amy Winehouse, the song is
quite jarring - especially Beyoncé singing 'I love blow and you love
puff'. I don't think the style or lyrics
are relevant to The Great Gatsby and it just seems like a reason to have Jay
Z's wife on the album. Another cover,
the evocative and despair-filled 'Love
is Blindness' from Jack White (originally by U2), brings an emotional depth
that seems to be lacking from some of the more morose tracks.
'Bang
Bang' seems one of the more promising tracks,
sampling the ubiquitous 'Charleston'.
Will.i.am produces a song more in line with what I was expecting from
the album, combining his signature style with hints at early 20th century popular
music. At times, he employs a style
reminiscent of a barber shop quartet as well as a few bars of scatting. On
multiple listens, the track does tend to improve and seems to fulfil the brief
of combining what was considered daring and new in the '20s, and what is
contemporary and modern now.
A second appearance by a Black Eyed Peas alumnus
is 'A Little Party Never Killed Nobody
(All We Got)' from Fergie (feat Q-tip & GoonRock). A typical electroswing track, with a few
horns thrown over the top of a classic club tune.
Lana Del Rey's 'Young
and Beautiful' is the point at which the soundtrack takes an increasingly
dark turn. It was written to accompany a
specific scene in the film, as was Florence + the Machine's characteristic
alternating-between-haunting-and-powerful ballad 'Over the Love'. They are
both the dramatic trailer fare and they can be easily imagined scoring a
poignant montage in many a film. Sounding
as though it was written for the same scene as 'Young and Beautiful' and 'Over
the Love' (or perhaps hinting that a large proportion of the film will be of a
pensive and brooding nature) 'Together'
by The xx continues the mood with its lush orchestral sections, but doesn't say
anything new.
With the tinkling piano backing, 'Where the Wind Blows' by Coco O of
Danish duo Quadron has a vaudevillian feel, but in no way sounds dated. One of
the few uplifting songs on the soundtrack.
'Hearts a Mess'
(Gotye), 'Into the Past' (Nero) and 'Kill and Run' (Sia) are all very low
key, ambient tracks, with the latter two again featuring quite majestic strings. Sia's vocals on the last track in particular,
are well suited to the opulent look of the film.
'Love is the Drug'
will be familiar to anyone that listened to the Bryan Ferry Orchestra's debut
released last year, although this version also features the vocals of Mr Ferry
himself. One of the most 'authentic'
tracks on the album, it goes some way to capture the essence of the jazz age
portrayed in the film and can verge of sleazy - but definitely in a good way. The second helping
from the Bryan Ferry Orchestra this time features Emeli Sandé on vocals, in a
reimagining of Beyoncé's 'Crazy in Love'. Although good to hear another jazz-fuelled
track, Sandé's vocals don't quite come up to scratch, exacerbated by the fact that Beyoncé features as a reminder elsewhere on the album.
It would have been more fitting to hear some 1920s
songs among the covers, perhaps some that are mentioned in the novel itself. I understand the theory behind Luhrmann's
remark that, as the audience is living in the 'hip-hop age' as opposed to the
jazz-age, they "want [their] viewers to feel the impact of modern-day
music the way Fitzgerald did for the readers of his novel at the time of its
publication" however I don't think it has quite hit the mark and may prove
distracting. It will be interesting to
see the context into which each track is placed, and whether the soundtrack accurately
reflects a rather bleak film.
The soundtrack is released on the 6th of May on
Interscope Records with a deluxe version featuring three additional tracks.
Have you heard any of the songs from the
soundtrack? What did you think of
them? Are you looking forward to seeing The
Great Gatsby?
