Album- Music from Baz
Luhrman’s Film The Great Gatsby
Artist- Various
The Great Gatsby has been one of those novels that many
people have loved for many years, and has become what many would consider as
one of the greatest novels of all time. This soundtrack comes from the 2013
film version of the novel, a film that is highly anticipated and stars and
array of Hollywood’s finest actors of today’s generation, such as Tobey Maguire
and Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie seems to both be true to the novel but also
offering a modern energy, and this modern side seems to come out with this
album, which is full to the brim with contemporary artists who provide an wide
range of tracks that suits different elements of the film and bring modern
sensibilities to a timeless classic. The album, executively produced by Jay Z,
also features some covers of well known tunes. Is this soundtrack any good and
good as an album in its own right, or should this just not have been created?
Track 1- 100$ Bill
(performed by Jay-Z)
Executive producer Jay Z opens the record with a simple rap
tune that wouldn’t sound out of place on a record of his own, but here it
really works, as the wealthy ideology of the rap is powerfully tied to the
film, with Jay Z rapping about being remembered and the pitfalls of wealth, as
well as comparing rich people from the 1920’s and 21st century. The
tune on this level could be very simple, but all that Jay Z incorporates within
the rap really relates to the wealth of the character of Gatsby within the
novel and film, and so the song is given even more power by dispersing dialogue
from the movie of Leonardo DiCaprio (who plays Gatsby) and a few other
characters, which really helps you to understand this idea of the trappings of
wealth. Production wise the track is given a little bit of a kick through the
chopped and screwed beat and the use of a children’s choir in the background
that almost perhaps ties in with the pocket of innocence that is found in the
novel. A good opening song that makes the album a promising prospect.
3.5/5
Track 2- Back to
Black (performed by Beyoncé and Andre 3000)
A cover of a song originally by Amy Winehouse, this song was
one of, if not the, most highly anticipated track from the record, and one that
was a little shrouded in controversy, as Winehouse’s father was not told of the
songs use and believed the artists should pay for the privilege of recording
the song. Created after Luhrmann’s request for a darker moment on the album,
the cover is a prominent twist on the original track, with a more electronic
sound, as the production features another chopped beat that creates a moody,
synth based sound that does indeed create a dark edge to the track, which is
lyrically given a bit more power if you understand the dark undercurrent of
certain parts of the novel and the whole situation. Both Beyoncé and Andre 3000
give breathless vocal performances, with Andre giving the track a bit more of a
rap twist. However, whilst the take on this track is new and interesting, the
track sounds terrible, because it feels pointless to even have Andre on the
song, with a vocal performance that just doesn’t emote enough. Would have been
a great cover, if only Beyoncé and done it solo.
3/5
Track 3- Bang Bang
(performed by will.i.am)
Featuring on the deluxe edition of his record #willpower,
the third track by will.i.am is a love based song in which will.i.am plays the
male protagonist and sings/raps of how the love that this girl has for him is
so strong that it is like she has killed him, another lyrical idea that
powerfully draws from the film. The lyrics are really simple and repetitive,
but the annoying quality of this repetitive nature is avoided through the cool
melding of new and old sensibilities in the production. The track samples the
jazz composition Charleston and contains 1920’s dance music elements, as well
as the use of Louis Armstrong like vocals and a ukulele. This is then melded
with electro pop and hip hop dance elements. All in all it is a dance sound
that makes for quite a groovy tune, with the swing vibe sitting nicely with the
electro pop nature. The only issue of the song is the vocals, as will.i.am
feels bland in places, and it is only really the middle section with the Louis
Armstrong influence that is catchy and different.
3.5/5
Track 4- A Little
Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) (performed by Fergie, Q-Tip and
Goonrock)
The tempo and modern sensibilities are heightened more with
this track by Fergie, Q- Tip and Goonrock. The song is lyrically all about just
having fun and the idea that if you party hard it won’t hurt you, whilst also incorporating
the idea of how lovers should just decide if they are going to be together. The
track is a high octane number that features a prominent up tempo production
with its energetic electro beats and incorporation of hip hop and dubstep
sensibilities, with a little 1920’s throwback being produced through the use of
horns. Again this is a track that works on two levels, as you can purely enjoy
the hedonism of it, but if you know the novel you can also enjoy the irony of
the track. Q-Tip provides a smooth guest rap, whilst Fergie soars as a
vocalist, giving the song power but also playing the role of sweetness and
innocence nicely in places, particularly the bridge.
4/5
Track 5- Young and
Beautiful (performed by Lana Del Ray)
Since she has a 1920’s glamour to her persona already, it
makes perfect sense to have Lana Del Ray on the album, and here she produces a
stellar track that taps into some of the more emotional qualities of the track.
This is because lyrically the song is all about how Del Ray has lived life and now
asks her love if he will still find enchantment in her when her youth and looks
have gone, which lyrically parallels the idiosyncrasies the characters in the
novel face. Del Ray gives a powerful and woeful vocal that is smooth and layers
the work with a palpable essence of purity, whilst also imbuing the song with a
dreamy sense of nostalgia. The piano melody and string orchestra employed in
the production gives an epic tone to the song and makes the emotion that much
stronger, giving an all-round glamour to the music.
4/5
Track 6- Love Is the
Drug (performed by Bryan Ferry with The Bryan Ferry Orchestra)
Another cover, this song was originally recorded by Roxy
Music back in 1975, and is the band signature hit. Bryan Ferry was the lead of
that group, and the lyrical composer, so it is cool to see him provide a new
twist on the original rock and roll classic. The sentiment of the track
lyrically is embodied in the title, as this is a song all about the power of
love of how it is to Ferry this rush that he must have. Whilst the original had
a prominent rock tone, the production here brings a swinging 20’s vibe to the
track courtesy of Ferry’s orchestra, a throwback built upon the use of horns.
Ferry also brings a bit of a grittier vocal performance to the track this time
around, and so there is this sense of urgency that perfectly ties in with the
sentiment of the film.
3.5/5
Track 7- Over the
Love (performed by Florence and the Machine)
With this song comes another case of a track that would
perhaps have fitted comfortably within an album by the artist. This is because
the track, which is a baroque pop ballad, has that signature Florence and the
Machine sound. Another emotional piece, lyrically the track draws upon the
narrative of the novel in many ways, particularly in terms of the motif of the
green light, and is written in the perspective of Daisy, as Florence puts on
the role of a woman who cry’s because of the love she feels for this man and
the power of the distance that separates them. The power of the song really
comes out in the lyrics, but more prominently in the stunning vocal that
Florence Welch produces, wailing in despair but still having a smoothness that
is so amazing and inspiring. The production is also beautiful and simple yet
grand, with the piano melody setting a nice tone and the chorus effect towards
the end of track allowing for that final emotional kick that makes this track
stand out a little from the other numbers.
5/5
Track 8- Where the
Wind Blows (performed by Coco O of Quadron)
The melding of old and new music is once again shown within
this soulful tune in which Coco O sings about how we are all searching for that
special someone and she just wants to have fun, and so is just going with the
flow. The track perfectly emphasises the films theme of the characters
motivation of love, and has a nice steady rhythm that works well with the easy
going ideology of some of the lyrical content. Backed by an old piano sampling
and jazzy keys intermixed with a drum n bass beat, the production has a chilled
but preppy tone that layers the song with an almost urgent tone and emphasises
how the singer has been overcome by emotion. However, the best thing about this
track has to be the soulful vocal performance of Coco O that gives a thoroughly
modern vibe to the track and gives the song the level of breeziness that it
needs.
3.5/5
Track 9- Crazy in
Love (performed by Emeli Sande and The Bryan Ferry Orchestra)
A further cover, this time Bryan Ferry’s orchestra is joined
by British singer-songwriter Emeli Sande for a 1920’s inspired rendition of the
Beyoncé hit Crazy in Love. The songs lyrical message is really contained within
the title, as Sande sings of the goodness of her man and how he makes her feel.
The original tune was more of a simple pop tune, but this new version has more
of a sense of urgency through the smooth and fast paced vocal performance of
Sande, as well as a greater urgency when placed in the context of the film. The
urgency is also slightly built on throw the jazz based sound of the orchestra
with the steady rhythm. Yet whilst these are all good components, the cover
lacks a little of the magic that it should have in that to me it almost feels a
bit like a cover version recorded live, and doesn’t have that studio essence to
it that would make for a really cool and great, interesting take on the tune.
3.5/5
Track 10- Together
(performed by The xx)
Indie pop group The xx bring us a song that is built on a
quite dark rhythm and taps into that essence of desperation that permeates the
films narrative. The lyrical concept of the song could easily come across as a
sweet sentiment in a different context, as it intensely focuses upon the idea
of two people being together. However, with the haughty and breathy and deep
vocal performance of the male and female singers, combined with the metronomic
beat that is dark and incessant and climaxing to this orchestral swell, this is
a song built upon the idea of dangerous passion, and taps in to the chaos of
the film in terms of the two characters of Daisy and Gatsby striving to be
together despite turmoil.
4/5
Track 11- Hearts a
Mess (performed by Gotye)
First appearing on Gotye’s second studio album Like Drawing
Blood, Hearts a mess is a neo lounge ballad that features a cool but fragile vocal performance
from Gotye that imbues the song with this natural essence of heartache, and
invokes a little bit of a Sting like quality.
The lyrics of the song focus on how this person is lost and they just
can’t seem to love right, as their past as caused their heart to be in this
state of turmoil. The production with it’s powerful use of strings and horns
for orchestral swirls bring a great sense of drama to the track, with simple
guitar riffs in places creating a nice range of emotions within the song from
chilled despair to epic pain, and it’s a song that whilst it may have been
created years ago, it fits very comfortably into the psyche of the film.
3.5/5
Track 12- Love Is
Blindness (performed by Jack White)
The final cover is a song originally performed by U2. The
track is a very dark song lyrically that details this failed romance and
intermixes this with metaphorical ideas of terrorism. The song once again
perfectly intertwines with the essence of the films narrative, and is here
given a darker and passionate spin by White, who gives such a strong and
emotionally loaded vocal that shows he is the man to really carry the track.
Production of the song also gives a harsher rock sound to the tune, with
elements of hip hop, and with a gut driving bass line and forceful drum beats
intermixing nicely with the vocal yelps of despair, this is one of the most
emotive and great songs on the record.
4/5
Track 13- Into the
Past (performed by Nero)
A slow tempo song that continues with the dark qualities
that seem to really permeate the latter half of the record, Nero produce a
track that invokes the theme of time that is really powerful within the narrative
of the film, with the song being all about following someone who has had such a
power on the person in their past. The vocals are haunting and deep, with a
breathy tone that makes for an impactful song. The sound of the production is
also really powerful, having a mixture of potent strings and dupstep elements
that becomes stronger as the song continues, and so by the end you get caught
up in the euphoric darkness of it all.
3.5/5
Track 14- Kill and
Run (performed by Sia)
Girl of the moment Sia closes the record with a powerful
ballad that has been compared to Adele in terms of its strong emotional
resonance and building energy. The song draws upon the latter half of the
narrative in terms of the consequences of the love between the characters of Daisy
and Gatsby, and lyrically details this relationship that can only end in death.
Sia brings a strong and deep vocal performance that imbues the track with this
powerful essence of power mixed with fragility, and production wise the track
is simply built on these lush and delicate piano melodies and potent strings
that just give an epic tone and make for a great end to the record.
4/5
Final Review
If Baz Luhrmann wanted to bring modern music to his take on
the Great Gatsby in film form, then it was definitely a good thing that Jay Z jumped on board, as the rapper has
created an album that im sure breathes new life into the film even if you just
listen to the music. Each artist brings their own personal musical flavour to
the record and offer different perspective of the films narrative, but at the
same time there is a very cohesive quality to the record that is brought out
strongly through the use of 1920’s tones intermixed with modern sensibilities.
And these songs also stand out in the way that they are indebted to the
narrative, which shows how the music has been treated with the same value as
the actual film itself. Whilst critics are expressing mixed views on the film,
you can’t deny the album is very good, and will probably be one of if not the
bestselling soundtracks of 2013, as it rightly should be.
8.5/10
Best Track- Over the
Love (performed by Florence and the Machine)
Worst Track- Back to
Black (performed by Beyoncé and Andre 3000)
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