With Jay-Z onboard as executive music producer and a roster of artists from across Universal Music Group’s labels, the soundtrack is both star-laden and a gamble: Can a hit film that isn’t a musical generate a smash soundtrack?
The Interscope “Gatsby” release mirrors the film exactly in its running order: “The razzle dazzle upfront,” music supervisor Anton Monsted says, “and as the layers are peeled back on Gatsby’s character, the music enhances the storytelling, both in the songs and the score.”
Lana Del Rey, among the artists who wrote songs for the picture, is the first out of the block. Her “Young and Beautiful” was released ahead of the album and has been used in trailers along with Beyonce and Andre 3000’s cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” and “Over the Love” from Florence & the Machine. The ads drive home the fact that the story is the set in the ’20s, but the music is most definitely not.
“From the start we wanted the music to capture the spirit of the 1920s-they were the Roaring ’20s, not the dull ’20s or dreary ’20s,”Luhrmann says, noting that the music process began at the script stage and eventually included compositions written to a locked print of the film. “And the story is so relevant to today we wanted music that would have the spark that jazz would have had in the 1920s.”That meant incorporating hip-hop-Jay-Z was working on “No Church in the Wild” when he first met Luhrmann and wrote “100$ Bill” for the film’s first party scene-and EDM from The xx and Nero, in addition to vintage-sounding new work from the Bryan Ferry Orchestra. Craig Armstrong provided the score and music editor Craig Beckett blended it, new recordings and music from the ’20s written by George Gershwin, Fats Waller and others.
“Is it important to me that music plays a role in the storytelling? Yes,”Luhrmann says as he begins a string of questions and obvious answers. “Is it crucial that we have stars singing songs to help market the film? No. Do I want a companion piece to the film so that people can relive the experience of the film on their own? Absolutely.”
The full track list for “The Great Gatsby” standard soundtrack album is as follows:
1. 100$ Bill – JAY Z
2. Back To Black – Beyoncé x André 3000
3. Bang Bang – will.i.am
4. A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) – Fergie + Q Tip + GoonRock
5. Young And Beautiful – Lana Del Rey
6. Love Is The Drug – Bryan Ferry with The Bryan Ferry Orchestra
7. Over The Love – Florence + The Machine
8. Where The Wind Blows – Coco O. of Quadron
9. Crazy in Love – EmeliSandé and The Bryan Ferry Orchestra
10. Together – The xx
11. Hearts A Mess – Gotye
12. Love Is Blindness – Jack White
13. Into the Past – Nero
14. Kill and Run –Sia
“The Great Gatsby Soundtrack” under MCA Music (Universal Music Philippines)is available via iTunes http://smarturl.it/greatgatsbydlx and in CDs at Astroplus, Odyssey Music & Videoand Fully Booked | For more information, visit www.facebook.com/mcamusic.ccj| Opening across the Philippines on May 17, “The Great Gatsby” will be distributed in Digital 3D and regular format by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
