The Great Gatsby: A sub-par Baz Luhrmann film fronted by the once fresh face of Leonardo DiCaprio (still lookin’ good tho) paired with a killer soundtrack.
The overall consensus surrounding this film was that the music didn’t quite “fit” the vibe of the movie, that the party jams fueled by the likes of Jay-Z, Beyonce and Fergie juxtaposed with the vibrant 1920’s aesthetic that the film evoked wasn’t a successful mix.
I beg to differ. In a modern retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece about the lonely love of a man who throws the wildest parties, who better than Jay-Z to appeal to the formula of sex and liquored up genius of a Jay Gatsby event?
There are more than a few great songs on this soundtrack, but theses are the four that I thought were essential to this 2013 remake of a 1925 classic, pairing the party with the heavy stuff.
Young and Beautiful | Lana Del Rey
This song appears in nearly every scene of the film because it fits so perfectly with its essence. Lana’s sexy, smooth, vintage vocals carry you through the film with light and heavy feels.
Heart’s A Mess | Gotye
If you haven’t heard anything from Gotye since “Somebody That Used to Know”, then take a listen. This song is much different, much darker with an array of instruments to make for some very heady sounds.
Bang Bang | will.i.am
Does anyone like will.i.am? I’m not really sure, but I know I love this song. It’s a perfect pairing of retro-jazz sounds with some scat, mixed with modern will.i.am vibes and some female vocals that sound like Britney Spears that just makes this song so satisfying. It works well with Luhrmann’s post-modern remake.
Back to Black | Beyoncé & Andre 3000
This is a re-imagined version of a song first sung by Amy Winehouse that honors it with a different twist on the original soulful vibe it intended. Andre 3000 starts it off with some very cool vocals, and Beyoncé follows with some sounds that are more sexy and airy making for the perfect mix.
