Has any millionaire rock star ever captured the yearning of the underclass as well as Bruce Springsteen?
Bob Dylan did it in his early years, when he was still something of a vagabond himself, but as he grew older and more successful he turned to more internal and cerebral subject matter (with plenty of exceptions, I know… please spare me the hate comments, Dylanphiles!).
While I try not to judge anybody’s taste in movies, I’m also happy to report that I have never seen a Fifty Shades film. But I have to give the series credit for producing some interesting pop music.
From Beyonce’s slowed down, dangerously sexy version of ‘Crazy in Love’, Ellie Goulding’s ‘Love Me Like You Do’ and The Weeknd’s ‘Earned It’ (all on the first film’s soundtrack) to contributions by Taylor Swift, Halsey and Sia in the second film, producers have made sure these movies are musical as well as cinematic events.
Ava Duvernay’s much-anticipated film A Wrinkle in Time turned out to pretty much suck, but it is notable for bringing the iconic Nigerian songstress Sade back after an 8-year hiatus.
Sade (which is both lead singer Helen Folasade Adu’s professional name and the name of the band she has fronted for 35 years) contributed the acoustic track ‘Flower of the Universe’ to the film’s soundtrack.
Soundtrack curation is a hip job these days, whether it’s Kendrick Lamar’s Black Panther, Justim Timberlake’s Trolls or Lorde’s Hunger Games. The most recent example of a hit-maker focusing on the big screen is Bleacher’s Jack Antonoff’s work on Love, Simon.
Love, Simon is a charming romantic comedy that has taken on greater meaning because it is, amazingly, the first major studio film to feature a gay teen as its protagonist. And it’s good, not just groundbreaking.
Surprise hit The Greatest Showman has shown impressive legs both at the box office and on Billboard’s soundtrack chart, where it sits at #2 in its 16th week of release.
Among its songs, the show-stopping celebration of individuality ‘This Is Me’ has earned the most attention (as well as an Oscar nod) but for me the standout track is the love song ‘Rewrite the Stars.’
Meet Me In Montauk 