Well, we didn’t wind up seeing The Great Gatsby as planned, so this week of songs from the film’s soundtrack will have to survive without commentary about how each was used in the film (by me, anyway… several commenters have seen the film and can chime in on that front).
Today’s selection is a cover by Jack White of the U2 track ‘Love is Blindness.’ This is one of U2’s most portentous (and pretentious?) songs, closing the album Achtung Baby on an unsettling and somber note.
My wife and I have plans to see Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby tonight. I’m not discouraged by the film’s 48% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes — that seems perfectly appropriate for a love-him-or-hate-him filmmaker like Luhrmann.
I’m sure the film will be over the top, even ridiculous, at times, but I’m equally sure it will have moments of transcendent beauty. Luhrmann’s films are always in danger of flying off the rails, but they do so spectacularly — that quality is the key to their appeal.
From one of the reissues of Elvis Costello’s Goodbye Cruel World comes this live rendition of a standout track from a much better album, Get Happy!
In an uncharacteristically brief mention in the album’s liner notes, Costello explains that today’s track — along with a few others — was recorded during his first-ever solo tour.
I’ve saved the most controversial of my bad songs for last.
I suspect more people would put The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ on a “best” list than a “worst” one. No doubt, this song (and the album from which it comes) is considered a classic by most people.
It’s not my fault they’re all wrong.
