Tag Archives: The Great Gatsby

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Song of the Day #1,771: ‘Back to Black’ – Beyoncé & Andre 3000

beyonce_gatsbyThe most buzzed-about contribution to The Great Gatsby soundtrack is a cover of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ by Beyoncé and Outkast’s Andre 3000. I guess you can’t have Jay-Z produce your movie’s soundtrack and not hear from his lovely wife.

The cover generated some controversy when Winehouse’s father (who might be drinking as much as his daughter) took to Twitter to complain that Beyoncé recorded the song without his permission and should donate money to the Amy Winehouse Foundation to make up for it. He later retracted the comment and praised Beyoncé but stated that Andre 3000 should have cut his part.

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Song of the Day #1,770: ‘Over the Love’ – Florence + The Machine

florence_machineBear with me on this one, but I think Florence + The Machine and Adele are having the same career.

Consider: Both acts released debut albums that were decent but unremarkable, notable for one hit single that towered above everything else on the record. Then both dropped sophomore records that surpassed even the highest expectations, reaching unexpected heights both critically and commercially.

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Song of the Day #1,768: ‘Love is Blindness’ – Jack White

jack_whiteWell, 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.

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Song of the Day #1,767: ‘Young and Beautiful’ – Lana Del Rey

lana_del_reyMy 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.

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