Music

Rating: 2/10 (4 October 2013)

"The Great Gatsby" is an epic love story, not a party. While the main characters attended Gatsby's parties that were portrayed as illustrious and accurate to the time period, the parties were not the main point of the story. Gatsby used his parties not for the sheer amusement of hosting them, but in hope that Daisy would wonder in one night. The soundtrack of the movie missed the mark completely and is centered towards Gatsby's parties and the wild, elaborate life styles of the 1920s, rather than the love saga of Gatsby and Daisy. One song in particular that stood out was Fergie's "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody". Lurhman's "right hand man", Anton Monsted is quoted by the Hollywood Reporter saying, "It appears during the very same party scene as will.i.am's Bang Bang. It's one where we looked to create a song with very contemporary rhythms and beats, in conjunction with some period elements that remind us of the Jazz Age setting. And hopefully, again, in the final film, people will hear the weave between 1922 and 2013." (Trakin) While at times it has a hint of the 1920s, it is consist mainly of technology fabricated rhythms and rap sections. The premise of the song is focused on partying and depicts how Baz Lurhman wanted Gatsby to be represented. The irony is Gatsby did not even attend his parties; they were not for him or the guests, but instead for Daisy. The song simply does not go with what the story really is about nor does it add anything to the movie. Beyoncé and Andre 300 arranged a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" specifically for the movie. First of all the song is completely irrelevant to the movie. The lyrics are disjointed from the story line and hold no significant meaning. Its purpose in "The Great Gatsby" is a mystery. Furthermore, it is painful to listen to and an overall poor reproduction. MTV criticized the arrangement of "Back to Black" saying, "All that remains are sparse wubs and synth cowbells, like a dubstep generator running out of gas, and a guitar line from a Nine Inch Nails deathscape. André comes corrupt, the villain of the piece, flipping Winehouse's words into audible taunts, pitch-shifted shrugs." (St. Asaph) The cover also has absolutely no indicators that would lead the listener to think the movie was a 1920s based setting; it is simply too modern. However, there were two songs that, while they were more modern than necessary, complimented "The Great Gatsby" and the main point of a love story. Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" is a love song. It is talking about a future with her lover and how she wants to be with him forever, even after death. Gatsby wanted to be with Daisy until died, and do everything in the world with her. Del Rey captures that love in a modern way that is appealing for the audience but also appropriate for the time period of the movie. The other song is Florence + The Machine's "Over the Love". The tone of the song is mournful, and morose. It talks about tearing a dress, crying, and doing other things over the love of someone that is unattainable. That is how Gatsby and Daisy's love is because they cannot repeat the past or be together. The song also mentions the green light that was the beacon of hope to Gatsby and his driving force for quite a while. The movie beings and ends with the green light and talks about its significance throughout the story. These two songs hold more relevance to the main point of the plot. Baz Lurhman intended for the songs of the 2013 adaption of "The Great Gatsby to have a twenty-first century twist and appeal to this generation of people. Similarly, F. Scott Fitzgerald incorporated the musical stylings of his era, jazz, however his book was based in that era; making the music choice less repulsive. Lurhman tried to merge his era with Fitzgerald's; but in the broad spectrum, he missed the mark completely. By focusing on the extravagant and illustrious life styles, parties, and affairs Lurhman deprived his viewers from the under laying story that was far more beautiful than was he portrayed on the screen. The music followed along with his plot and was distracting. Lurhman's attempt was in vain and his contributions were not acceptable to use in an American Classic.