As with any Baz Luhrmann “joint,” the soundtrack to the upcoming The Great Gatsby both sets the mood and serves as a separate character who helps move the story along in ways that are subtle yet distinct. So much has been made about the fact that Luhrmann chose to collaborate with Jay-Z for the Gatsby soundtrack. Did it work? If you belong to the online service Rdio.com, you can find out for yourself.
The site is streaming the entire Gatsby soundtrack for free (click here to sign up and access the music). You’ll get tracks from Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lana Del Ray, Jack White, will.i.am, and Florence + The Machine. You’ll also hear The XX’s Together, which we teased earlier (and which I’m sharing with you above one more time). In fact, a quick search on YouTube will turn up a number of these tracks, including Young and Beautiful and Kill and Run by Sia. This brassy, jazzy version of Crazy in Love made me smile when I heard it in the background of an early Gatsby scene:
Anyway, the story behind Gatsby -- at least, early on – focused on the soundtrack, and the collaborators Jay-Z managed to bring in. I’m hoping that the conversation shifts to the performances, and Luhrmann’s visuals panache, once people start seeing the movie … because it’s a beautiful story told via F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel, and if you are a fan of the director’s methods, I think this will be an emotionally triumphant night at the movies for a lot of people. Until it opens, stream the music and get ready for The Great Gatsby, which opens on May 10.
