“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”  These are some of the most recognizable and loved words from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s  novel, The Great Gatsby, published almost 88 years ago.  Since its publication in April of 1925, The Great Gatsby has been considered one of the greatest works of American literature.  Many people have their own personal, significant reasons for loving such a classic novel and interpret it in their own ways, including Baz Luhrmann.  Baz is the director of the most recent movie of The Great Gatsby which made its debut in theaters in April of this year.  I could focus on many aspects of this praised movie, but I’d like to focus on one of its components for now…the music.

The time in which the novel took place was the 1920s, the Jazz Age.  In the movie, you will hear current artists who have rearranged songs that have been out for quite some time, or you will hear their own original pieces, constructed specifically for the movie.  Some of these artists include Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Florence and the Machine, Fergie, Gotye, and more.  Baz Luhrmann is not only a talented director, but a passionate music lover, as well.  He carefully took his time and considered what he wanted to do with the musical aspects of the film.  Then, it occurred to him…he wanted the music to feel modern with hip-hop, but also with its jazz origin to mix two eras together – the Jazz Age and modern day.  Working with many talented and famous artists, Luhrmann and these musicians created an iconic soundtrack.

Leonardo DiCaprio (who plays Jay Gatsby in the film), commented that, “Infusing hip-hop makes you understand the cultural references in what it would be like if these people existed today.”  The music for the film makes it easy to understand what it would be like if the characters from the novel were living in present-day.  Luhrmann commented that he’d hoped jazz in the time of Gatsby was “dangerous, intoxicating, and thrilling,” and that is exactly what he tried to convey in the music in the movie.  In one moment in the film, you might hear part of Jay-Z’s works for the film, a hip-hop cut, and then it will shift into a jazz piece.  Blending the two genres of music works beautifully for this film, especially while trying to combine both eras together.

Luhrmann worked with many different artists on the soundtrack for this film.  Jay-Z commented, “I think music is a character because it is so interwoven into the storyline.”  Luhrmann also worked with young indie artist Lana Del Rey via Skype.  She showed him a song she wrote specifically for the movie, and they worked on it together to perfect it for the film.  Unlike Jay-Z’s music for the movie, Lana’s song is slow with a haunting melody.  However, it is used in multiple instances throughout the film, rearranged with a faster tempo and added new instruments to make it a great selection for one of Gatsby’s party scenes.  It is also used to set a sad tone and is used during one of the many dancing scenes included in the film.  The songs for this film may have been used once or multiple times throughout the movie.  The selections were absolutely fitting for the film and on iTunes have gotten a rating of 4.5/5 stars.  Luhrmann’s tremendous talent, along with the talent of many musicians of today’s age, made an iconic soundtrack for a spectacular movie that will be around for years to come.