All-star line-up for Great Gatsby soundtrack

MANILA, Philippines - The Great Gatsby writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann and collaborators Shawn “JAY Z” Carter, an executive producer on the film, and Anton Monsted, its executive music supervisor, revealed the line-up for the movie’s soundtrack which encompasses the broad spectrum of musical styles represented in this energetic re-telling of the classic text. The joint announcement was made recently by Warner Bros. Pictures and Universal Music Group’s Interscope Records.

Drawing on his unique and unrivalled position in popular culture, JAY Z (with collaborator and the film’s executive music consultant Jeymes Samuel) has worked with Luhrmann and his team on the project over the past two years, translating the Jazz Age sensibility of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel into the musical equivalents of our own times, through the blending of hip-hop, traditional jazz and other contemporary musical textures.

Luhrmann stated, “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is peppered with contemporary music references specific to the story’s setting of 1922. While we acknowledge, as Fitzgerald phrased it, ‘the Jazz Age,’ and this is the period represented on screen, we — our audience — are living in the ‘hip-hop age’ and want our viewers to feel the impact of modern-day music the way Fitzgerald did for the readers of his novel at the time of its publication.”

“The Great Gatsby is that classic American story of one’s introduction to extravagance, decadence and illusion. It’s ripe for experimentation and ready to be interpreted with a modern twist. The imagination Baz brought to Moulin Rouge! made it a masterpiece, and Romeo + Juliet’s score wasn’t just in the background; the music became a character. This film’s vision and direction has all the makings of an epic experience,” JAY Z said in a previous statement.

JAY Z’s own No Church in the Wild, which he was recording when he and Luhrmann first came together, is included in the film, along with his original 100$ Bill. The first single is the hauntingly melodious track Young and Beautiful, from recent Brit Award winner for Best International Female Solo Artist, Lana Del Rey; the music video and song were released last April 22 and April 23, respectively. Del Rey collaborated with Luhrmann in creating the song.

Del Rey said, “It was an honor to work with Baz Lurhmann on his amazing adaptation of one of the most extraordinary books ever written. The movie is highly glamorous and exciting; Rick Nowels and I were thrilled to write the song for the film.”

Luhrmann also worked personally alongside good friends and collaborators Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine, and The xx.

The highly eclectic soundtrack also features songs performed by such artists as Beyoncé, André 3000, Fergie, Q Tip, GoonRock, Coco O. of Quadron, Gotye, Nero and Sia.

Moviegoers will also recognize a few favorites with a new twist, such as Jack White’s interpretation of U2’s Love Is Blindness, Beyoncé and André 3000 collaborating on Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black, and Bryan Ferry’s new take on a couple of classics: His own Love Is The Drug and, with Emeli Sandé, Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love. New songs by Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Rey, Nero, will.i.am and The xx were written for scenes in the film, and appear on the soundtrack.

The score is composed by Luhrmann’s regular collaborator, Craig Armstrong, who worked with the director on Moulin Rouge! and William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet.

Beginning tomorrow, the album will be available at digital retailers. Internationally, the soundtrack has been released in physical, digital, deluxe and standard formats.

Both the standard album and the deluxe edition are released worldwide by Interscope Records.