BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--“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 lineup for the movie’s soundtrack today, which encompasses the broad spectrum of musical styles represented in this energetic re-telling of the classic text. The joint announcement was made today 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 to drop will be 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 release are scheduled for April 22nd and April 23rd, 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. Each of the artists worked to picture.
The highly eclectic soundtrack also features songs performed by such artists as Beyoncé x 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 x 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.
A new trailer for the film was released today by Warner Bros. Pictures, and features the songs “Back To Black,” from Beyoncé x André 3000; “Young And Beautiful,” from Lana Del Rey; and “Over The Love,” from Florence + The Machine. The trailer can be viewed at www.thegreatgatsbymovie.com.
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 May 7th, Target stores and Target.com will be the exclusive U.S. retailer of the of the 17-track deluxe edition of the album. That date will also see the album available at digital retailers (available for pre-order on April 23rd). A 14-track physical version will also be available at Starbucks in the U.S. and Canada, and widely, both physically and digitally, at various retailers. Internationally, the soundtrack will be released in physical, digital, deluxe and standard formats on May 6th.
Both the standard album and the deluxe edition will be released worldwide by Interscope Records.
The full track list for “The Great Gatsby” standard soundtrack album is as follows:
- 100$ Bill - JAY Z
- Back To Black - Beyoncé x André 3000
- Bang Bang - will.i.am
- A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) - Fergie + Q Tip + GoonRock
- Young And Beautiful - Lana Del Rey
- Love Is The Drug - Bryan Ferry with The Bryan Ferry Orchestra
- Over The Love - Florence + The Machine
- Where The Wind Blows - Coco O. of Quadron
- Crazy in Love - Emeli Sandé and The Bryan Ferry Orchestra
- Together – The xx
- Hearts A Mess - Gotye
- Love Is Blindness – Jack White
- Into the Past - Nero
- Kill and Run - Sia
The deluxe soundtrack will feature the above songs, plus three additional bonus tracks.
From the uniquely imaginative mind of writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann comes the new big screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. The filmmaker created his own distinctive visual interpretation of the classic story, bringing the period to life in a way that has never been seen before, in the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.
“The Great Gatsby” follows would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.
Academy Award® nominee DiCaprio (“Django Unchained,” “Aviator”) plays Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire starring as Nick Carraway; Oscar® nominee Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) and Joel Edgerton as Daisy and Tom Buchanan; Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson; and newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan will play the role of Meyer Wolfsheim.
Oscar® nominee Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge!”) directs the film in 3D from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on Fitzgerald’s novel. Luhrmann produces, along with Catherine Martin, Academy Award® winner Douglas Wick (“Gladiator”), Lucy Fisher and Catherine Knapman. The executive producers are Academy Award® winner Barrie M. Osborne (“Lord of the Rings – Return of the King”), JAY Z and Bruce Berman.
Two-time Academy Award®-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin (“Moulin Rouge!”) designs as well as produces. The editors are Matt Villa, Jason Ballantine and Jonathan Redmond, and the director of photography is Simon Duggan. The music is by Craig Armstrong.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, in association with A&E Television, a Bazmark/Red Wagon Entertainment Production, a Film by Baz Luhrmann, “The Great Gatsby.” Opening beginning May 10, 2013, the film will be distributed in 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.