The soundtrack of The Great Gatsby plays a unique role in the film. Most movies have music that fit into the time period in which the movie takes place, but the Gatsby does not follow this idea. Instead of using music from the 1920's, when the film takes place, this movie uses all modern music. This is a bold move by the producers because the right song has to be picked to correctly suit the scene. This is where the producers succeed greatly in this movie. To get an idea of the music, the soundtrack song names go as follows: "100$ Bill", "Back to Black", "Young and Beautiful", "Love is Blindness", "Crazy in Love", "Bang Bang", "I Like Large Parties", "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody", "Love is the Drug", "Can't Repeat the Past", "Hearts a Mess", "Where the Wind Blows", "Green Light", "No Church in the Wild", "Over the Love", "Together", "Into the Past", "Kill and Run", and "Over the Love."
All one has to do is read The Great Gatsby to understand these songs connect well with the movie's ideas. Not only are these songs in the movie, but they are well-placed in the film. For example, when Nick attends Gatsby's party for the first time, the song "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" plays as the party gets crazier and crazier. While a song as this would have never played at the time, it fits well into the movie, and it connects well with the modern audience more than anything. Another fine example arises later in the movie when the song "Into the Past" plays when Gatsby and Daisy are together. Obviously, this is symbolic of Gatsby's incentive to try and relive the past. Overall, the soundtrack plays a pivotal role in not only entertaining the audience, but also connecting to the story as well.
Chad, I couldn't have said it better myself! I would agree that while watching the movie, the song choices never seemed to take away from what was occurring in each scene. In fact, each choice benefitted and portrayed exactly what was taking place. I did not get too engaged with the song choices, so I really like how you pointed out the songs "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" and "Into the Past." Each embodies a symbolic message, significantly improving the quality of the soundtrack as it relates to the film. Hemana.
ReplyDeleteChad, this is a great post on the soundtrack in the film. You pointed out how "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" plays for the first party scene, and I agree that this accompanied this part perfectly. I think that the producers really made the right choice in the use of modern music, as modern viewers can more easily relate to it than if Jazz music from the time was used. Overall I think you make a great point on the music, and sweet post!
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