Thursday, April 18, 2013

Get a Taste of 'The Great Gatsby' Soundtrack with Florence and the Machine's 'Only the Love'

Posted By on Thu, Apr 18, 2013 at 4:55 PM

I’ll continue to reserve judgement on Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby until it’s released on May 10, but if the film has 1/100 of the staying power of its highly anticipated soundtrack, it may be well worth the (seemingly never-ending) wait.

You can watch a preview above - released Tuesday - featuring 30-second clips of 12 songs from the soundtrack. Produced by Jay-Z, the project is shaping up to be an impressive reimagining of the book’s timeless popularity, juxtaposing the jazz-inspired sounds of the Roaring Twenties era with the music (and on more than one occasion, the lyrics) of some of the most influential acts in the industry today, among them Jack White, will.i.am, Lana del Rey and the late Amy Winehouse.

GQ released on Thursday a full stream of Florence and the Machine’s “Only the Love,” a chilling ballad that bears you back ceaselessly into the past...and leaves you there with mascara streaks on your face. The song is meant to be in the perspective of Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby’s lifelong love played by Carey Mulligan in the film, and manages to reference the omnipresent green light of East Egg and Daisy’s wardrobe choices while still packing a hell of an emotional wallop. Florence for President!

Click here to listen to “Only the Love” via GQ, and feel free to speculate on the fate of The Great Gatsby, musical or not, in the comments below. Does the juxtaposition of old and new work, or is will.i.am rapping over a riff from “The Charleston” a bit too much for you to handle?

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