The Numerous Issues with Jay-Z and "The Great Gatsby" Soundtrack

One of the biggest complaints of the past week involving this weekend's release of the Great Gatsby has been the music selection. It is quite possibly too anachronistic and does injustice to the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. In fact, there are lots of complaints that I feel need to be made over the music just based on the album selection alone. However, very little of it has to do with genres featured, but more the subject matter. There's lavish music that can make anything feel like a party, then there's music that just makes you wonder if they put the right songs on the right soundtrack.

For most people, it should have come as a shock when Jay-Z was announced as the composer behind the Great Gatsby. The rapper is not known for composing music for films. However, there were small hopes that came with this announcement. As a casual Jay-Z fan, I felt like he understood the themes of wealth and riches well enough to connect to the subject matter. After all, he famously watched American Gangster and made an album based around it. While that is from a different era, it would seem opportune for him to wax his skills and produce a promising score. He is no stranger to occasionally using string orchestrations and old time beats. If he added a twist, it could be perfect.

I some ways, the choice to open the trailer with his already established song with Kanye West and Frank Ocean called "Church in the Wild," it almost gave a level of promise. I didn't expect it to be in the film, but thematically, it fitted the trailer nicely. A nice running base line that made the visuals go down smoothly. It seemed a little out of touch, but as far as anachronistic song choice go, it wasn't the most ridiculous thing ever. 

Then came this past week where the soundtrack came out. Out of curiosity, I rushed to listen to it, only to be immediately dismayed and at points offended. As someone who admires F. Scott Fitzgerald, I have a very loose standard of what constitutes music selection. I was already coping with the idea that maybe Jay-Z would actually pull off a brilliant selection. Still, it wasn't a score necessarily, but a compilation of songs. Before I continue, I must state that I have not seen the film yet and thus do not know if there's any alterations between the soundtrack and the final movie.

Right off the bat, the soundtrack immediately confused and infuriated me. Jay-Z, the prime contributor to the film, didn't sound like he knew a single thing about the film. Besides the terrible spelling of "100$ Bill," it seems like the song's only connection to the film is that this guy is a hard worker who makes $100 bills. I am willing to forgive the bad, deep voiced guy who sings on the chorus, as the beat was decent enough to make the song work. It had a nice, flowing beat that only got hurt by Jay-Z, who let me remind you was in charge of bringing together the musical atmosphere for a film about partying.
This is where things get tricky. I love a good use of anachronistic music. In fact, it can be argued that most film scores in nonfiction films are anachronistic simply because the music didn't exist then. However, a song cue or piece of music can transcend being from a different time if it fits the piece in other ways. It isn't so much to connect with the visuals emotionally, but maybe it needs to comment on what we see. There needs to be a purpose that almost seems to state that even during a different time, we were still talking about the same things. Most of all, it needs to not feel like it is Carnac predicting the future.
That is where Jay-Z went wrong. As talented as he can be at rapping, the improvisational style doesn't help him to establish scenery very well. This story takes place in the 1920's. Keep that in mind as you listen to this song and try to place it within the universe. The year is 1922 in New York, but you wouldn't know this listening to the Jay-Z song. In the first verse, he states:

"Stock markets just crash, now I'm just a bill 

 History don't repeat itself it rhymes, 1929 still"

I will ignore the potential School House Rock reference that closes the first line, as it is ambiguous enough to work. As Jay-Z so readily points out, the infamous stock market crash happened in 1929. That is seven years beyond this narrative and while implicating where the Roaring 20's eventually lead us, means that we are off to a bad start. In the first verse alone, we go on to reference rap icon Slick Rick (born 1965), who has nothing really to do with the story. Nor does the context of comparing "yellow cars, yellow gold" in the least way sound clever nor able to provide insight. 

Still, the second verse gets worse:

"New heroines, new Marilyns

Move coke through Maryland

Through Easton, oh you beastin'

Move fat packs, Jack Gleason

The honeymoon's over with the streets, yeah"

The first five lines are a landmine of potential errors, of which the only non offender on the list is that Maryland was indeed a state in 1922. However, the "new Marilyns" most likely references Marilyn Monroe (born 1926). However, by saying new heroines, it at least is starting to fit more within the ramifications of the universe. Then you get to Jack Gleason, which based on the following line, is a reference to the sitcom the Honeymooners (first aired in 1955) and makes less sense, even if you follow the sitcom's story about a poor bus driver who tries to make ends meet. At very least, Jackie Gleason is a poor role model for a song about Jay Gatsby. Either that, or he is referencing Game of Thrones actor Jack Gleason, which would be even more absurd and less likely.

Other references in the second verse include references to presidents Jimmy Carter (elected in 1977) and John F. Kennedy (elected in 1961). Actually, they are referenced by their surnames and potentially means that the Carter in reference is Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. A little misleading, but equally bizarre as Jimmy Carter wasn't a hustler, but a man who helped Habitat for Humanity. Other political references include Colin Powell (born 1937) as well as musicians such as Marvin Gaye (born 1939) and Taylor Swift (born 1989). Then we get into a barrage of weapons, which include AK-47 (invented 1949) and somehow insinuate that this tale is about to become a shoot-em up. In a cheeky way that almost adds insult to injury, he also references his 2004 song "99 Problems" by claiming "Who wanna become my 100th problem?"

In some ways, even Quentin Tarantino putting Rick Ross music in Django Unchained wasn't this sloppy. It may have the swagger necessary to make the tone fit, but for anyone with an understanding of references, very few of them actually make sense. I am not sure that substituting Marilyn Monroe with actual 20's actress Clara Bow would have solved much, but it would have helped to make this not feel like a case of mistaken identity in the most extreme fashion. The comparisons don't even add weight, like as if talking politics, guns, and Taylor Swift really says something about how Gatsby has transformed into our world.

The reason that I go into Jay-Z's opening song at length is mostly to tell you that he was in charge of putting music together. I fear the worst when the person in charge seems to not know his source material nor adds a clever bent on it. Even if he just rereleased "Church in the Wild," it seems more fitting than trying to compare the Great Gatsby to the future, especially when it inaccurately spans 80+ years. The rest of the soundtrack varies from appalling to enjoyable. What Jay-Z pulled together wasn't a total waste.

There are names that definitely feel like they would do the film justice. Names like Jack White, Bryan Ferry, Florence and the Machine, and Lana Del Rey all have a sort of throwback feel that is fitting to the soundtrack, which at times gets over dramatic. These are the anachronistic song choices that actually make sense, as these numbers feature a clever, jazz band version of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" and Andre 3000 stops by to cover Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black," which isn't great, but worth a shot. 

What makes these songs work? Maybe it is because they aren't heavily reliant on pop culture references. White's song "Love is Blindness" seems so different from his blues rock ways, but the passion that he throws into it feels generic enough to constitute it on close to any soundtrack imaginable. As the song suggests, there is references to love and candles. These things existed then and they still do now. They haven't dated at all. Even Lana Del Rey, who has been called the gangster Nancy Sinatra, manages to find the root of emotion for the soundtrack and makes it work. Her heartache and pain transcends time and adds a nice touch.

In fact, compared to the headache that is the Jay-Z song, the other notable dance tracks aren't that terrible. Fergie's "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody" is a mundane, kitschy song that can be summed up by "Just one night's all we got." Even with rapper Q-Tip and an out of place synth beat by Goon Rock, this track makes sense. It is very surface level and tells the tale of partying for no particular reason. It works because it isn't trying to be sophisticated nor interesting. It works as an anachronistic tune because while not musically relevant, it feels like the modern equivalence to dance music.

Even world renowned plagiarist will.i.am stops by with a frustrating "Bang Bang." First off, ripping off James P. Johnson's "The Charleston" in a terribly uncoordinated fashion, is a misfire that serves no purpose to the rest of the song. Then the song is suggestible in ripping off Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" and possibly a Lance Armstrong impersonation. It is annoying that will.i.am lacks cleverness and he is proud of it, but at least his references aren't blatantly offensive compared to Jay-Z nor are they really out of place besides the idea of turning 20's music into novelty.

Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette

For the most part, the soundtrack is passable, though it does have me wondering if the anachronistic quality is just too much. The film is supposed to have a lavish soundtrack, and it does. However, the choice cuts seem to more insult than complement the film's tone. So what are some solid ways of using music that is out of place? There have been many prominent examples, including A Knight's Tale, Moulin Rouge, and probably the most controversial of the past 10 years: Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.

The tale of the monarch who eventually became known for saying "Let them eat cake" is a tale that seems oddly familiar through Coppola's eyes. She is just a young woman who is dying to break out and live life. She is rebellious and wishes to be carefree. These are themes common even today. How does Coppola choose to deal with the subject? By using music by New Order, Gang of Four, The Cure, and Bow Wow Wow. None of those traditionally feel like they should go with the piece. However, because they have this lively spirit, they almost complement the film and makes it feel more universal. Of course, your appreciation for this will be totally based on how much you like 80's new wave.

With that said, that is the least that I expect from my anachronistic music. I don't want you to transport me lyrically into the world, but just give me themes. What Jay-Z has done is distract me from the story poorly enough to make me wonder where I am. There are still songs that put me into the universe nicely, but I still have those road bumps that everything is being treated more as novelty, and that can only hurt the final product. With that said, anachronistic music can work and has been a strong component of Quentin Tarantino's recent career. However, even he is more successful in putting rap music into westerns than Baz Luhrman is. Even if Rick Ross doesn't know anything about westerns, he knows to follow the acronym K.I.S.S. A.S.S.: Keep it simple, stupid. Always simple, stupid. "100 Black Coffins" isn't deep, but because it deals with killing people, it works. If it tried to make references to Sergio Leone or John Wayne, that would be another issue.

So I hope the best for the Great Gatsby and that this soundtrack is a mislead. As it stands, nothing sounds more competent on the soundtrack than "Church in the Wild," if just because it wasn't trying to be on a kitschy soundtrack. Hopefully there is a score or something to take away from the poor song selection and give it a little authentic life. One can only hope. Until then, fingers crossed that the big flashy imagery isn't hollow and empty.