Composing music for a film is a difficult job already. When music producers and songwriters are pinned with the task to write songs for a risqué film such as “Fifty Shades Of Grey,” the work gets a tad harder (no pun intended). Since the book series had built a huge fan base and the movie was highly anticipated, musical artists featured on the soundtrack was going to be equally as exciting. The first taste of beats was Beyoncé’s new version of “Crazy in Love” and her dark “Haunted,” which were both teased in the first movie trailer. Queen Bey brought it and nailed it.
As much as the music generates goosegumps and thousands of thoughts, the trailer for “Fifty Shades” is rather deceiving. The piercing stares, lip bites, chain noises, sudden grabs, quick cuts, echo-y gasps, plus Beyoncé’s seductive vocals in the background all together deliver a whole different vibe than the actual full-length movie gives off. The part we miss in the trailer(s) is the raw and squeamish dialogue and “interesting” behavior between the actors.
*Caution: Spoilers Ahead*
To explain this particular vibe, let’s fast forward to the end: “Anastasia.” “Christian”. Elevator doors slide shut. We see Anastasia’s face disappear. Fade to Black…and scene. Wait? That was it? It’s over? Can we hear that Ellie Goulding song again at least?
To sum up all the mixed emotions, the entire movie does not scream “sexy.” One of the early scenes in Mr. Grey’s office, where Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) interviews Christian (Jaime Dornan), is “intimidating”, yes. But the rest of the exchanges between the two actors, Johnson and Dornan, go downhill. Thankfully, the music relieves the audience and makes the awkward moments not as painful. From a spectator’s point of view, the “50 Shades” soundtrack is way sexier and entertaining than the film. Despite the fact that the movie made serious bank on its opening weekend, several of the soundtrack songs skyrocketed to the top of the iTunes singles chart. Yes, sir.
Here are the top six songs that are more thrilling than the sex scenes:
1. “Crazy in Love (2014 Remix)” by Beyoncé
Ms. Carter took a full 360 spin and revamped this poppy song to sound sexy and eerie. Originally released in 2003, the song sets the tone for “50 Shades,” matching the mysterious persona of Christian Grey and reflecting the tense relationship between the main characters. The addition of the piano, violins, and other steaming instruments and vocals, especially the gasps, creates this dark and moving effect that the film lacked. Beyoncé did her part and redefined “crazy” respectively.
2. “Earned It” by The Weeknd
The opening beats of this song stir up curiosity and get the blood boiling. The song’s popularity level is high on the soundtrack and it ranks No.6 on iTunes. It definitely earned it.
3. “Love Me Like You Do” by Ellie Goulding
Once this song was released, the world reacted. This No.3 iTunes song became a phenomenon of itself within the phenomenon. The helicopter scene was nice due to the inclusion of the song and no dialogue. Goulding’s music video does a better job than the film with the whole sexiness for all four minutes. The singer has more chemistry with her dancing partner than Johnson and Dornan have while standing side by side.
4. “I Know You” by Skylar Grey
Ms. Grey delivers a better performance than Mr. Grey. Her high vocals and intentional pauses mix well. She seduces the listener in a more effective way than Dornan attempts with his wandering eyes. Johnson’s acting is more attractive overall. Ana and Skylar are the dominant ones.
5. “Salted Wound” by Sia
The singer saves her powerful voice and sings with a soft and elegant tone instead. In the accompaniment of beautiful harp strums, Sia captures the fragile nature of Anastasia’s character even if the song is intended for Christian. In the movie, the audience learns about his dark past, but the story never really develops.
6. “Haunted (Michael Diamond Remix)” by Beyoncé
The song title speaks for itself and Beyoncé stays true to it.
You’ll find more pleasure in purchasing and listening to the $11.99 soundtrack than paying the same price or more for the movie ticket. Will you submit?