Eight songs Greta Gerwig couldn’t live without
Greta Gerwig is undoubtedly one of the most prominent creatives of 2023. Over the past decade, Gerwig has cemented herself as an incredibly creative and well-respected writer and director, but her reputation reached new peaks this year with the release of the smash-hit blockbuster Barbie.
The phenomenon that was Barbie has formed a huge part of 2023’s cultural landscape. The film’s promotional material and subsequent release was unavoidable, and millions of people worldwide flocked to theatres to see Margot Robbie as the titular doll on the silver screen. Aside from the movie itself, one of the most popular aspects of Barbie was its soundtrack. Featuring artists such as Dua Lipa, Lizzo and Charli XCX, multiple tracks taken from the score album became massive hits in the charts. The lead single, ‘Dance the Night Away’ by Dua Lipa, quickly became a number one single in the UK and was virtually unavoidable throughout the summer.
Of course, music has always been a vital part of Gerwig’s projects, with the director often using soundtracks to tell a section of the film’s story. For instance, her 2017 film, Lady Bird, was noted for its creative use of songs by Alanis Morissette, John Cale and Haim in addition to the original score by Jon Brion. Gerwig has always been open about her love of music, once revealing that her favourite song of all time was ‘Lay My Love’ by Brian Eno and John Cale.
Recently, the acclaimed writer and director was invited onto BBC Radio Four’s flagship programme, Desert Island Discs, to expand upon her musical influences. Throughout the programme, presented by Lauren Laverne, Gerwig selects eight tracks that she would take with her if stranded on a desert island. Though she selects some fantastic songs, Gerwig’s choices may come as something of a surprise when looking at the pop music masterclass that spawned from the soundtrack of her latest effort.
As she readily admits at the beginning of the programme, Gerwig’s list of eight essential tracks is very “musical heavy”. Her first pick comes in the form of the original cast recording of ‘I Hope I Get It’ from the 1975 musical A Chorus Line. “I have loved it for my whole life,” she explains, “It has this kind of yearning to be part of something. I felt like I was born with that yearning”. The musical theatre influence that Gerwig holds so dear is rife throughout the entire programme. In addition to the track from A Chorus Line, she opts for ‘Finale Ultimo’ by the Broadway cast of Camelot as well as ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’ from the noted Fred Astaire musical film Top Hat.
Gerwig’s essential tracklist also features some iconic rock and roll numbers, selecting the seminal ‘Pinball Wizard’ by The Who. “Even of my rock and roll choices, they’re pretty musical theatre-y,” she notes, given that the track comes from The Who’s rock opera, Tommy. Her other rock selections include Elvis’ ‘And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind’ as well as David Bowie’s ‘Moonage Daydream’.
Bowie was a hugely influential character for Gerwig, as he was for many. Speaking on the track, she revealed the impact that it had had on her in college when she heard it for the first time: “That lyric: ‘Keep your electric eye on me’. I didn’t know what it meant, but it felt like, ‘What is this?’ And I wrote it on everything. All my notebooks, textbooks, anything I would write: ‘Keep your electric eye on me’. It had a weight”.
The director even went so far as to say, “I truly think if David Bowie hadn’t existed, I wouldn’t have made anything”, so perhaps we can add Gerwig’s filmography to the ever-growing list of things we can thank David Bowie for.
Gerwig’s final song is Nina Simone’s ‘Ain’t Got No, I Got Life’. An iconic track of the civil rights movement, the 1968 number is a medley of two tracks from the musical Hair, once again showing Gerwig’s deep appreciation for music theatre. Of her selection, she said: “I also thought, given that I’m on a desert island, this is a sort of celebration of what you have – and not what’s missing”. Check out the full list of the director’s essential tracks below.
Greta Gerwig’s favourite songs:
- ‘I Hope I Get It’ – Don Pippin and the original cast of A Chorus Line
- ‘Pinball Wizard’ – The Who
- ‘Sleigh Ride’ – Percy Faith & His Orchestra
- ‘And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘Moonage Daydream’ – David Bowie
- ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’ – Johnny Green & His Orchestra, with Fred Astaire
- ‘Finale Ultimo’ – Original Broadway cast of Camelot
- ‘Ain’t Got No, I Got Life’ – Nina Simone
