Greta Gerwig discusses her five favourite songs of all time
Greta Gerwig is one of those music fans who listen to a song “over and over again” to soak up every possible emotional detail. It’s this reverence for the small stuff that has made the playwright, screenwriter, actor and director one of Hollywood’s most esteemed auteurs. After collaborating with Noah Baumbach on several films, including Greenberg and Frances Ha, Gerwig released her directorial debut, Lady Bird, in 2017. Currently working on the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie, here, she opens up about some of her favourite tracks of all time.
Appearing on the KCRW Guest DJ Project ahead of the release of Lady Bird, Gerwig picked five songs that have inspired her over the years. Though the selection spanned multiple genres, it was united by a common thread. According to Gerwig, “they all qualify as songs that I have listened to obsessively.” First on her list was Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds Of Love’, the lead single song from her 1984 studio album of the same name.
“I find her lyrics mysterious and evocative – almost like poetry — and there is a real spaciousness to her music that feels cinematic to me,” Gerwig explained. “But specifically with this song, ‘Hounds of Love’, I had really been obsessed with it for a long time. But then I did a play – it was called ‘The Village Bike’ — and in the play, a woman is taken over by irrepressible, destructive lust, and there was something about this song that really tapped into that for me.”
For her second track, Gerwig chose an obscure Phil Spector-produced version of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’: “The next song is “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” she began, “which I think most people know from Disney movies. But this ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’ was first recorded by a group called Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans in 1962, I believe. It was produced by Phil Spector and it’s the most haunting, mournful version of this song that you can think of that’s associated with almost maniacal cheeriness. The voices are just aching, but it also has that Phil Spector kind of wall of sound thing going on. I haven’t found the film I want to use it in yet, but it’s definitely a song I would like to use in a movie.”
Next up, ‘The Pearl’ by the great Judee Sill, who was signed to David Geffen’s Asylum label. Her songwriting is almost baroque; her lyrics full of hard-won wisdom. Sill committed a series of armed robberies in high school before being sent to a reform institute. After developing a heroin addiction in the mid-60s, she resorted to sex work, scams and fraud to pay the bills. Her first album was produced by Graham Nash, and she was also responsible for writing The Turtles’ song Lady-O’.
Discussing the importance of ‘The Pearl’, Gerwig said: “Every time I hear that, I think I know what she means to find your way outside of your own confines of what you think your goals are or your personality is and find something that goes beyond the edges and this song to me is about that. I think anytime I feel like, what am I doing? What am I doing with this writing and acting and filmmaking, and I listen to this song, I think, Judee knows what I’m doing.”
For her fourth track. Gerwig chose Laurie Anderson’s jubilant ‘Baby Doll’ – a far cry from the folkish melancholy of Judee Sill. “This is an incredibly happy song,” she began. “It is also a song that I feel relates to my life as it is — making art and not knowing exactly what you’re doing all the time. It features one of the greatest lyrics, I think.
She adds: “Take me to the movies ’cause I love to sit in the dark. And it’s about her brain, talking to her. It’s like one part of her brain is saying, ‘Why don’t you get a real job?’ and ‘What’s wrong with you?’ you know, and struggling to come up with words, and the other part of her brain is like, ‘Take me to the movies’ and ‘Take me to the ballpark’ and ‘Take me out town tonight’ and there is something about the celebration of the part of you that wants to slack off and just go have fun that I love!”
Of course, as a writer, Greta Gerwig treasures songs that provide company but don’t distract her from her work. “I listen to music when I write. Not all the time, but I find writing to be quite isolating at times because it feels like all the kids are outside playing, and you have to stay inside and work, and it can be lonely, she confessed, naming Brian Eno’s ‘Lay My Love’ for her final track”.
She added: “I don’t listen to music all the time, but sometimes a well-placed song in the middle of writing will get my spirits back up. I’ve used this song for that a lot, because it’s got this kind of relentless beat underneath it; it’s got a driving sound. It’s not really like chorus, verse, chorus, verse; it just goes on a loop. It’s the kind of song you would run to, but I write to it.”
Check out the full list below.
Greta Gerwig’s five favourite songs:
- ‘Hounds of Love’ – Kate Bush
- ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’ – Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans
- ‘The Pearl – Judee Sill
- ‘Baby Doll’ -Laurie Anderson
- ‘Lay My Love’ – Brian Eno
