Greta Gerwig picks her favourite song ever: “It’s a song that I want to dance to at a wedding”
Greta Gerwig has already cemented herself as one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. Regardless of her partnership with Noah Baumbach in the early stages of her career, Gerwig has created her signature voice whenever she stands behind the camera, whether making a period piece with Little Women or diving into the world of lighthearted entertainment like Barbie. Although Gerwig is at her best when painting her visual masterpieces, she has also been indebted to the world of music.
For years, Gerwig has used music to inform how her movies would be told. Up until the release of Barbie, the most vital moments of the film come from the characters working off the various musical cues throughout every scene, whether it’s the tongue-in-cheek use of Matchbox 20’s ‘Push’ or the cold existential crisis soundtracked to Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For’.
Given the nature of her latest material, though, Gerwig’s pick for her favourite song of all time is a lot more subdued. Before she had stood behind the camera, she was having her taste shaped by the sounds of Brian Eno.
While many know Eno as one of the greatest producers in the world of rock and the man behind Roxy Music alongside Bryan Ferry, Eno’s work in avant-garde music has been pivotal to modern-day production. Outside of his selected works with giants like U2 and Coldplay, Eno’s signature touch in the studio has never been more pure than when he works on his ambient albums.
On records like Music for Airports, Eno captures the feeling of travel in a way few artists can manage. Although bands like Pink Floyd may have tried to blend the sounds of mainstream production and ambient works, Eno was always one step ahead, taking the building blocks of different sounds to create a serene landscape in the listener’s mind.
When talking about her favourite of Eno’s compositions, Gerwig thought one of his collaborations with John Cale was one of his finest works, telling SPIN, “‘Lay My Love’ by Brian Eno and John Cale is my favourite song. It’s a song that I want to dance to at a wedding set out in the countryside. If you listen to it, you’ll immediately feel like moving or going for a run”.
Taken for the album Wrong Way Up, both Eno and Cale perfectly bounce off each other throughout the song, all while using instruments that aren’t customary for traditional rock and roll. As opposed to the different keyboard patches he’s known for, Eno steps behind the microphone for this song, evoking a sense of urgency as a violin fanfare plods along in the background.
Although Eno takes the lead across the track, Cale’s attention to detail in the production is among his most overlooked work. Even though the track might not have the most pop-friendly hook in the world, the true appeal of the song comes from the energy that it evokes, constantly feeling like it’s pushing forward by adding new layers to the sound, whether that’s vocal harmonies or putting new instrumental additions into the mix.
Gerwig has even taken that approach to her work, continually adding layers to her characters that make the story feel like it’s constantly shifting towards the next scene. Although Gerwig may have had this song in her subconscious for years, the Eno mentality of pushing music forward seems to be leaving its mark on her approach to cinema as well.
