The best-selling Fifty Shades trilogy kicked off on Valentine’s Day with the first installment Fifty Shades of Grey, a novel by British author E.L. James. The movie opened at #1 in the box office and remained so for yet another week. But it’s not just the movie and the novels that are captivating audiences worldwide.
Last week, the Fifty Shades of Grey: Soundtrack debuted at #2, just behind Drake’s surprise release If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (495,000 copies), selling 210,000 copies in it’s opening week in the US alone. In a time with dying record sales, such an opening number is quite satisfying. But it’s no surprise that the album opened with such sales when it has a star-studded roster of contributing artists like Beyoncé, Ellie Goulding, the Weeknd and some unfamiliar names in pop like Vaults.
The album even boasts a top ten hit with Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do, which is a die-hard favorite of mine from the album. The track made it’s top ten debut two weeks ago when it rose to #9 on the Hot 100, only to rise again a week later to #6. The track isn’t showing any signs of slowing down as it currently sits at #2 on the overall iTunes chart. Not far behind is Earned It by the Weeknd, whose track made a simultaneous rise on the Hot 100 (#29 – #12). The last time a soundtrack charted tracks this successfully was most-notably Disney’s Frozen, which charted the ubiquitous hit Let it Go, performed by Idina Menzel, which peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 in 2014 and six other tracks, including Let it Go (single version), performed by Demi Lovato (#38). Will Fifty Shades replicate the chart dominance that Frozen wrought upon the charts last year? Well, it’s too soon to tell, but for right now, it doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing down.
Numbers aside, the soundtrack is a sound body of work that combines theatrical, sultry and dark elements, the same elements that permeate the film. If there were ever a soundtrack so fitting for a film, this is it. The most remarkable part of this opus is the fact that artists from different genres and musical influences are featured on this one body of work. Beyoncé’s reworking of Crazy in Love coupled with Frank Sinatra’s Witchcraft and Vaults One Last Night to the naked eye sound like a juxtaposition of random artistic styling that would in any other setting seemingly clash rather than compliment, but magically, they work! The cohesion within this musical venture proves to be a sound, cohesive work of art that does not disappoint.
One of the most notable tracks in my opinion is one by the band Vaults, whose track One Last Night is mesmerizing. The musicality of the song (the vocals, the instrumentation) is captivating. A track that stares a last moment in the face and lives for moment; a track that, if only for a moment is hopeful with a somber undertone that anticipates the end is near. One Last Night is definitely a gem.
To put the icing on an already ornate cake, the soundtrack includes a track by pop’s in-demand singer-songwriter Sia, who contributes her emotive and profound vocals and songwriting ability in the form of Salted Wound. For those of us who are familiar with Sia’s vocal prowess, the track displays a softer, more demure side of Sia, who is known for her explosive vocals and powerful deliveries. In terms of performance, Sia is unmatched, even in a reserved track such as this. Without a doubt she is the undercover queen of pop, having written for/with pop royalty such as Beyoncé, Brittney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna and a host of other major musical talents.
If you haven’t checked out this album yet, you are definitely doing yourself a disservice. Be sure to listen to the soundtrack and spill the tea below.
Le Grande-POP 