A magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous, gargantuan, bedazzlement, a sensual ravishment.
TheMoulin Rougesoundtrack is spectacular, spectacularno words in the vernacular can describe it.
But the eccentric pop fever dream that it became almost never was.
Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in ‘Moulin Rouge!'.Courtesy Everett Collection
When director and co-writerBaz Luhrmannfirst conceived of his 2001 film, it was as an original musical.
He has to try and rescue her from the underworld.
Well, what’s the underworld?
Courtesy Everett Collection
I guess the underworld is the world of the Moulin Rouge.'"
Within those scenes, they would pinpoint where the emotions exploded and needed to break out into song.
explains executive music producer and music supervisor Anton Monsted.
Courtesy Everett Collection
But their champion came in one of music’s biggest icons, none other thanSir Elton John.
“And Elton basically said, ‘Let me help you any way I can.
That strategy worked really well.”
Courtesy Everett Collection
“People saw what Baz was trying to do and got on board,” reflects Monsted.
“I don’t feel it was a process that was defined by struggle or resistance.
Which is how it ended up solving a musical conundrum.
Courtesy Everett Collection
They weren’t specific enough.
Merging together these three forms, it drives the film to its dramatic and musical climax.
Either Baz or Anton found that tango tune, which is by an Argentinian composer.
Interscope
The idea came in of marrying the two together.
Then, we wrote some additional lyrics because we wanted Christian to have a specific voice in it.”
It was originally written for Luhrmann’s previous project,Romeo + Juliet,but ultimately was not used.
Its journey to becoming a part of theMoulin Rouge!score was roundabout as well.
We could have used a song like, say,West Side Story’s’Somewhere.’
It was written as a solo, not a duet, and it was in waltz time.
De Vries describes it as having a “post-Appalachian, country feel.”
But Luhrmann saw through all those trappings to something in the lyrics that serviced the story.
Though de Vries credits McGregor and Kidman’s vocal performances for guiding the ultimate feel of the track.
The official soundtrack
Moulin Rouge!
Music From Baz Luhrmann’s Filmdebuted at No.
5 on theBillboard200 chart and eventually peaked at No.
This manifested itself in unique numbers that reflected the ethos of the film at large.
Some of the soundtrack choices even led to rethinking numbers in the film.
As he puts it, “We were living according to bohemian ideals.
