From R&B to Country, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Includes Some of The 20th Century’s Biggest Hits

Since its release on October 4, Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux has been receiving reviews on every end of the spectrum. Primarily, the film isn’t being met with much praise as it currently has a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. Also, Roger Ebert said, “The wafer-thin story amounts to the same nihilistic slop that Phillips served up in the first Joker.” Joker: Folie à Deux is certainly not getting the critical appeal it expected and most definitely is not outperforming the franchise’s first film.

However, those reviews come from film critics, who look at the film in a holistic sense. We are a music publication, so we are going to review one thing —The film’s decadent and timeless soundtrack. Which includes both original music and some of the biggest hits of the 20th century.

The Splendid Covers in ‘Joker: Folie à Deux

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix put on quite the show, as the two seemingly dedicated themselves to their roles both in the theatrical and musical sense. Furthermore, the original music Lady Gaga gives the film off her album, Harlequin, is fitting and provides some much-needed originality to her character. But, the soundtrack compiled and composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir takes the cake.

Littered with hit songs, Joker: Folie à Deux’s soundtrack implements nearly every major genre of music and recreates it to fit the tonal atmosphere of the cynically delightful romance story. From R&B, pop, folk, and even country, the film doubles down on its musical risk with its diverse soundtrack.

When merely viewed, the soundtrack shows no cohesiveness. However, when listened to, Hildur Guðnadóttir subverts this belief by composing beautiful renditions of classic hits. Not spoiling, but some of the songs featured include “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder, “Dancing With The Mountains” by John Denver, and “Cry Me a River” by Barbra Streisand.

Again, nothing about these three songs and the rest featured alludes to any type of thematic and musical connection. However, that is where the beauty resides. Guðnadóttir’s successful attempt of pulling semblance out of songs that don’t necessarily share nearly anything in common. 

A Risk Worth Taking

It seems one of the premier reasons the film’s reception isn’t all positive is because it is a musical. Additionally, the film does have a somewhat weak storyline and one that doesn’t call for suspense or subtextual analysis. Although, the legs carrying this load is the soundtrack and the enormous risk it was able to successfully achieve. Not only does it add to the film’s atmosphere, but also to the overall love story. If Phillips decided to remove all the dialogue between Joker and Harley Quinn, their love story could still be told solely through the music and their accompanying scenes.

In all, Hildur Guðnadóttir’s soundtrack is something rather refreshing amidst all the incredibly trite superhero movies. And frankly, that’s possibly why it fell short at the box office and the reviews, as it wasn’t Spider-Man swinging from buildings or Superman saving Louis Lane. Rather, ‘Joker: Folie à Deux is a tragic story about a sick man told through joyous songs.

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