The Soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Will Have You Questioning What Year It Is

Warner Bros. just announced the artists that will be featured on the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, and the lineup will have you asking yourself, um, what year is it again?

The needle drops aren’t all from the 1950s through ’70s, the period of Elvis Presley’s legendary recording career. But they aren’t quite 2022, either. In typical Luhrmann fashion, they scramble genre and decade into a disorienting mix. When the Luhrmann approach works, it’s breathtaking.

Among the soundtrack’s most intriguing collaborations is one between Eminem and “Fuck You” singer CeeLo Green. You can listen to the snippet of their song “The King and I” above. Next, we’re getting some Chris Isaak, whose biggest hit, “Wicked Game,” came out in 1989 — one year after Eminem started rapping in 1988 under the name MC Double M.

Of course, we’re getting some Elvis Presley tunes, and star Austin Butler himself will actually sing in the movie. He’s presumably doing all Elvis covers, although it would be a boss move if he snuck in some of his own singer-songwriter jams, a la Robert Pattinson in Twilight. Actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, who plays American country singer Jimmie Rodgers in the film, is also listed on the soundtrack — could this mean a “Blue Yodel” cover?

Also Read: Harry Styles’ Mustache; An Ode to Fangirls; New Elvis and The Gray Man Trailers

Stevie Nicks is also listed farther down on the list of artists, which you can see in full below, along with more contemporary artists including Doja Cat, Kacey Musgraves, Swae Lee and Diplo, and Tame Impala. Oh, and we’re getting some Jack White, which is fitting considering the White Stripes alum once said that he feels like he was “born in the wrong generation.”

Then there’s the Italian glam rock band Måneskin. It makes sense that they would be on the Elvis soundtrack since they blew up on TikTok when their cover of Frankie Valli’s “Beggin'” went viral.

Other artists on the soundtrack include Gary Clark Jr., Ann Nesby, Alton Mason, Denzel Curry, Lenesha Randolph, Jazmine Sullivan, Les Greene, Nardo Wick, Paravi, Pnau, Rufus Thomas, Shonka Dukureh, and Yola.

Check out the full artist list for the Elvis soundtrack below, and watch the second trailer for the movie here.

Main Image: Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Photo Credit: Warner Bros.