"Over the Love" is a song recorded by English
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
for the
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
to
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...
's
2013 film adaptation of
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...
's 1925 novel, ''
The Great Gatsby
''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts First-person narrative, first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious mil ...
''. It appears as the seventh track on the soundtrack. The song was released as the first
promotional single
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
from the album on 17 April 2013, available to stream on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
in the weeks leading up to the soundtrack's release.
Composition
"Over the Love" is a
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
that builds towards the end and talks about a girl crying over the love for her boyfriend and the distance that separates them.
The lyrics of the song reference symbols from F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, like the yellow dress Daisy wears and the green light that appears outside her home in East Egg's dock. Moreover, the line "'Cause you're a hard soul to save with an ocean in the way, but I'll get around it" symbolizes the space between East Egg and Long Island Sound in West Egg where Gatsby awaits Daisy. An alternative interpretation would be that it is a reference to the Atlantic. It was Gatsby's service in World War I that originally separated Daisy and Gatsby. Yet another interpretation is that the line refers to Gatsby's unshakable determination which is both a source of his strength as well as the cause of his downfall.
In the novel, Nick describes a woman in a yellow dress who is wailing next to the piano at the end of the first party he attended. Another woman tells Nick she "had a fight with a man who says he's her husband." Her tear-stained face is smudged with mascara and guests are telling her to sing the notes on her face.
The lyrics "Now there’s green light in my eyes" and "I can see the green light, I can see it in your eyes", bring a connection to the metaphors of the green light of the lighthouse constantly described in the book.
Critical reception
"Over the Love" received universal acclaim. Fans' reaction toward the song has been overwhelmingly positive. Pretty Much Amazing gave a positive review saying, "Florence + the Machine’s “Over
heLove” is our first taste of that record, and I believe ''
GQ'' is correct in saying this is sung from Daisy’s perspective. Welch is in great form on the track and it leaves me rewatching its trailers, excited to see the film–all intellectual quandaries aside."
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. (born March 23, 1978), known professionally as Perez Hilton, is an American blogger, columnist, and media personality. His blog is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities, and for posting tabloid p ...
acclaimed the song saying, "Florence +
heMachine has delivered a powerfully emotional song for the film,
Over the Love" With AH-Mazing vocals and lyrics referencing Daisy’s yellow dress and other ''Gatsby'' moments, this song has us barely able to wait for the film."
"Over the Love" received a very positive review from Page to Premiere, calling it "absolutely amazing." Hypetrak praised the song saying the song "is an undeniably powerful and impactful number, as Florence does so often, showcasing her strong and unwavering vocals throughout." ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' simply called the song "epic and tragic."
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2013 songs
2010s ballads
Florence and the Machine songs
The Great Gatsby
Song recordings produced by Emile Haynie
Songs written by Florence Welch
Songs written by Kid Harpoon