By Natalie Forster, Associate Editor
“Birds of Prey,” the supervillain spin-off from Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie, hit theaters today. After her painful breakup with the Joker, Quinn becomes allies with three other deadly women. The movie, with a bright, candy-like color scheme, circles around this bond with these three other women. And with such a lively movie, it makes sense to have the soundtrack be just as bold as the supervillains it is inspired by.
The “Birds of Prey” soundtrack, which also dropped today, has songs from some of today’s most well-known, confident women in the music industry. Four singles were released prior to the album’s release – “Sway With Me,” by Saweetie with Galxara; “Boss B” by Doja Cat; “Diamonds” by Meghan Thee Stallion with Normani; and “Joke’s On You” by Charlotte Lawrence. “Sway With Me” samples a sped-up version of “Sway,” once made popular by Dean Martin and has since been sung by artists including The Pussycat Dolls and Michael Bublé. The track also showcases a different side of Saweetie that listeners might not be used to. Saweetie, known for “ICY GRL” and “My Type,” sounds somewhat similar to that of female rapper Rico Nasty, rapping faster and in a higher key than most of her songs are typically in. However, this works for her, and the fast beat demonstrates Quinn’s fast-paced lifestyle perfectly. On “Sway With Me,” Saweetie shows that she is a force to be reckoned with. On “Boss B,” Doja gives listeners even more energy than that of her other famous tunes, which is pretty hard to do. She raps fast throughout the whole song, and although it is only a little over two minutes long, her flow is so new and freeflowing that it might take listeners a few listens through to truly comprehend everything that she says. This song, while not yet getting a lot of recognition, is easily becoming known among fans as one of her best songs. If Doja isn’t considered a big name in the rap industry, soon she will be.
It’s understandable why the movie’s executives released “Diamonds” as the lead single off the album. Coming off of her “Hot Girl Summer,” Meghan is easily one of the most well-known female rappers, generating female empowerment in the best possible way. Featuring Normani, another big name in the music industry with hits such as “Motivation” and “Love Lies,” there was no way for these two to come together and create anything other than a girl-power anthem. And that’s exactly what they did.
“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend/ Di-diamonds are a girl’s best friend/ I don’t need you/ I’ve got flooded out baguettes/ I don’t need you/ All my diamonds dripping wet (Cartier),” Normani sings over the drum-filled music. This chorus flips the “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” stereotype around, turning it from a knock at materialism to a statement of self-love, knowing that she doesn’t need a man to be happy, a concept Quinn must discover in the movie.
Lawrence, being the only sole singer and not rapper to have a song released prior to the album’s release, had a lot to live up to. However, “Joke’s On You” is arguably the best song released out of them all. As slow as Kehlani’s “Gangsta,” featured on the “Suicide Squad” album, Lawrence digs at the heartstrings while haunting listeners at the same time. She sings of a dangerous and toxic love and how painful the aftermath of that can be in a style that is reminiscent of The Weeknd’s “Trilogy” album.
“Drag me to death, like a lit cigarette/ Took my last breath, like the smoke from my lips/ I’ve lied for you, and I liked it too/ But my knees are bruised, from kneelin’ to you,” she sings as though she knows the feeling too well.
“And now I’m laughin’ through my tears/ I’m cryin’ through my fear/ But baby, if I had to choose/ The joke’s on you/ The joke’s on you,” she sings on the chorus, referencing the destructive relationship and poking at Quinn’s ex-boyfriend’s name.
The “Birds of Prey” soundtrack is exactly what you’d expect it to be. Filled with bold sounds and upbeat anthems to blast in the car just like Quinn, while also power-ballads demonstrating deep-seated love and resentment after a toxic relationship, some of pop and rap’s biggest names and up-in-coming artists have banded together to create the perfect break-up playlist.
forstena17@bonaventure.edu
