'Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film' is the soundtrack album to Baz Luhrmann's 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, released on 8 May 2001 by Interscope Records. The album features most of the songs featured in the film. However, some of the songs are alternate versions and there are two or three major songs that were left off. The original film versions and extra songs were featured on the second soundtrack.

Songs

The soundtrack consists almost entirely of cover versions—"Come What May", composed by David Baerwald and Kevin Gilbert, is the only original song on the album. The opening track, "Nature Boy", is performed by David Bowie, though in the film the song is performed by actor John Leguizamo as the character Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Originally by American singer-songwriter eden ahbez, the song is reprised as the last song on the soundtrack with performances by Bowie and Massive Attack, along with a dialogue by Nicole Kidman. "Lady Marmalade", written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, was made famous in the 1970s by the girl group Labelle. The song contains the sexually suggestive lyric "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?", which translates to "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" Labelle's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. The version for the soundtrack is performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink, with production and additional vocal credits by Missy Elliott. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. "Because We Can" is credited to Norman Cook, with performance and production credits given to his stage name Fatboy Slim. The song contains portions of "Zidler's Rap", performed in the film by Jim Broadbent as the character Harold Zidler, and has been called the "'Can Can' for the next generation". "Sparkling Diamonds" is performed by Kidman, Broadbent, Caroline O'Connor, Natalie Mendoza and Lara Mulcahy. The song is a medley featuring "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin and introduced by Carol Channing in the Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), and "Material Girl" by Madonna. "Rhythm of the Night" was made famous in 1985 by the American R&B group DeBarge. The track reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and is said to have "jumpstarted" the career of songwriter Diane Warren. The soundtrack version is performed by Valeria, and includes a dialogue by Kidman.

Commercial performance

''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film debuted on the US Billboard'' 200 at number five on 16 May 2001. Four weeks later, the album reach its peak position at number three. The soundtrack reached number one on the Top Soundtracks chart and number 33 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. On 23 April 2002, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In Australia, the soundtrack debuted on the albums chart at number four on 11 May 2001. The following week, it reached number one and remained there for 11 consecutive weeks and upon the albums chart for 58 weeks. It was the highest-selling album of 2001 in Australia and has been certified five-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). ''Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film'' also reached number one in New Zealand, where it remained on the albums chart for 16 weeks. The soundtrack reached the top five in Austria, Denmark, France, and Norway. In 2001, the album was the 20th best-selling album globally, selling four million copies.

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history