Rock Music Soundtracks

Raw blues and counterpoint rhythms defining Scorsese's 2013 epic of debauchery.

The Wolf of Wall Street soundtrack, released on December 17, 2013, for digital download and physically on January 7, 2014, by Virgin Records, serves as the sonic backbone to Martin Scorsese's 2013 biographical black comedy crime film. Unlike traditional scores, this album features a curated roster of mid-century blues tracks from the 1950s and 1960s, selected by music supervisor Randall Poster with input from Robbie Robertson. The collection received critical acclaim and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, ultimately losing to Frozen (2013). This release captures the film's unique auditory identity, eschewing period-accurate radio hits for raw blues numbers that drive character development.

Quick Facts

Notable era covered: 1950s to 1960s Blues and Rock

Lore & Background

The film features 60 tracks handpicked by Randall Poster, yet only 16 appeared on the official album. Robbie Robertson, a long-time collaborator, composed no original score but served as executive music producer and helped select songs, providing recordings like Elmore James' "Dust My Broom" (1951) and Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning" (1956). Robertson noted that while these tracks had nothing to do with the 1980s and '90s setting, they offered "raw amazement" and got under the skin immediately. Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker spent a year cutting image and music seamlessly, adhering to Robertson's view that for Scorsese, music and picture are identical. The goal was finding counterpoint and avoiding the obvious so the music works against the idea, fueling the character development amidst epic debauchery.

Reader's Guide

Critics praised the soundtrack's eclectic mish-mash, with Gregory Heaney of AllMusic calling it a solid disc offering the film's thrills without the fraud. Paul Taylor of Lemonwire noted Scorsese drew on songs predating the historical setting to strike the right tone rather than ensure radio accuracy. Ryan Leas of Consequence highlighted that most songs were old even in the era depicted, focusing heavily on blues with three Bo Diddley and two Howlin' Wolf tracks. While Leas described the result as a "grab bag" that feels predictable, he praised the use of "Smokestack Lightning" for its ghostly, haunting effect, arguing it pulls up specters of Americana to examine how corruption is endemic to American identity. The music functions as a foundational element, sharing the desire-driven madness of Belfort.

Did You Know?

Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" was used in the trailer but excluded from the final film to maintain a blues and early rock-and-roll motif.
The independent band 7horse's song "Meth Lab Zoso Sticker" was discovered by Scorsese through his own music scouting, with bandleader Phil Leavitt unsure how he found it.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings performed a cover version of Shirley Bassey's 1964 single "Goldfinger" for the film.