Summary

• The Wolf of Wall Street features a diverse soundtrack that matches the movie’s wild and frenzied pace perfectly.
• From Elvis Presley to Cypress Hill, the soundtrack adds layers to Jordan Belfort’s life of excess and crime.
• The music choices in the film highlight the outrageous levels of wealth, debauchery, and drug use depicted in the story.

This article contains references/descriptions of drug misuse

The Wolf of Wall Street soundtrack fills Martin Scorsese’s wild crime comedy with a wide variety of great songs that enhance the outrageous tale. Adapted from the life story of unscrupulous stockbroker Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street marked a return to Scorsese’s signature style of fast-paced biopic. Much like Goodfellas and Casino, The Wolf of Wall Street is jam-packed with music. Ever since Robert De Niro’s iconic entrance to the tune of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” in Mean Streets, Scorsese has been renowned for the needle-drops on his soundtracks. The Wolf of Wall Street proudly continues that stylistic tradition.

From Elvis Presley to The Foo Fighters to Cyprus Hill, there’s a wide range of different artists featured on The Wolf of Wall Street’s soundtrack. This eclectic mix of musical styles was a large part of creating the movie’s rapid, frenzied pace. Thanks to its ever-changing soundtrack and the variety of songs on that soundtrack, The Wolf of Wall Street’s unwieldy three-hour runtime flies by. With a selection of dozens of songs from a handful of different musical genres, The Wolf of Wall Street has one of Scorsese’s most ambitious soundtracks.

Where Every Other Song Plays In The Wolf Of Wall Street

The Songs Highlight Jordan Belfort’s Life Of Crime And Excess

“Spoonful”by Howlin’ Wolf – This track makes for the first song to play into the movie and is a wild introduction to the story of Jordan Belfort, and more directly, his drug habits. The song plays as Jordan lists the many drugs he takes to get through the day, seeming like an impossible amount of narcotics but apparently inspired by the real Jordan Belfort’s self-medication methods.

“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”by Ian Dury – Following Matthew McConaughey’s brief Wolf of Wall Street role, Jordan narrates as he learns “the ins and outs” of the Wall Street world with this song playing over scenes of him at strip clubs surrounded by dancers while he uses cocaine for the first time. It is a hilarious moment suggesting that this kind of behavior is just part of the job.

“Tear It Down”by Clyde McCoy – This song plays during a scene in which Jordan and Donnie continue experimenting with drugs as Donnie gifts him some crack to smoke. Interestingly, this is the first and only real-time in the movie in which Jordan seems reluctant or uneasy about his drug use. Of course, he quickly relents and is very pleased with the feeling.

“Surrey with the Fringe on Top”by Ahmad Jamal Trio – This song plays when Jordan buys his wife a diamond necklace. It is a moment of him showing his immense wealth and success in the new job. However, it is also a subtly dark moment as he is gifting his wife with the spoils of his work while also using his work to continuously be dishonest and disloyal to her.

“Stars and Stripes Forever”by John Philip Sousa – This classic patriotic marching song is used perfectly to show the increased wildness of Belfort’s office and their shenanigans. Capping off a successful week, Jordan treats his workers to a show with a marching band entering the office playing the song and wearing nothing by their underwear.

“Cloudburst”by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross – This song scores the moment after Jordan and his peers are confronted with their excessive and debaucherous spending at the firm. The song plays as Jordan boasts about the different tiers of sex workers who are brought into the office, from the very expensive ones to the rather affordable options.

“Insane in the Brain” by Cypress Hill – Another sign of Jordan Belfort’s excessive wealth is shown in the scene in which he hosts a house party filled with hundreds of people, a lot of liquor, and copious amounts of cocaine being used by the guests. It is all shown while this classic hip-hop song plays with the lyrics perfectly highlighting the unbelievable and outrageous levels of excess on display.

“King Arthur, Act 3: What Power Art Thou”by The Monteverdi Choir – While Martin Scorsese’s use of music in his movies has been known to deliver some powerful moments, he can also use them for moments of great comedy. A snippet of this opera song is heard over the slow-motion shot of Donnie, high on Quaaludes, leaning over Jordan’s shoulder during a game of beer pong. The epic music and Donnie’s glazed look in slow motion make for one of the biggest laughs in the movie.

“There is No Greater Love” by Ahmad Jamal Trio – A romantic love song scores the first date Jordan has with Margot Robbie’s The Wolf of Wall Street character, Naomi. It is an interesting scene as Jordan seems nervous at the prospect of wooing this beautiful girl and the song sets the stage for a grand romance despite the fact that he is married and their relationship would be filled with endless hardships.

“Boom Boom”by John Lee Hooker – This song plays when Jordan and Naomi are driving home together after dinner. In contrast to the love song setting a romantic mood for their dinner together, this more fast-paced and electric song shows the lust coming over Jordan. It is a sign that those moments of romance and sweetness do not last long and he quickly reverts back to his animalistic mind.

“Give Me Luv”by Alcatraz – There are random moments in the movie that don’t seem to add much to the plot but offer hilarious and wild details that leave many questions about whether all of this is accurate to the true story behind The Wolf of Wall Street. This Alcatraz song is playing when Naomi walks into her apartment to find her butler having an orgy in one of the wildest reveals in a movie that is filled with them.

“Uncontrollable Urge”by Devo – This song can be heard when Jordan is playing golf and describes how a “rat-hole” works before the SEC pays him a visit. The upbeat energy of the song reflects the confidence and arrogance Jordan and his colleague had with the crimes they were committing. The song plays as Jordan brags about mistreating the SEC while they are looking over his files in one room while committing far bigger crime right next to them. It is a sign that he sees himself as untouchable.

“In the Bush”by Musique – This is the second song that plays on the plane as the bachelor party’s festivities begin on the jet with excessive drug use and an airborne orgy. The real Jordan Belfort confirmed a party like this really did happen and the song score it perfectly as there is mayhem and scenes of debauchery that would seemingly never be possible in the real world. It is one of the scenes that makes it such a wild movie.

“Can’t Help Falling in Love”by Elvis Presley & the Jordanaires – Once again, Martin Scorsese uses music for comedic effect and great storytelling. Following the events of his disgusting bachelor party, this romantic ode to love plays during the wedding of Jordan and Naomi. It shows the two-faced side of Jordan that he is always going to be deceptive no matter who he is with.

“Baby Got Back”by Sir Mix-A-Lot – This is another song that Jordan and his friends dance to during the wedding scene, showing off Leonardo DiCaprio’s surprising dancing skills. This also links to the previous song as Jordan previously promised himself that the bachelor party would be his last wild ride before settling into a life of marriage. However, seeing him dance with his drunk and wild friends suggests he is not going to keep that promise.

“Everlong”by Foo Fighters – This song plays when Jordan gives Naomi a yacht as her wedding present. The epic nature of the song highlights the extravagance of the present Jordan gives to his wife. It also introduces the yacht in memorable fashion with it playing a memorable role later in the movie.

“Sloop John B”by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – This song plays after Jordan is interrogated by FBI agents, led by Kyle Chandler, on his boat and he asks them to leave. Though Jordan initially took the meeting with confidence that he could charm or bribe his way out of it, he turns frustrated as he begins insulting and belittling the agents. It continues as he explains the drugs he’s taking to get through the flight to Switzerland, showing how extensive his dependency on narcotics has become.

“Boom Boom Boom” by The Outhere Brothers – Continuing Jordan’s pre-flight drug schedule, this song is heard in a nightclub as Jordan is dancing while high on Quaaludes. The fact that he is confidently partying and doing all manner of drugs sets up the disastrous plane ride that awaits him and his drug-fueled behavior that even shocks Donnie.

“I Need You Baby (Mona)”by Bo Diddley – This song plays as Jordan is trying to convince Naomi’s aunt to let him open a Swiss bank account in her name. The song reflects the charm in Jordan trying to convince her of this rather large favor. The song also comes to highlight the awkward moment when Jordan begins to think that the older woman is flirting with him and he tries to make a move, showing how far he has sunk.

“Flying High”by Bennett Salvay & Jesse Frederick – This song from one of Family Matters’ nine seasons can be heard when Jordan and Donnie are watching an episode of the classic sitcom, waiting for the Quaaludes to take effect. The mundane activity of watching a wholesome sitcom while waiting for their drug trip to happen is a hilarious moment which sets the stage for the infamous Quaaludes scene.

“Dream Lover”by Clifford Grey & Victor Schertzinger – This song from Popeye Meets Hercules can be heard when Donnie is on the phone and the short is playing on the TV in the background. It sets up the joke that follows with Jordan.

“Popeye the Sailor Man”by Sammy Lerner – This iconic theme from Popeye usually plays when Popeye has eaten his spinach and gains the strength he needs to save the day. It is used hilariously in the Quaaludes scene when Jordan takes cocaine to give himself the necessary boost to overcome the powerful drugs that have finally taken effect.

“Hip Hop Hooray”by Naughty By Nature – This song plays as Brad attends the yacht party being thrown in his honor for serving his jail sentence. The upbeat song and the part continue to show the reckless way Jordan and the others face the law. Even with real prison sentences, they feel as though they are unstoppable or convince themselves as much so that they can keep the party going.

“One Step Beyond” by Inspector 7 – The Wolf of Wall Street‘s fraud charges against Jordan and the others can be a little hard to understand, but the crimes do begin to catch up to them. However, they still do not take them seriously and celebrate defying the law without repercussions. This song kicks in when Stratton Oakmont starts receiving subpoenas and Donnie urinates on them.

“Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting” by Charles Mingus – This song is playing when Jordan and Donnie are taking a vacation in Italy and get the call telling them Steve Madden is offloading shares. It is another moment of Jordan openly defying the law as he explains that they were expressly told not to leave the country only for him to decide that it was the perfect time to take a vacation.

“Gloria”by Umberto Tozzi – This song plays when Jordan and his party are rescued from a shipwreck and dance with Italian sailors. Following the mayhem of the scene of the ship in the storm, the fun dance party is a hilarious juxtaposition. However, it also marks a change in Jordan as he is not joining in on the fun for the first time and begins to see the trouble he is in gradually closing in on him.

“Ça Plane Pour Moi”by Plastic Bertrand – This song plays when Jordan is arrested by the FBI. The song from the Belgium new wave punk group carries that sense of defiance and rebelliousness that Jordan has maintained during his entire interaction with the law enforcement agents.