Wuthering Heights is a gothic romance. But it is far from a picturesque love story that the superhuman faces of Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi might make it seem to be. Of course, there is yearning. But at its core Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a tragedy, a story of revenge, horror. And dare I say, generational trauma. Whatever Emerald Fennell’s take on the romance will be – moorland fairy-tale or grotesque love affair – what intrigues me most is Charli XCX’s music contribution to the film.
But before I get into the music, when the casting for the film was announced I was, like many others, disappointed, and it launched the adaptation into a world of controversy before the trailer was even released. Heathcliff, a man who is continually described as dark in the novel, was going to be played by white Hollywood heartthrob Jacob Elordi. Whilst for Cathy Earnshaw, the youthful and wild heroine, the stunning Margot Robbie was cast.
Although these are two actors formidable in their talent, they are not the right fit. Wuthering Heights is deliciously warped romance, and the oddness of their protagonists reflects this. Heathcliff and Cathy are beautiful, but they are also freaks of nature. In other words, they do not possess the same level of beauty that succeeds on Instagram’s algorithm.
For a casting choice that seemed more concerned with Hollywood stars than an accurate portrayal of its source text, Charli XCX being picked to score the film also seemed to fit this obsession with celebrity décor. Another case of popularity over substance. And perhaps a choice only designed to profit off the legacy the artist left behind with ‘Brat summer’. However, after listening to Charli XCX’s two singles, “House” and “Chains of Love”, from her upcoming album for the film, Charli manages to encapsulate desperation, darkness as well as the romance that permeates throughout the novel.
“House” and “Chains of Love” clash with one another perfectly. Two strands that reflect the different sides of Wuthering Heights. “House”, featuring one of the founders of the Velvet Underground and Welsh musician John Cale, starts off with harsh violins reminiscent of the screech of old gates or doors. Before plunging the listener into a haunting monologue by Cale. The speech Cale performs mirrors the intertwined fates of Cathy and Heathcliff. Expressing the sheer desperation of wanting perfection and beauty, but being met instead with horror and imprisonment: “Please, let it be perfect,” Cale utters.
Charli’s vocals begin to intertwine with Cale’s. Her vocals are quiet at first. Almost overcome by the violins and bass, but as Cale’s voice disappears from the track her vocals change into an overly extorted scream – raw and vulnerable, and backed by sharp drums. The last utterance of the song returns to Cale, his voice offering softness post the ear-splitting screams: “In every room, I hear silence.” A fitting way to end a song that in the moment feels overwhelming and inescapable with the sheer number of elements layered into it. Whilst returning the listener to Wuthering Heights as a physical place: imprisoning rooms filled with silence and a sheer absence of love.
“Chains of Love” however, offers a dreamscape, and disregarding the lyrics the song is more reminiscent of the romantic tale of yearning the trailer is making Wuthering Heights out to be. Where “House” expresses ideas of imprisonment and mourning for what could have been ‘perfect’, “Chains of Love” marries together the ideas of suffering and cruelty with softness and love, reflecting the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff.
Lyrically, “Chains of Love” is grotesque, with Charli describing different ways of pain and suicide she’d rather feel over being a prisoner to love. The song then softly crescendos into the chorus, where a dreamy, slow beat accompanies Charli’s equally dreamy vocals. The quiet pause before the second chorus gives the listener a moment of calm. A direct contrast to the onslaught of noise “House” offered. The outro of “Chains of Love” also directly juxtaposes “House”. As Charli’s vocals fade out, a beautiful string melody takes its place. Something that couldn’t be further from the screeching of the violins throughout “House”.
The synergies of the two songs oppose one another in an extremely delicious way for the listener. But more importantly, Charli manages to capture the two narrative threads of Wuthering Heights. Desperation, imprisonment and obsession versus yearning, romance and desire. However, both of these narratives weave through each song. But where “Chains of Love” leans into the fantasy of Cathy and Heathcliff, “House” exposes the utter horror of their interlaced fates.
The full album is set to be released on the same day as the film – 13th February 2026 – and Charli has already set my expectations high with this album. Expectations that I only hope Fennell can match with her adaptation of a beloved classic.
