"Fifty Shades of Grey" enthusiasts still struggling to find the proper playlist for their own "Red Room Of Pain," take note: E L James' bestselling S&M book series is releasing a soundtrack to listen to while reading the first three novels -- or reenacting their favorite passages.
Much like the books before it, "Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album" gets a digital release (Aug. 21) ahead of the CD's arrival in stores (Sept. 18).
EMI Classics, which is releasing the album, credits the books with a recent classical music sales boost, particularly for the 16th century "Spem in Alium," which rose on the charts after being referenced in "Fifty Shades."
Peter Phillips & the Tallis Scholars' version of the song is the 29th biggest selling classical digital song this year (11,000) according to Nielsen SoundScan. Available since 2006 digitally, the track hadn't ever more than a negligible number of downloads in any given week until earlier this year. Since May, it's been selling about nearly 1,000 downloads a week. It debuted on Billboard's weekly Classical Digital Songs chart on June 2 at No. 19 and has since rose to a peak of No. 5 (chart dated July 28).
"I am thrilled that the classical pieces that inspired me while I wrote the 'Fifty Shades' trilogy are being brought together in one collection for all lovers of the books to enjoy," said James of the album.
Other efforts on the 15-track compilation include familiar works from Chopin, Debussy and Bach -- as well as that quintessential kinky sex anthem, Pachelbel's "Canon in D."
See the full tracklist and listen to a stream of the album below:
