4) Heroes – The Perks of Being a Wallflower
One of the biggest questions fans of Stephen Chbosky’s seminal coming-of-age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower had as the writer was putting together a film adaptation was, “How are they going to master the ‘Tunnel Song?'” In the novel, the scene where high schoolers Charlie, Sam and Patrick drive through a tunnel and listen to the soft strains of Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide is incredibly important, and one of those quietly unforgettable moments in the characters’ lives where they truly connect with the ideas of freedom and self-discovery.
As it turned out, although Chbosky changed the song, and consequently the tone of the scene, to David Bowie’s Heroes for the movie, he made a very smart choice in doing so. It plays first in the film as an elusive statement on the characters’ desires as they fly down the tunnel – that Charlie can’t track it down speaks to his inability to take control of his own problems – and then emerges again as he finally seizes control of his health and happiness. Here, the song comes from a radio transmission the characters hear to a dazzling sonic ocean in which they are finally able to fully immerse themselves.
Bowie’s grandiose, triumphant anthem of yearning perfectly encapsulates the characters’ desire for a world beyond what they can see and experiences beyond what their high school days have given them. The almost-Kerouacian thirst for life, for love and for everything under the sun that they exhibit is a perfect fit for the iconic anthem. Although Heroes got significant radio play long before Chbosky made The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I dare you to look at the expressions of bliss and excitement on the lead trio’s faces and then try to imagine the song being used in a different setting.