By Leatita Zeitouny

“I know these will all be stories someday and our pictures will become old photographs. We’ll all become somebody’s mom or dad, but right now these moments are not stories. This has happened. I am here, and I am looking at her and she is so beautiful. I can see it. This one moment when you know you are not a sad story. You are alive and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder and you’re listening to that song on that drive with the people you love most in the world and in this moment, I swear we are infinite.”

We’ve all gone through hard times where we couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve all experienced those teenage years where we sometimes feel miserable or alone. ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ is a coming-of-age story that follows a fifteen-year-old boy who is socially anxious and meets two friends who make him feel a little less alone. In the movie some would even call a cinematographic masterpiece, there is a scene where the character experiences this carefree, ethereal moment. He is standing in the back of the car with his hands spread, wind brushing his cheeks and teasing his locks. Music starts playing and he narrates those infamous words. The song to capture this scene in Chbosky’s novel was originally “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. However, Chbosky decided to change it to “Heroes” by David Bowie in the 2012 film since he felt this song emanated a more intimate feeling for a scene of adolescent freedom. We’ve all felt those moments in our lives. Experiencing that ultimate feeling of freedom that is hard to put into words.

As they drive through the tunnel, the world outside fades away, creating a cocoon of intimacy where the characters momentarily escape the complexities of life. The music, combined with the visual imagery, symbolizes the fleeting nature of youth, the interconnectedness of friendships, and the feeling of invincibility that comes with shared moments. The tunnel becomes a metaphorical space where they acknowledge the challenges of growing up, facing personal demons, and finding solace in one another. The scene touches on themes of identity, acceptance, and the quest for meaning in the face of life’s uncertainties.

This scene also shows that music has a crucial role in our life. Sometimes, when we can’t put our feelings into words, music does it for us. We can relate not only to lyrical arrangements, but instrumental melodies. Especially while living in the complicated world that we live in, we all need that one song that makes us feel overall invincible. The best songs that make you feel this way are those you happen to fall upon when you least expect it. Maybe it’s quietly played in the background of a scene in a movie, posted on a friend’s Instagram story, or found on a random playlist. The power that music holds makes us romanticize moments in our lives. Driving with the windows down through the summer breeze on a highway and listening to that one song that makes you feel everything all at once is an unbeatable feeling of freedom. We sometimes find ourselves facing a struggle that we can’t really control, or we don’t speak about. It is comforting to think that there’s a reason behind all of this and that good things are going to happen. Through music and the comfort of friends, in this moment, we have to be infinite.

Reference:

https://www.unpublishedzine.com/music/discovering-your-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-tunnel-song#:~:text=In%20that%20scene%2C%20he%20realizes,a%20scene%20of%20adolescent%20freedom