Listen to Charlie’s playlist from ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’
The mixtape is often overlooked as one of the most effective ways to discover music. While many opt for streaming playlists curated by algorithms, there’s something special about personally crafting a mix of songs without any digital interference. It allows one to capture their emotions in the moment and create a narrative through music. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie’s selections for his mixtapes are nothing short of heart-wrenching, each song contributing to a poignant story.
Throughout Stephen Chbosky’s brilliant coming-of-age story, Charlie has found the best way of getting his thoughts out is by listening to different songs put together by him and his friends. Even though everyone and their mother put together a handful of songs on a mixtape or committed the Y2K crime of burning CDs, those subtle strains on each of these songs are the perfect form of melancholy.
As Charlie starts to see the pleasures of living amongst the underground kids at his school, the sounds of a song like ‘Asleep’ by The Smiths are absolutely perfect for his frail state of mind. Outside of having to deal with the hellhole of having to go through high school at the bottom of the food chain, ‘Asleep’ is the perfect form of escape for him from the noise of everyday life.
Aside from favourites from the alternative rock scene like Ride and the beautiful D’arcy Wretsky performance on the Smashing Pumpkins song ‘Daydream’, the classic rock songs from Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles could practically be medically prescribed for how effective they are. Listening to every song in order, it’s like we’re on this emotional rollercoaster right alongside Charlie, where the soothing sounds of U2’s ‘MLK’ blend in perfectly with Paul McCartney’s gentle acoustic picking on ‘Blackbird’.
This isn’t the kind of soundtrack heard in a John Hughes movie, though. For all of the great music that appears on the playlist and in the accompanying film soundtrack, it also provides the greatest release considering Charlie’s home life. After suffering at the hands of some of his relatives and finding it increasingly difficult to express himself, hearing these songs is practically Charlie’s way of letting out all of his negative emotions, letting every melody wash over him in his headphones.
While the book is fantastic, it’s hard to get the full experience unless you see the movie. Despite seeing the pitfalls, Logan Lerman faces as Charlie, seeing him getting wholeheartedly accepted by Emma Watson’s Sam and Ezra Miller’s Patrick is one of the most genuine interactions to come out of the coming-of-age genre, all while giving fans an in-depth look into Charlie’s state of mind.
Rather than telling us about the songs on the page, hearing songs like ‘Asleep’ in the context of the movie makes viewers feel like a fly on the wall with Charlie, being there with him at his most vulnerable and crying with him at his most troubled. Chbosky even found time to expand on the concept of the soundtrack, making a song like David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ one of the greatest moments in the film.
Whereas most movies like this look to make music a part of the selling point of the movie, both the written and the cinematic versions of The Perks of Being a Wallflower using music to see into someone’s head is the ultimate example of ‘show don’t tell’. Because even if the dialogue helps the situation, these songs capture those subtle moments where music says the things that words can’t express.
Charlie’s Perks of Being a Wallflower playlist:
- ‘Asleep’ – The Smith
- ‘Vapour Trail’ – Ride
- ‘Scarborough Fair’ – Simon and Garfunkel
- ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ – Procol Harum
- ‘Dear Prudence’ – The Beatles
- ‘Gypsy’ – Suzanne Vega
- ‘Nights in White Satin’ – The Moody Blues
- ‘Daydream’ – The Smashing Pumpkins
- ‘Dusk’ – Genesis
- ‘MLK’ – U2
- ‘Blackbird’ – The Beatles
- ‘Landslide’ – Fleetwood Mac
