"Perfect Days" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Perfect Days — Music From The Motion Picture (2024)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

How can a playlist feel like a diary without words? Perfect Days answers with cassettes. Hirayama, a Tokyo toilet cleaner with monk-like habits, chooses one tape every morning; the songs become his weather, his memory, his map. When the camera rides shotgun, the soundtrack doesn’t decorate — it speaks for him.

The set list is small but resonant: 60s–70s rock and soul (The Animals, The Velvet Underground, Otis Redding, The Kinks, Van Morrison), a Japanese folk gem (Sachiko Kanenobu), and two titles called “Perfect Day” — Lou Reed’s original and a 2024 piano “Komorebi” cover by Patrick Watson. We hear Patti Smith’s “Redondo Beach,” a Rolling Stones deep cut, even a Japanese-language “House of the Rising Sun.” Each cut isn’t random; it’s ritual.

Across the arc — arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse — the soundtrack acts in phases: sunrise calibration (road-soul and blues), work-flow trance (Velvets’ hush, Stones’ shuffle), social bumps (Patti’s urgency; Kinks’ wry ease), and finally a tear-open catharsis as Nina Simone floods the frame. According to the film’s official site, the soundtrack features “no new music” except what Hirayama actually plays — the whole design is his cassette collection speaking back to him.

How It Was Made

Concept first. Wenders and co-writer Takuma Takasaki picked the songs during script work, asking a simple question: what would Hirayama choose, every day, for this exact day? The curation sticks to that diegetic rule — car stereo, portable player, room radios — and the film builds scenes around when and how the tape flips.

Clearances & versions. The stack leans on canonical releases (Animals, Lou Reed, Otis Redding, The Kinks) and choice rarities (The Rolling Stones’ “(Walkin’ Thru the) Sleepy City”). It also introduces two striking variants: a brand-new 2024 “Perfect Day (Komorebi Version)” for solo piano by Patrick Watson, and a contemporary Japanese “House of the Rising Sun” cover (lyrics translated by Maki Asakawa), both positioned as emotional mirrors.

Tracks & Scenes

“The House of the Rising Sun” — The Animals
Where it plays: Daybreak drive toward the first toilets. The tape warbles slightly as sunlight cuts the windscreen; the city wakes with him.
Why it matters: Establishes the ritual — classic tape, classic start. A small swagger for a humble commute.

“Pale Blue Eyes” — The Velvet Underground
Where it plays: Mid-morning loop of work-and-drive. The song’s soft pulse matches careful routines: hoses, mirrors, folded cloths; later, a quiet ride home.
Why it matters: The film’s heartbeat; restraint as a kind of devotion.

“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” — Otis Redding
Where it plays: Lunch break, trees overhead; Hirayama eats, listens, watches leaves breathe.
Why it matters: A gentle self-portrait — rest as purpose, not absence.

“Redondo Beach” — Patti Smith
Where it plays: With Takashi and Aya riding along, the car becomes a tiny venue; the song pulls Aya back later for one more listen and a startled, grateful goodbye.
Why it matters: Music as invitation; a cassette creates a fleeting community.

“(Walkin’ Thru The) Sleepy City” — The Rolling Stones
Where it plays: Errand loop after a small setback — the city’s rhythm syncs to the jangly shuffle as he keeps going.
Why it matters: Deep-cut swagger that says: routine can still swing.

“Aoi Sakana (Blue Fish)” — Sachiko Kanenobu
Where it plays: A free day’s gentle chores — laundry, books, film drop-off — as memories eddy without words.
Why it matters: The set’s secret jewel; Japanese folk framing a very Japanese stillness.

“Sunny Afternoon” — The Kinks
Where it plays: A social tangle unties; the car exhales into easy-going swing.
Why it matters: Wry warmth — a reminder that contentment can be cool.

“Brown Eyed Girl” — Van Morrison
Where it plays: A brief, memory-tinted lift; the film lets nostalgia walk beside him, not over him.
Why it matters: Sunshine in a bottle, used sparingly.

“The House of the Rising Sun” — Sayuri Ishikawa (Japanese version)
Where it plays: A later-day echo of the opening needle-drop, now in Japanese — same melody, different skin; the road seems new again.
Why it matters: Mirrors the film’s theme: repetition with change.

“Perfect Day” — Lou Reed
Where it plays: A night-drive reverie; the title becomes a dare the movie quietly accepts.
Why it matters: The film’s thesis, sung straight.

“Perfect Day (Komorebi Version)” — Patrick Watson
Where it plays: Solo-piano afterglow woven among late passages — a hush between breaths.
Why it matters: A 2024 echo of Reed’s song, pared back to light and shade.

“Feeling Good” — Nina Simone
Where it plays: Final drive, close-up held as emotions flood his face; the cut holds, and holds, and then cuts to black.
Why it matters: The closing benediction: not triumph, renewal.

Notes & Trivia

• The film uses no traditional score; every music moment is something Hirayama plays or hears.
• Lou Reed appears twice in spirit — via the Velvets (“Pale Blue Eyes”) and solo (“Perfect Day”).
• A newly recorded Japanese “Rising Sun” threads the film’s cross-cultural mirror theme.
• Patrick Watson’s 2024 solo-piano version of “Perfect Day” was created specifically for the film.
• The Rolling Stones placement is a deep cut from their 1964 catalog, not a radio staple.

Music–Story Links

When “Pale Blue Eyes” keeps time with wiping mirrors and mopping floors, the cue reframes labor as meditation. “Redondo Beach” turns the van into a tiny sanctuary, so Aya’s return plays like a reprise. Reed’s “Perfect Day” dreams out loud; Watson’s piano replies in whispers. And Nina Simone in the finale? That’s Wenders handing the film’s voice to a singer who can bear it.

Reception & Quotes

Critics often singled out the cassette choices as the film’s secret narrator — rock and soul classics threading a near-silent character study. Some bristled at the minimalism; others called it a shimmering grace note in Wenders’ city love letters.

“A groovy pop-rock soundtrack… fairy lights strung through a cityscape he’s always loved.” — Financial Times

“Leans on a nostalgic playlist; the minimalism risks sentimentality.” — The New Yorker

Interesting Facts

• Diegetic rule: The producers state the soundtrack only contains what Hirayama listens to — no underscore sneaks in.
• Two “Perfect Day”s: Reed’s 1972 original and a 2024 solo piano “Komorebi” cover by Patrick Watson both appear.
• Local flavor: The playlist includes “Aoi Sakana” by Sachiko Kanenobu and a Japanese “Rising Sun,” rooting the film in Japan’s record culture.
• Official playlists: Curated “official soundtrack” playlists were shared by distributors/streamers rather than a commercial OST.
• US release: NEON handled the U.S. release in 2024 after late-2023 debuts in Germany and Japan.

Technical Info

• Title: Perfect Days — Music From The Motion Picture
• Year / Type: 2024 / Movie
• Music approach: No composed score; curated, fully diegetic needle-drops from Hirayama’s cassette collection.
• Key placements (select): The Animals “The House of the Rising Sun”; The Velvet Underground “Pale Blue Eyes”; Otis Redding “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”; Patti Smith “Redondo Beach”; The Rolling Stones “(Walkin’ Thru The) Sleepy City”; Sachiko Kanenobu “Aoi Sakana”; The Kinks “Sunny Afternoon”; Van Morrison “Brown Eyed Girl”; Lou Reed “Perfect Day”; Sayuri Ishikawa “The House of the Rising Sun” (Japanese); Patrick Watson “Perfect Day (Komorebi Version)”; Nina Simone “Feeling Good”.
• Album status: No single commercial OST; official/partner playlists exist on major DSPs.
• Release context: Cannes 2023 premiere; Germany/Japan theatrical December 2023; U.S. theatrical February 7, 2024.

Questions & Answers

Is there an original score?

No — the film only uses songs Hirayama plays on cassette or hears in-world, which is why every cue feels personal.

Which song closes the movie?

Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good,” held over a long, wordless close-up — renewal instead of triumph.

Does Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” appear?

Yes — the 1972 original is used, alongside Patrick Watson’s 2024 solo-piano “Komorebi Version.”

Is there an official album I can buy?

There isn’t a single OST release; distributors and streamers shared official playlists that collect the tracks in order.

Why those specific songs?

The filmmakers chose them during scripting to reflect what this character would love and carry — a ritual soundtrack for ordinary grace.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Perfect Days official site (music notes & clearances); Wikipedia (song list & release dates); MUBI/partner “official soundtrack” playlist; Secret City Records (Patrick Watson single details); Financial Times and The New Yorker reviews.

November, 18th 2025