Wong Kar-Wai’s 1994 genre-blending “Chungking Express” is a slice-of-life anthology set in contemporary Hong Kong. The film’s second half is a romance between Faye (Faye Wong), a restaurant worker who dreams of flying around the world, and a cop (Tony Leung) who always gets food at her workplace, Midnight Express.
In a Wong Kar-Wai film, people yearn — especially for love — and “Chungking Express” spotlights the melancholic yearning of people who feel directionless but are too young to be having a midlife crisis. There are two songs repeatedly used to emphasize Faye’s feelings. One is “California Dreamin'” by The Mamas & the Papas (this one is mostly diegetic, with Faye listening to it on the radio as she works). The song represents, well, Faye’s desire to fly to California (in one scene where the song plays, she literally dances around holding a toy plane).
The other is “Dreams,” which represents her infatuation with Cop 663. The first time the needle drops on “Dreams,” the film cuts to a slow-motion wide shot. 663 leans against a wall drinking coffee while on the other edge of the frame, Faye leans on a counter and gazes at him adoringly. The tell of how the song reflects Faye’s feelings? The version of “Dreams” in “Chungking Express” is not The Cranberries’ original — it’s a Cantonese cover song by Faye Wong herself. Whenever “Dreams” plays in “Chungking Express,” we’re literally hearing the music of Faye’s soul.
As documented by the Mubi Podcast, “Chungking Express” including “Dreams” skyrocketed Wong and The Cranberries with her to stardom in Hong Kong. A song’s popularity transcending culture is a beautiful thing. Somehow, I don’t think “Madame Web” is going to be what boosts The Cranberries’ standing on Spotify.