For the latest “Song of the Day” I only had one choice in mind. No other song has wormed it’s way into my waking consciousness than the song I chose. It’s the 80’s-like synth-pop song “A Real Hero” by the band College feat. Electric Youth.

To say that Nicolas Winding Refn’s first Hollywood film (though still quite modestly budgeted) was something that stuck to me would be an understatement. One of the factors which just made the film one of the best films of 2011 has to be the 80’s retro synthpop soundtrack by Cliff Martinez and some perfectly chosen licensed songs. The one song which definitely has become a favorite and also one which has stuck itself in my mind since I saw the film is “A Real Hero” which we fully hear in the end of the film and into the end credits (the song get a brief appearance in the middle of the film).

This song perfectly encapsulates the restrained love story between the characters played by Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. It explores the dynamic between The Kid (Gosling’s role) and Irene the young mother (Mulligan’s role) as heard through the song’s sparse lyrics which intersperse itself between the electronic synth keyboard play. It’s inclusion in two spots in the film adds different meanings to the song. The first time we hear it the song adds a soft layer of old-school romanticism to Gosling and Mulligan’s characters, but when we finally hear it in full in the end that romanticism takes on an ambiguous tone with just a tinge of bittersweet to the romance.

There’s another song from the Drive soundtrack which also made quite an impact not just in the film’s overall quality but in me as a listener and an audience. That would be explored in a day or so.