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"Waving Through a Window" is the second song from Act 1 of the 2015 musical Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered on Broadway in 2016. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote both the music and lyrics.[1]

This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. (April 2021)

"Waving Through a Window"
Song by Ben Platt & Original Broadway Cast of Dear Evan Hansen
from the album Dear Evan Hansen: Original Broadway Cast Recording
Released	January 27, 2017
Genre	show tune
Length	3:56
Songwriter(s)	Pasek & Paul
Ben Platt singles chronology
"Waving Through a Window" (2017) "Found/Tonight" (2018)
Audio
"Waving Through a Window" on YouTube

Synopsis

The song is the main protagonist, Evan Hansen's "I Want" song, which explores his struggle with his social anxiety disorder and his longing to be accepted by his peers at high school and in his community ("On the outside always looking in, will I ever be more than I've always been"). It begins after Connor Murphy, following a joke Evan's "family friend" Jared Kleinman makes to him about his hair length, pushes Evan to the ground after mistakenly interpreting Evan's awkwardness as making fun of him. A dialogue break occurs after the first chorus, when Connor's sister Zoe runs into Evan to apologize for her brother's behavior, which results in Evan acting awkward to her. Evan then continues singing alone until the entire cast joins in to back him up on the final chorus.[2] The song is reprised in the following scene in the computer lab after Evan writes the note that becomes the catalyst of the events that follow, and a second time by Alana Beck before Evan goes to the Principal's Office to meet with Zoe and Connor's parents, Cynthia and Larry, after Connor commits suicide.

Lyrical analysis

During the build up to the final chorus, Evan repeats the line "When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around, do you ever really crash or even make a sound," referring to his suicide attempt at Ellison State Park, which took place the Summer before the story began. The line returns in the song's first reprise and in "Disappear" near the end of Act 1. According to Benj Pasek, that line was originally written as "If a tree crashes in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound?" and it was Steven Levenson, the musical's librettist, who came up with the idea of Evan "literally falling in a forest," resulting in the final lyric.[3] The first verses of the song ("I've learned to slam on the brake, before I even turn the key...") return in "Words Fail" during Act 2.

Reception

In his review of the Broadway production of the musical for The New York Times, Charles Isherwood praised Ben Platt's performance, writing "...when Mr. Platt sings Evan's songs — including the touching introductory cri de coeur, "Waving Through a Window" — we can simultaneously hear the heartsore, conflicted young man and the intelligent, kindly kid buried inside him."[4] On July 23, 2020, "Waving Through a Window" was named the "Most Listened To Song From Musicals In The Car" from a study by Halfords analyzing the top "road trip" songs from multiple genres through Spotify playlists.[5] In 2020, Sportsshoes.com named "Waving Through a Window" the 2nd-most popular show tune people went running to.[6]

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
US Billboard Dance Club Songs[7]	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[8]	Silver	200,000
United States (RIAA)[9]	Platinum	1,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

2021 film version

"Waving Through a Window"
Song by Ben Platt and Dear Evan Hansen Choir
from the album Dear Evan Hansen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released	September 24, 2021
Recorded	2020
Genre	Musical theatrical pop
Length	3:56
Label	Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Pasek & Paul
Producer(s)	Alex Lacamoire Dan Romer Pasek & Paul
Ben Platt singles chronology
"I Wanna Love You But I Don't" (2021) "Waving Through a Window" (2021) "You Will Be Found" (2021)
Audio
"Waving Through a Window" (2021 film version) on YouTube

"Waving Through a Window" was featured in Universal Pictures' 2021 film adaptation of the musical, starring Ben Platt, who reprised his performance in the titular role. The film, which premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2021,[10] followed by a theatrical release on September 24, 2021, is directed by Stephen Chbosky from a screenplay by Levenson, who also serves as an executive producer with Michael Bederman, Pasek & Paul, and the show's lead producer Stacey Mindich. Ben's father Marc Platt and Adam Siegel serve as producers.[11]

In the film, the song is moved to the first scene in Evan's bedroom following his opening monologue and plays through his journey to the high school and his being unable to connect with the other students when in the halls, ending in the school's gymnasium. This was a result from the cutting of "Anybody Have a Map?", the opening number of the stage musical. This creative decision was negatively received by critics and audiences, largely due to the filmmakers' main goal to capture and immortalize Ben Platt's performance. Chbosky explained the reason for this, saying that "...we felt the best way to tell the story was to start with Evan, start with "Waving Through a Window." And then, when you meet Connor's parents, they're strangers to us. We're really on Evan's journey. It freed us up to meet all the characters through Evan. And it binds the audience to a way in Evan that is so valuable."[12]

This version of the song was made available as an exclusive download from the soundtrack album on August 26, 2021, alongside "You Will Be Found." The album was released on September 24, 2021, the same day as the film.[13] Platt also performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on September 15, 2021 to promote the film.[14]

On March 4, 2022, a clip of the climax of this film's version of the song was uploaded to Twitter as a parody response to a viral clip of the opening long take shot of "The Dance at the Gym" sequence from Steven Spielberg's 2021 film version of West Side Story, that was uploaded the weekend before.[15] Like that clip, it went viral, reaching over a million views and over 15,000 likes, leading many users to compare the visual styles and production values of the two films.[16]

Cover versions

This section may require copy editing for WP:SONGCOVER. (May 2022)

"Waving Through a Window"
Song by Tori Kelly
from the album Dear Evan Hansen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released	September 24, 2021
Genre	pop
Length	4:26
Label	Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Pasek & Paul
Producer(s)	Justin Goldner
Music video
"Waving Through a Window" (Tori Kelly version) on YouTube

• In 2017, Owl City recorded their own version of the song and released it as a single.[17]
• In 2017, a cover of the song by Thomas Sanders, Dodie Clark, and Ben J. Pierce was released on YouTube.[18]
• In 2017, a cover of the song by Austin Colby, Nick Lehan and David Rowen was released on Rowen's YouTube channel.[19]
• In 2017, string quartet Well-Strung released a cover of the song as a music video.[20]
• In 2017, Rachel Tucker recorded the song for her album On the Road.[21]
• At the songwriters' request, the song was covered by American singer Katy Perry in 2018 to promote the musical's touring production and subsequently included on the deluxe edition of the cast recording.[22][23]
• In 2018, James Corden, who moderated the panel for the Los Angeles stop on the Book Tour to promote Val Emmich's young adult novel adaptation of the musical, sang the song for the fans in attendance.[24]
• In 2018, Utah-based and family-owned production company Working with Lemons released a cinematic music video of the song, featuring Porter Bagley as Evan Hansen.[25]
• In 2018, Peter Hollens recorded an a cappella medley of this song and two other songs from the musical, "You Will Be Found" and "For Forever," and released it on YouTube.[26]
• In 2019, internet personality Nick Pitera released a cover of the song.[27]
• In 2019, Ramin Karimloo covered the song for his album From Now On.[28]
• In 2019, Pentatonix released a cover of the song as a single with an accompanying music video.[29]
• In 2019, 13-year-old Asher Reynolds released a music video of his version of the song.[30]
• In 2019, Darren Criss performed the song at the 5th Annual Elsie Fest.[31]
• In 2020, Lindsay Pearce of Wicked performed the song as part of BroadwayWorld's Living Room Concerts series.[32]
• In 2020, the song was parodied by the Holderness Family as part of a If Broadway Songs Were About Quarantine medley in which this and other Broadway songs' lyrics were changed to be about being stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.[33]
• In 2020, the song was performed as the finale of the HBO Max special Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020.[34]
• In 2020, The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC released a virtual performance cover of the song on YouTube.[35]
• In 2021, Stephanie J. Block, Deborah Cox and Lea Salonga performed the song as part of that year's virtual edition of Broadway Backwards.[36]
• In 2021, actor Jonathan Roxmouth has covered the song as part of his virtual concert "Showstoppers".[37]
• In 2021, Tori Kelly recorded a cover of the song, produced by Justin Goldner, for the soundtrack album of the 2021 film adaptation.[13][38]

References

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