The film features the following songs:
- "Maneater" – Performed by Grace Mitchell
- "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" – Written by Rupert Holmes
- "Wake Up" – Performed by Arcade Fire
- "Don't You Want Me" – Written by Phil Oakey, Philip Adrian Wright (as Philip Wright), and Jo Callis
- "Far Away" – Performed by José González
- "Far Away" – Performed by Junip
- "Space Oddity" – Performed by David Bowie and Kristen Wiig (uncredited)
- "Lake Michigan" – Performed by Rogue Wave
- "Dirty Paws" – Performed by Of Monsters and Men
- "The Wolves and the Ravens" – Performed by Rogue Valley (Chris Koza)
- "Stay Alive" – Performed by José González
- "Step Out" – Performed by José González
- "Don't Let It Pass" – Performed by Junip
- "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" – Performed by Jack Johnson
- "#9 Dream" – Performed by José González, written by John Lennon
"Space Oddity"
The song "Space Oddity" by David Bowie plays a significant role throughout the film. Walter Mitty is referred to mockingly as "Major Tom" by his new boss, Hendricks, in reference to the astronaut Major Tom in "Space Oddity", due to his frequent daydreaming: the boss interprets the line "ground control to Major Tom" as akin to "Earth to Walter; come in Walter". Cheryl later tells Walter that Hendricks misunderstands the song, as "it’s about courage and venturing into the unknown".[63]
The song is featured in a crucial scene in which Mitty decides to leap onto a helicopter after imagining Cheryl singing the song. Stiller talked about the importance of "Space Oddity" in that scene during an interview in which he said that, "I felt like the way it fits into the story, we got to this point and this scene which was sort of how the fantasy and reality come together for Walter, and that was what that came out of. That song, and what he mentioned in his head, and what he imagines and what he does, it all just seemed to come together over that song."[64]
