The Art of Selecting the Right Song: Music in Television

When “Where is My Mind” by the Pixies plays, a lot of us are reminded of the final scene from Fight Club. Everyone knows how powerful the synchronicity of music and good acting can be. Some of the most iconic scenes in film and television are associated with the songs that play during them, and vice versa. I decided to dive a little deeper into some of my favorite TV shows and the music used that represents some pivotal moments for the characters. While they may not be the most popular or iconic scenes, they really left an impact on me. 

Mad Men S5 E1 ‘A Little Kiss Pt. 1’

Marea Baja (Ebb Tide) by Ken Griffin

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PosvXtRBYIT4ELeHy2WTN5MRAEcKBKbn/view?usp=sharing

One of the most famous musical moments from the show is Megan’s performance of  “Zou Bisou Bisou” for Don’s 40th birthday, which also takes place during this episode. I’m not going to be talking about that. My favorite scene from S5 E1 is when Sally Draper wakes up in Don and Megan’s new apartment. It’s very lavish and unlike any place she’s lived before, a classic 1966 mid-century modern split-level apartment in the city. As she awakes, Ken Griffin’s rendition of “Marea Baja (Ebb Tide)” plays. I like to think it’s her alarm clock sound. Waking up to this song every day sounds pretty magical. It makes me feel light and airy. The song perfectly captures the hypnotic haze of this scene, a blueish hue covers her room, and she seems a bit confused as she emerges into the hallway. Searching for the bathroom but unsure where it is and walking straight down the hall, director Jennifer Getzinger chooses to capture Sally with a classic centered rearview shot. She stands with her back to the camera in front of double doors, and we aren’t sure what’s behind them. A shot like this typically heightens suspense & mystery and can sometimes represent a transitional state in the character's life. The framing makes us feel as if we are walking alongside Sally. The door she hopes is a bathroom, but is actually her father's room, where his new wife is sleeping nude, separating the familiar from the unfamiliar. At this point in her life, Sally is about 12 years old and navigating early adolescence while trying to remain emotionally mature due to her mother’s instability and her father's new marriage. She feels responsible for her little brothers, but she also wants to grow and be her own person. She’s a progressive young girl growing up in the 1960s. Despite living in a different time period, she is one of the most relatable characters from the show.  Sally’s facing all the complexities that come along with growing up in a rapidly changing world, something many of us can relate to nowadays. She has to learn how to cope, how to have a genuine relationship with her father, how to accept all the secrets her dysfunctional family has, and how to be taken seriously as a young woman with many opinions. Everything she’s enduring accurately represents all the challenges we young adults face daily. No human emotion/experience is ever truly original; we have all felt the same since the dawn of time. We’ve always felt burdened by the weight of the world and our part in making the best of it all. This song truly captures all these unfamiliar feelings and new experiences Sally’s facing. Representing the ever-changing tide, the constant rise and fall of water, and our lives. Sally is experiencing many highs and lows, just like all the adults around her. I don’t think any other song could’ve perfectly captured the dreamlike blur we all feel as we change and grow as individuals. 

When I first watched this scene, I ran straight to Reddit to see if anyone else felt it was as important and amazing as I did. I was met with many who shared my opinions and even discovered something interesting. There are rumors that “Marea Baja” was not originally used in this scene. Six years ago, Reddit user Dev-F wrote, “I think one of the reasons that scene is so trippy is that it wasn't supposed to have 'Ebb Tide' playing in the background. The original opening song, I believe, was Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love.” He goes on to say that perhaps Matthew Weiner changed the music because Springfield’s song wasn’t released until ‘67, while this scene is set in ‘66. The reason people are unsure whether this is true is that Weiner has never had an issue with using non-period music. No one who saw the original screening of this episode has confirmed that the song was replaced. It’s interesting to think about it without the mystical sounds of the organ. I think it would be an entirely different scene, invoking entirely different emotions. I’d never heard this song before this show, but I've listened to it at least once a day since. It brings me peace. 

The Sopranos S6 E17 “Walk Like a Man”

The Valley by Los Lobos 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12MwiKNpM6Oo3UFW733f0JBagikanFG91/view?usp=sharing

Where do I even begin with this one? Christopher Moltisanti. One of the best characters of all time. Michael Imperioli, you really did a number on me with this one. “The Valley” by Los Lobos elevates this scene in so many ways. Imperioli said it himself on his podcast, Talking Sopranos. This song really “fits the mood” and is a great selection for this episode. At this point in the series, Christopher is a tragic embodiment of every contradiction the show explores. He’s split between two worlds. He can’t escape the life he was born into. He must remain loyal to Tony and the mafia, but he wants more than this. He wants to make movies, write, and live in a world where he doesn’t have to be a “bad guy.” When Christopher pulls into his driveway, he’s returning home after committing a heinous act he knows all too well. He shot the one person he thought he could rely on. In a drunken state, he showed up at JT Dolan’s house. Dolan is his friend from rehab and a writer in Hollywood, something Christopher wishes he were. He starts rambling on and on about how he’s been, in his words, “ostra-fied” by everyone he loves. He mistakenly calls Tony his father and says his “father abandoned him.” He’s totally lost and alone. He’s throwing his life raft at JT and praying that JT pulls on the rope and brings him ashore. This interaction is Christopher’s one final act of desperation. He lets JT know he can share all his mafia stories with him so JT can use them for his writing, but JT doesn’t want that; he wants him sober and out of his house. Christopher tells him, “I'm pouring my heart out, man.” Something he really thinks he’s doing, and he is. This life is all he knows. These secrets are like gold to him. JT says, “Chris, you’re in the mafia” and that’s it. Christopher’s fate is sealed. He knows he will never be anything more than this, no matter how hard he tries. He knows he’s too far gone, and now he has to shoot the one person he wishes he could be. He does so and drives home. 

As he pulls into his driveway, “The Valley” by Los Lobos starts playing. He’s drunkenly stumbling to the front door and notices his front yard all torn up. He knows it's Paulie’s doing. The lack of respect Christopher has shown Paulie, and Paulie’s jealousy of Christopher, have finally caught up with the two of them. As he’s walking past the mess, the lyrics from “The Valley” start to serenade the viewer. Christopher takes a moment to straighten a small tree knocked down by the front door before entering. This moment is so powerful, and the combination of the song makes it unlike any other scene in television. All Christopher knows is destruction; he himself has destroyed so much, but at the end of the day, this isn’t who he truly is. He is compassionate; he has a heart. He has big aspirations. All he’s ever wanted was to be a better person, to feel normal. To not ruin everything he touches. He is constantly trying to clean up his messes and repair all the destruction he causes. He straightens this tree as his last-ditch attempt to fix his life. He stumbles into the house, and the screen turns black. Credits roll. This scene is the last we see of Christopher before "Kennedy and Heidi,”one of the saddest episodes in the show. “The Valley” is the final song used to represent Christopher’s life and his final efforts to feel better before his tragic demise. 

“Here in the valley

 Bread on the table

 Work through the day 

 For as long as we are able

…

They could have gone 

But instead they chose to stay” 

These lyrics perfectly describe Christopher’s life; they describe a lot of our lives, whether we like it or not. All Christopher does is work, trying his best to provide for those around him while also trying to feel sane and fulfilled. He feels like he had plenty of opportunities to ditch the mafia and be a writer or director, yet he “chose to stay.” Deep down, he knows he never really had a choice, but he feels as though he really could have saved himself and Adriana. A true “you gotta die trying” situation. 

When I first watched The Sopranos, I was working 40+ hours at a shoe store in the heart of Boca Raton. Not a bad gig, but I felt trapped. No windows and no view of the outside world for the majority of the week, and clients who didn’t even see me as human. I would play this song before going into work and when I left at the end of the day. I never felt more understood. I felt like all I was doing was working and working and working, and I had nothing to show for it. I wasn’t happy; I felt lost, and my dreams were unfulfilled. Very similar to Christopher’s emotions in these scenes. The Valley by Los Lobos is a powerful song in its own right. It opens their critically acclaimed album “The Town and the City” and describes the struggle for survival that Mexican immigrants faced when settling and working in California. It is a song of resilience and hard work, something Christopher knows well. I truly don’t think a better song could have been selected for this scene. As always, thank you, David Chase.

Dexter S3 E5 “Turning Biminese” 

Changes by David Bowie

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KLGR3a0z3tL3g8nNMOoQBfihVXcAV_XL/view?usp=sharing

America’s favorite serial killer (and maybe a secret Bowie fan), Dexter Morgan. This scene stands apart because it’s the only one where the character actually plays the song, rather than it existing solely as part of the soundtrack. Dexter says it himself, he’s been going through some changes. Maybe it’s why he chose “Changes” by David Bowie off of his murder victim's iPod, but maybe it was just the best option. With Rita pregnant and their wedding date approaching, he is rethinking his entire life and the way he operates. He doesn’t want to give up his ‘dark passenger,’ but he needs to find a way to manage, especially with a baby on the way. He’s being pulled in many directions and doesn’t want to disappoint anyone he loves. The song itself is pretty upbeat, but has some existential lyrics. Many of which align perfectly with Dexter and his life:

“So I turned myself to face me

But I've never caught a glimpse 

Of how the others must see the faker 

I'm much too fast to take that test

…

Don't want to be a richer man 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

(Turn and face the strange)

Ch-ch-changes

Just gonna have to be a different man”

Dexter knows everyone in his life sees him as something different; he just hasn’t been able to juggle it well thus far. At this point, Dexter is accepting that he has more responsibilities than he ever imagined. It’s not just about passing as a ‘normal’ person and following a methodical code for who he kills anymore. It’s time for him to be a good father, husband, and friend. A person people can depend on. He’s evolving and realizing he isn’t just this empty shell of a man anymore. He truly believes he can wear all these faces and get by. A classic use of contrapuntal sound, the upbeat music mixed with the murder of Ethan Turner perfectly represents this new era of Dexter’s life. Whilst killing and listening to this song, he is reminded that the only way for him to do good in his new, seemingly ‘cookie-cutter’ family is by setting aside some personal time to commit these acts and relax in his own, serial killer way. He needs to continue doing what he does, and he needs to do it his way, but he must make some changes to ensure no one around him gets hurt, a very slippery slope. Something I want to point out is how Bowie himself described the lyrics to this song in The Complete David Bowie by Nicholas Pegg. He states, “It’s saying, look, I’m going to be so fast you’re not going to be able to keep up with me… It’s that kind of perky arrogance of youth. You think you can get away with anything when you’re young.” Dexter’s current and future actions can be seen as arrogant and selfish. He seems to be living too fast for himself, and this is only the beginning of it. It’s no surprise the Trinity Killer storyline ended the way it did. He can’t keep up with all the changes in his life; he never even thought he’d find love, never mind get married and have a child. The lyrics to this song are a bit arrogant and rebellious, and so are Dexter’s actions. He rebels against himself, his family, Harry’s code, Miami Metro’s homicide department, etc. Murderous tendencies aside, his actions aren’t too far-fetched from those of any ‘normal’ person. Living fast is part of the human experience and can be somewhat fun at first. It’s normal to feel like you are being pulled in different directions, especially when you are trying to improve your life. It’s easy to think you can keep all your vices around and still have all your dreams and expectations met. While it might be manageable for some time, there’s never really any longevity to it. We know this to be true with Dexter and his family by the end of the series. I’m not sure if Daniel Licht, the composer for Dexter, picked this song knowing that’s how Bowie viewed some of the lyrics, but I do think he realized the significance of it all on his own. It perfectly encapsulates the inner turmoil Dexter faces throughout this season, and the whole show. I’ve never been a major Bowie fan, but I knew this song before watching the show. Whenever I hear it now, all I can think about is this scene and what’s to come for Dexter and his family based on some pivotal choices he makes in this episode and the following ones. 

Hopefully, someone reading this shares my opinions, and if not, I hope you look back at some of your favorite TV shows or movies and think about the songs used in them. There are so many pieces of media I love that create a perfectly harmonious relationship between these two mediums, music and film. It was hard to narrow it down, but the scenes I selected are ones that truly wowed me when I first saw them. Many of us link certain songs with specific scenes, often without even realizing it. The power of music and film is unmistakable. Its lingering influence shapes how we feel and what we remember long after the scene ends.