Song Detective Blog Songs from Mad Men: Season 1 Recap

In the coming days, we will be looking back at the wonderful music that has been featured on Mad Men. The series features some great songs that we don’t hear very often on TV given the era in which the stories unfold. In that sense, the music is very refreshing compared to the ultra-new and/or underground indie bands that most music supervisors try to incorporate into TV shows these days. The songs in Mad Men set the atmosphere, convey emotions and add depth to the the scenes. They also make the series feel that much more authentic. That being said, the songs featured in our posts are based on actual songs, none were taken from the score created for the show – even if the score is beautifully crafted and carefully chosen. David Carbonara is the lead artist behind the score and his work is fantastic. Like a film, each character has themes and throughout the series, Carbonara exploits them and continues to develop them as the story goes on.

Season 1 introduced us to the theme song:

“A Beautiful Mine” - RJD2

Our Picks For Favorite Songs From Season 1

The songs played during the first seaon of Mad Men are often taken from old jazz records. They are very smooth songs and subtly integrated to the scenes. They are exquistely arranged to both the eloquent dialogues in which Don Draper takes part and the 60s style design of Sterling Cooper HQ.

Here are the songs from the first season that stood out to us. Visit our main page for the complete song list from season one of Mad Men.

Song Selected From Episode 1