[media=https://youtu.be/9ZwYV3bGPog] I recently started watching the TV series Breaking Bad (2008 – 2013) for the second time. So far, I’ve made it through the first six episodes of Season 1. I had forgotten just how good the series is.
One of the great things about the show is the music, and the way it was used. An example is the selection of Darondo’s 1973 single, “Didn’t I”, which played at the end of Season 1, Episode 4. Fans of the show might remember the scene:
Walter White, a schoolteacher diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, suffered a coughing fit while driving and pulled off the road into a gas station. While he was sitting there, an obnoxious, self-important jerk named Ken pulled up. Ken had earlier stolen Walt’s parking spot and generally acted rude and entitled. When Ken left his car unattended at the gas station, Walt went over and shorted the car’s battery with a squeegee. Walt calmly walked away as the car caught fire and exploded.
“Didn’t I” played throughout the scene. It worked well, both lyrically and musically. The song is about a man who feels jilted and unappreciated even though he did everything right, as he sees it. Likewise, Walt seemingly did everything right (he was basically a good person until he transitioned from Mr. Chips to Scarface) but was dealt a bad hand in life anyway. Musically, Darondo’s sweet soul tune provided an effective ironic contrast to what was happening in the scene.
