Music Analysis #1- Breaking Bad Theme- What Is With This Music?
Breaking Bad has always been one of my guilty pleasures. The story and plot continually leave the viewer in shock and awe. The tale of a calm-mannered, law-abiding chemistry teacher who suffered a life-threatening health event, which spiraled him into a world of no return.
At first glance, Walter White was living the “American Dream.” He seemed to have a healthy relationship and was a devoted father and husband. He lived in a modest suburban home located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife, Skylar, who was pregnant with their second child, and their teenage son, Walter Jr, who had Cerebral Palsy. As the story unfolded, we came to know Walter as a rather disgruntled individual, harboring a critical and often negative perspective of the people around him. Their way of life was completely dismantled when Walter discovered he had Stage III Adenocarcinoma of the lungs. His life depended on funds, yet they had very little. After an unexpected encounter with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, Walter learned about the world of meth, money, greed, and power. As the story came to a close, five seasons later, he lost everything, including his life, yet his formula did not die with him.
The Breaking Bad Theme, created by David Porter, struck me the very first time I heard it. The 18-second introduction operated not just as an opening, but as an intentional mood-manipulator, incorporating a dark, Western-like experience to encourage the thematic and emotional framework of the piece from the start. I wanted to do my first music analysis on this intro since this is my second round of binge-watching the show, and after hearing it over 100 times, I feel I owe it some public praise.
The intro very adequately opens the viewer up to the actual essence of each episode, inviting them into a realm of darkness, grime, and dark humor, with a gritty, smoky core. It seemingly takes the viewer to a desolate wasteland in preparation for an unforeseen incident. Now, we’re going to dive into the core of this tune to find out how it sets the mood so well for this chemical masterpiece.
The beat of the tune is slow and steady, often lost deep within the synchronization of correlating tones, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of the series itself. Percussion instruments include a tenor drum, bass drum, temple blocks, combined with synthesized sounds and effects. Composer Dave Porter shared that he incorporated Gamelan instruments to enhance the unique, exotic texture of the piece (Soniccouture, “Music”).
The meter of the piece may initially be processed as 4/4 or 2/2 due to its rhythmic balance. The tune was intentionally composed at 4/4, yet based on the obscure intention for the series, it is rather diluted by integrated sliding sounds and chords. Composer Dave Porter purposefully wrote it this way, mentioning, “Nothing about the show is expected (Soniccouture, “Balinese”).”
The melody involves a dobro, which is a wood and metal guitar that specializes in that Southwestern feel (Floorwalker). The sound of the dobro intentionally forces itself out from the get-go, then darkly slithers throughout the depths of the song. The melody is played in the key of D major and incorporates a distinct pattern as the tune begins then includes articulation elements such as the long Western twang that settles the deal. The sinister twang represents lawlessness, fear, hate, darkness, destruction, and deliverance. Dave Porter included various synthesized sounds such as clocks, locusts, and lab equipment noises (Soniccouture, “Music”).
Impacts are made in tiny doses, and this dose tends to wander sporadically within my brain for days. It’s simple yet complex. It’s both ugly and interesting. It successfully mixes outlaws, chemists, and drug use, which was fantastically attached to a series that contains all three components. At the very end of the tune before the first scene begins you can hear the gentle sound of symbols introducing a long breath that accompanies the visual smoke which glides across the scene.
Thank you so much for reading my post! I hope there are a few Breaking Bad fans here that can relate!
Oh! One more thing! Check out the link below! It will take you to a creative cover of the full theme featuring a very talented young man and a variety of household instruments.
Hey LaRene! I have to admit that I never even considered this as something that could be analyzed! It's a great show, and I watched it once all the way through, and the intro music is so quick that it never occurred to me the show even had a theme song. I had to listen to the video just to remember, and honestly it makes me think more of "Justified" than it does "breaking bad!" Which is funny because that's exactly what you said regarding how it emotes an outlaw feel. The dobro certainly carries weight! You did a really good job breaking this all down, in not only a concise and technical way, but in a way that was actually enjoyable to read! Seriously, great job!
ReplyDeleteHey thank you so much for the kind words! I always appreciate a short intro and this one may have been unrecognizable since it sinks to accurately into each episode. This was a fun one for sure!
DeleteHi LaRene, I am so glad you analyzed this! Breaking Bad was my favorite show to watch during the COVID lockdown, and every time I would watch it, I always kept the short but sweet intro, as it put me in the mood. Seeing an in-depth analysis of this is interesting, not only because of my own self-interest in the show, but because of it's length. Such a short intro getting this in-depth analysis is super cool. Knowing what type of guitar is being played is interesting, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I totally agree, the intro to any show should only be about 45 seconds lol! More than that and I just get impatient. It's actually only a short clip from a one minute piece, yet Porter did a good job incorporating just a sample into the intro.
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