After seeing ‘The Cell,’ on Season 7 of The Walking Dead, viewers will more than likely have a certain song stuck in their head. As a form of torture, the Saviors are playing a song over and over to keep Daryl (Norman Reedus) from getting any rest in his cell.
The song, which is called ‘Easy Street’ is from a small band known as The Collapsible Hearts Club. The songwriter, Jim Bianco, spoke with Independent about how his song was featured in the series.
The Walking Dead | Photo Credit AMC
Easy Street on ‘The Walking Dead’
Bianco isn’t sure how the creators of the show found out about the song, but he was unsure of why such a happy song would be featured in the series. “Exactly how the song got into their hands is a mystery to me,” said the songwriter. “But when they heard it, the show reached out and asked to use it.”
“I didn’t really understand why a show like The Walking Dead would want to use such an upbeat over-the-top, in your face ‘happy’ song, but now I understand—to torture someone, of course.”
The songwriter doesn’t have any issues with the use of the song on the show and is proud to be featured. “I think the show used it brilliantly; framing such an upbeat song as a torture advice is work of genius by the music supervisor. We’re to be part of such a creative use of music in such an iconic show.”
Reservoir Dogs | Photo Credit Miramax
Inspiration for ‘Easy Street’
Bianco admits that the song is inspired by Frank Sinatra. In addition to the homage, the basis of the song is about “…those rare moments in life when you’re holding the winning card.”
When thinking about the songwriting process, “The song just fell out of my mouth when I was driving one day. I can actually recall the moment quite clearly. I revisited that moment when I was watching the episode—it’s amazing to me that a fleeting moment a few years ago can make it into the ears of millions of people at once.”
Songs That Juxtapose Their Scenes
After last night’s episode, Jim Bianco’s song will forever be in the history books. It’s ironic when an upbeat song is used in this manner. It parallels “Stuck in The Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel that was used in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. In the scene, Mr. Blonde kills a police officer while playing the upbeat song.
Similarly, in a lesser known film, Knockaround Guys, a local tough guy is picking a fight with Vin Diesel in a country bar. At a speech about getting-into-500-fights, Diesel beats up the tough guy while a song called “Romeo’s Tune” by Steve Forbert plays in the background.
Technically, ‘Easy Street’ didn’t appear on Spotify until Friday, November 4, 2016, so it wouldn’t technically have existed within the timeframe of the apocalypse, but I suppose we can let this one slide.
In ‘The Cell,’ the show also begins with a song called “A Town Called Malice” by The Jam and ends with Roy Orbinson’s “Crying,” in a touching scene with Daryl.
