Someone recently asked me to write and arrangement of my “Sally’s Story” which was used at the end of Mad Men’s Season 3 Premier, “Out of Town”. So when I went back to find the show I stumbled upon this nice review by Colin Hart in which, near the end he has this to say:

The episode also features a great original score by composer David Carbonara, especially in the scenes that bookend the hour. The strings are reflective, and carry a distinct Irish tone.

Colin Hart at Collinsreview.com

What’s very true in that statement is the phrase, ” distinct Irish tone”. The producer asked me to compose a theme reminiscent of the 1930’s depression era incorporating an Appalachian sound representing Don Draper’s childhood farm. The instrumentation I used was:

• Fiddle(violin)
• Banjo
• Acoustic Guitar
• Accordion
• Piano
• Upright Bass
• Hurdy Gurdy
• Harmonium

But I think my love for Irish music may have gotten in the way. Well, let’s say it just took over the process, and the piece ended up writing itself. One comment in the YouTube video comments section nailed it with this:

Reminds me of Appalachia…Irish roots…

“Irishgrl” on Youtube

And Like many “themes” that I came up with, this one never got used again in the series. I had originally titled this theme “The Whitman Family Farm Theme” as I had planned on using it in more than just the one episode, but the series didn’t avail itself to more “life on the farm”. So, at least we have this cue playing through the end credits. On my album, Mad Men On The Rocks, I incorporated this piece with another cue to make a longer album track, but in the YouTube clip below it stands on its own.

So thank you “Irishgrl”, spot on! And thank you Colin Hart for the kind words. You can also check out the album release of this piece on the usual music streaming services as well.

You may also be interested in “Pacific Coast Highway”, watch here!