The Walking Dead Music Supervisor Reveals How Easy Street Came To Be

If you’ve had the tune, “We’re on easy street… And it feels so sweet,” stuck in your head since last Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead, you’re not alone. Daryl Dixon and 11 million viewers heard the song over a dozen times on Sunday night. It has been replayed millions of times on YouTube and Spotify since.

The writer behind the song, Jim Bianco, was delighted to have his song used, regardless of the circumstances surround its playing. After all, the popularity of The Walking Dead prompted Easy Street to become a trending topic worldwide on Twitter.

“I knew the moment The Walking Dead requested our song ‘Easy Street’ it would be used with some irony,” Bianco said. “With such an upbeat, obnoxiously pop-y hook and positive lyrics, there’s no way to sync it with a zombie apocalypse without sarcasm and satire. So we were expecting that. And overall, we felt honored to be a part of such clever use of music in such a cool show. But I have to say, when EASY STREET came on and Daryl, the biggest badass on TV, was laying there being tortured and eating dog food sandwiches, even I hated the song for a minute!”

The Walking Dead’s music supervisor Gabe Hilfer weighed in on the song’s inclusion in The Cell, crediting showrunner Scott Gimple for its selection.

“The origin of this song in The Walking Dead came from [showrunner] Scott [Gimple] wanting to play the juxtaposition of a very happy, feel good, child-like song over and over in a torture-like manor,” Hilfer said. ” It can get tricky finding a song which fits the desired aesthetic, while making sure the songwriter and performer areokay with the content of the scene. After searching long and hard, we came across ‘Easy Street’ and it fit the bill perfectly.Once Scott heard it, he agreed and the rest is history!”

“Easy Street” also features vocals from Petra Haden, Daughter of Jazz Bassist Charlie Haden. Haden first gained acclaim as the bassist for the alt-rock group That Dog, and later as violinist and vocalist for The Rentals. Haden’s multifacted career has since lead to collaborations with The Decemberists, Bill Frisell, Tegan and Sara, Sunn O, and others.

You can stream and embed “Easy Street” via Spotify, HERE.

MORE WALKING DEAD:

Two Big Easter Eggs In ‘Service Preview / 5 Actors Who Almost Played Negan / Andrew Lincoln Reveals Surprising Death Scene Revenge / 7 Facts About Negan / Negan’s 5 Best Lines From The Cell

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.