The El Camino Soundtrack Doesn’t Overshadow Jesse’s Journey

The Breaking Bad TV series always found a way to blend its intense instrumental score and more notable popular lyric recordings to create a seamless soundtrack. But it also never let the music overshadow the drama unfolding on screen. The soundtrack for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie follows the series' lead.

Many moments of the film are completely silent, forcing viewers to sit in the tension or fear that Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) himself is experiencing. Sometimes the only punctuating sound is him breathing. In other moments, an instrumental song will loudly kick in to highlight a scene. Most often, the music heard in the movie came from the actual characters playing tunes on their car radios or on speakers. In this way, the music is more integrated into the actual action.

The movie is missing one integral Breaking Bad tune — the theme song from the original series. The short melody didn't have any lyrics but it set the tone for the New Mexico-set show during its AMC run. But, even without the theme song, El Camino showed up in the musical department with these six standout songs heard in the two-hour movie sequel to the series.