As any Mad Men fan will tell you, the fast-approaching series finale of the show has been a source of anticipation, depression, and excitement for ages now. Speaking as a fan, personally, I'm excited to see how Mad Men 's series finale will wrap up the show — but I'm also extremely sad that there will be no more show after this, because oh my God, what will I do with my Sunday nights now? How will I know how to dress like I live in 1968? Where will I get all my inspiration for living life as a badass?! I don't know, and I'm honestly not ready to find out. But, with the release of Mad Men 's series finale trailer (with its sentimental song), it looks like come May 17, I'm going to have to — whether I like it or not.
Speaking of the trailer: Man, if you're feeling just as depressed as I am about this show ending, it will not help. Though there's no dialogue — it's just set to a song, True Detective Season 2 trailer-style! — or even new clips from the finale, the trailer still manages to bring on the tears with poignant, memorable clips from Mad Men episodes past: Back when Don and Betty were together, when Sally was just a baby, when Megan was happy, when Peggy left SCDP, and that heartbreaking moment when Don looked upon Betty, happy with their children and her new husband Henry, and longed for his place in a family that he once so carelessly threw away.
I told you. Tears.
Here's the trailer, ICYMI:
Considering the absence of dialogue, it's pretty difficult not to notice the song playing over the scenes — so, what is the track? Luckily, unlike some trailers, this song is actually pretty easy to recognize: It's Paul Anka's classic rendition of "Times Of Your Life," which was a popular track after Anka recorded it for his 1975 album of the same title. With lyrics like "The laughter and the tears/ The shadows of misty yesteryears/ The good times and the bad you've seen/ And all the others in between," and "Remember, do you remember/ The times of your life," it's easy to see how it was the perfect song to accompany the Mad Men series finale trailer.
However, there's more significance here than just its sentimental lyrics: The song, which was written by Roger Nichols and Bill Lane in '75, was actually famous first thanks to — get this — a series of ads in the '70s. And not just any ads, either: They were Kodak ads.
That's right: The same company that Don Draper gave that amazing pitch for during the Season 1 finale.
Though Don's pitch wasn't related to the ad campaign that "Times Of Your Life" was utilized in — that was instead for Kodak film, while Don's pitch was for Kodak's carousel — the significance is still palpable to any fan of the series who's stuck with the show since the beginning.
And Kodak's ad, using another version of the song:
Yep. Sentimental times 10.
The series finale of Mad Men will air on Sunday, May 17, on AMC.
Images: AMC; Giphy
