What's That Song From 'The Walking Dead' Season Finale?

Posted on Dec 6th 2010 3:30PM by Phil Brondyke
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'Tomorrow Is a Long Time,' Bob Dylan

AMC's drama 'The Walking Dead,' like the US cable network's other hit, 'Mad Men,' ended its premiere season with a Bob Dylan song. In this instance, the fitting choice to sum up the series' goings-on was Dylan's 'Tomorrow Is a Long Time.'

'The Walking Dead' is premised on a pack of humans trying to avoid infection and death following a zombie takeover of the world. In this first-season finale, the surviving pack of humans is forced to decide whether to stay holed up in the Centers for Disease Control with Dr. Jenner (Noah Emmerich) or to break away from the group and escape the CDC. A sense of hopelessness pervades both the episode and the season's conclusion, which is appropriately accompanied by 'Tomorrow Is a Long Time.'

As was the case with the use of 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright' in 'Mad Men,' the juxtaposition of Dylan's gritty vocals over a world spinning out of control reminds the viewer of the humanity of the characters of 'The Walking Dead' in the face of challenges.

Originally released as a demo in 1962, 'Tomorrow Is a Long Time' was long available as a Dylan bootleg and has been covered by the likes of Elvis Presley, Nick Drake and Rod Stewart. In 1971, Dylan rerecorded it in LP quality for his album 'Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits II.'

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