10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Mad Men
3. Mathew Weiner Paid Quarter Of A Million For A Beatles Song
Mad Men is set during the 60s, so naturally The Beatles were worth at least an honourable mention in the show! And at first that seemed to be all they were in the grand scheme of the story.
The Beatles are first mentioned in the season 4 episode Hands and Knees when Don calls up his tween daughter to tell her she will be the envy of her class as he managed to score Beatles tickets. It's the first scene where we get to see Don and Betty co-parent successfully as Sally screams down the phone in excitement while Don and Betty look (and listen) on with smiles.
That seemed to be the last of the connection the show had to The Beatles, but the season 5 episode Lady Lazarus revolves around the ad men at SCDP trying to find the perfect song to complement their new Chevalier Blanc ad that is a play on A Hard Day's Night. The men make a joke about how "impossible" it is to get the rights to a Beatles song, and brilliantly, that line was actually a carefully written dig made by the creator Mathew Weiner.
You see, Mathew knew he couldn't keep on trying to make an authentic 60s based television series without at some point playing a master recording of a Beatles song. It is because of this fact that the showrunner paid $250,000 for the rights to ONE Beatles track!
The episode ends with Don placing the vinyl album Revolver on his record player and listening to the song Tomorrow Never Knows with an unimpressed look on his face before abruptly turning it off.