What instrumental track is used as the opening theme of Mad Men?

The instrumental track used as the opening theme of Mad Men is “A Beautiful Mine.”

The television opening uses a short, edited instrumental excerpt rather than a song written specifically for the series. Its falling-businessman animation, skyscrapers, and advertising imagery establish the show’s themes of ambition, image-making, and professional collapse.

The track was originally released by American producer and musician RJD2. Mad Men’s title sequence was created by Imaginary Forces and visually echoes Saul Bass’s work for Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Vertigo, making the music part of a deliberate mid-century design homage.

A common mix-up is to credit David Carbonara with the opening theme. Carbonara composed Mad Men’s original score, while “A Beautiful Mine” is the separately credited opening-title track. The score was later issued as Mad Men – Original Score Vol. 1 in 2009.