The Best Music Featured in ‘Mad Men’ [VIDEOS]

The final season of AMC's Mad Men premieres Sunday night. Let's prep for the big send-off by looking back at some of the best songs featured in the series' run. Y'all ready for this?

First things first: I don't think I know how to adequately convey my love for Mad Men. Like, how do I even put it in to words? It's brilliant. The writing, the acting, the impeccable set and costume design--there's a reason critics have long-lauded the series as being one of television's best.

It's more than that for me--I think Mad Men expresses, more than any other show I've ever watched, the beautiful, exquisite pain of the human experience. You have a cast of varied characters; they're all so different and yet they're all united by the same thing--they just want to fit in, to feel loved. The series perfectly portrays the sort of loneliness and frustration that comes along with a creative temperament, a devil's bargain--the ugly side of creating beautiful things.

But that's enough philosophy for today. We're here to talk about music, so let's get to it. I'm counting down my favorite songs as featured in Mad Men.

10. "Found Love"/ Fly-By-Nites

I heard this song for the first time on Mad Men. It's playing in Season 6's "A Tale of Two Cities" when Don and Roger hit up a West Coast Party with Harry Crane. You know--the party where Denny ends up punching Roger in the... uh... jolly Roger. Anyway, I chose this track because I'd never heard it before--which was a big deal, as your girl here used to work for an Oldies radio station (fun Meg fact!).

9. "Early in the Morning"/ Peter, Paul & Mary

Remember when Colin Hanks was on Mad Men? I sure do. Father Gill had good intentions, but Peggy Olson refused to stay mired in guilt for her Season One transgressions. This song seems to be a perfect fit for the situation: it's a song with religious themes performed by a group who, at the time, were at the forefront of the counterculture revolution--just like our girl, Pegs. She feels the church pulling her back and yet wants to move forward into a brighter tomorrow.

8. "Shadaroba"/Roy Orbison

"Shadaroba" was featured in Season Three's final montage and is another example of the music direction on this show making me think, "DAAANG." Could there be a song more suited to the themes of the episode? The lyrics include "when a dream dies" and "the future is much better than the past," both seem custom-tailored to the Season Three finale: the uncertainty of a nation after JFK's assassination, the death Don's marriage, the birth of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

7. "You Really Got Me"/The Kinks

We hear the opening guitar riff of "You Really Got Me" as Peggy makes her way to the elevator in the close of Season Five's "The Other Woman." Madison Avenue may be one big boys club, but this episode was all about the ladies: Peg's just bid Don and SCDP adieu--moments after Don announced the firm landed Jaguar, a feat that would have been impossible without Joan's (very personal) sacrifice for the company's future.

6. "The End of the World"/ Skeeter Davis

This is the track that closes Season Three's "The Grown-Ups," an episode that hinges on the JFK assassination and Betty's assertion that she and Don are d-o-n-e. It's the end of the world, of Camelot, and the only real family Don's ever known.

5. "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times"/The Beach Boys & "I Should Not Be Seeing You"/ Connie Conaway

Oh, man--does it get any better than Roger's inaugural acid trip? These two songs are playing when Roger sets off on That Trip Fantastic with Jane's friends. It's such a dynamite combo: you've got a song from when Roger was Jane's age mashed with a contemporary hit, and even at face value the titles are hilarious. I mean, dude's on an acid trip and hearing "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" and "I Should Not Be Seeing You." On an acid trip. Hysterical.

4. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"/ Bob Dylan

Season One comes to a close as Don returns to an empty house. He sits by himself on the stairs and we hear "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." This Dylan song makes me tear up on basically any day of the week, but pair it with the poignant scene of a man who's alone (and doesn't realize it's because he's pushing his family away with both hands) and cue the waterworks. I'm a sobbing mess any time I see this scene.

3. "This Will Be Our Year"/The Zombies

You can tell I am moving on to the heavy hitters now, right? This lovely tune closes out Season Seven's "A Day's Work." It's an understatement to say Sally and Don's relationship has been rocky, so when she tells him goodbye and finally says "I Love You" again, you can see how much those words mean to Don. I mean, dude; I am getting misty-eyed thinking about this scene.

2. "My Way"/ Frank Sinatra

I have raccoon eyes right now. My mascara and eyeliner are now nearing the bridge of my nose because I am a sniveling hot mess. Don and Peggy dance to Frank Sinatra's "My Way" in Lou's office in Season 7's "The Strategy." I am being 100 with y'all when I say the series could have ended with that slow dance and I would have been totally fine with it. I can't think of a more perfect song for this moment in time... it's 1969, and yet a standard tune is topping the chart, and the song itself is a representation of Don and Peggy's lives and careers.

1. "Butchie's Tune"/ The Lovin' Spoonful

"Butchie's Tune" plays at the end of Season 5's emotionally devastating "Commissions and Fees." We've bid farewell to Lane Pryce in the most terrible way, and we see Don returning home to find Glenn Bishop at his apartment.

"Why does everything turn out crappy?" Glenn asks.

The episode ends with Don's attempting to show Glenn a glimmer of hope in abysmally dark world by letting the teen take the wheel. I'm failing miserably at describing how touching this scene is, so check out the clip below--but know you've got to see the entire episode to appreciate its emotional gravitas.

What are your favorite Mad Men moments? Share them in the comments below! Oh, and I almost forgot--here's my honorable mention... drumroll please...