[OST Corner] All Day

7 June 10, 2023June 10, 2023

by DaebakGrits

The Taxi Driver OST is a recent favorite of mine. Ever since I heard the retro opening symphonics of “Model Taxi” in Episode 1 (of Season 1), I was hooked on both the soundtrack and the drama. Although dramaland is not short on revenge stories, Taxi Driver has its own unique vibe that is largely credited to the music accompanying the onscreen action. If the tracks aren’t channeling the 1980s and evoking images of neon lights and cassette tapes, then the lyrics are reinforcing the drama’s message that vengeance is a dish that must be served — hot or cold, it doesn’t matter.

My most played song from the Taxi Driver OST is “All Day,” which is an anthem for victims who have been trampled upon, found an inner strength, and have given their bullies and oppressors a giant middle finger by embracing their self-worth. In this case — despite what the drama might preach — the best form of revenge is finding happiness. It’s very much a phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes kind of song, and the music accompanying the lyrics mirrors that narrative. It starts off slow with a piano solo as Cha Ji-yeon softly sings the opening lines, but the fire quickly builds as she sings with more confidence. The song swells around her until it reaches its peak — when another voice lets out a cathartic scream and the drums kick in earnestly.

In the context of the drama, “All Day” is often played when the Rainbow Taxi team is at the peak of a successful operation and it’s clear that their clients are about to find whatever closure they need to move on from their traumas. Personally, though, “All Day” resonates with me as a post-breakup song in which the narrator has regained her sense of identity and worth after leaving an abusive ex, but the beauty of a song like this one is that it can have multiple meanings depending on the experiences of the listener. No matter how you interpret it, though, “All Day” is a song that will leave you feeling empowered, and I could listen to it all day.

What’s important is
My own and only one
I’ll show you all, I’ll shine even brighter
My dreams that have gotten far away
Even if they fall in this endless place
I will overcome again

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Tags: OST Corner

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1 Seon-ha

June 10, 2023 at 3:08 PM

Thanks for the prompt! I sat here and thought and thought on my own, and then realized that I needed to consult my Beanie-approved spreadsheet to summon shows that I remembered for their musical empowerment.

It only took one glance at the actual list and my response was clear: https://youtu.be/97-w0pfpW68

DinDin, “Must Be the Money,” from Good Manager. 😁

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2 Kurama

June 11, 2023 at 12:47 AM

The funny part is that Cha Ji-Yeon was playing the villain in the drama. It's rare the actor playing the villain gets an OST. But she's a musical actress too.

The song is really great and I still often listen to it.

The instrumental song at the beginning reminded me the old US shows I watched when I was young like Knight Rider, it made me feel very nostalgic.

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Dorotka

June 11, 2023 at 6:30 AM

I was thinking what the song reminded me... Knight Rider, of course!!

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3 miso

June 11, 2023 at 3:54 AM

Taxi Driver had an excellent OST and an excellent background score. For a show like this the music can add so much to make scenes more thrilling/exciting and the composer really nailed that brief. The scenes where the car revs up and the music soars 💯.

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hacja

June 13, 2023 at 8:49 AM

I'm a little late to this thread, but I just wanted, like @miso2019 to give credit to Kim Sung Youl, presumably the composer of the instrumental mini-songs, which in my opinion were key to the action sequence success of Taxi Driver. "Order to Move" "Rainbow Corporation" "Deluxe Driver" and of course the theme song "Model Taxi" harnessed a "power rock" mode that I associate with the show.

Actually, for me, these background songs are all much more successful than the song All Day, which I didn't really remember and had to listen to again to know which song it was. But pop music is always a matter of individual taste!

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4 Unaspirated

June 12, 2023 at 6:27 AM

I agree with everything you said about this song, @daebakgrits, it is so iconic and so inseparable from those moments in the series for me.

Living well after a traumatic breakup and living well after getting revenge/closure feel like very related things, so I can understand why the song would speak to folks in that way too. And taken that way, it falls into my favorite breakup song category - the I'm Actually Fantastic and Way Better Off Without You category. Give me an empowering anthem any day All Day.