[OST Corner] All Day: Exploring the Best Video Game Soundtracks

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