In 1968, The Monkees buried an introspective Mike Nesmith track on the back of one of their biggest singles. More than fifty years later, that forgotten recording ended up powering one of the most tragic, talk-about montages in modern television history and introduced a whole new generation to Nesmith’s songwriting.
“Tapioca Tundra” was featured in the final season of the hit AMC series Better Call Saul. Nesmith’s acoustic demo played during a key sequence in Season 6, Episode 11, titled “Breaking Bad.”
As Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk, disguised as Cinnabon manager Gene Takavic) targeted unsuspecting victims, Nesmith’s “Tapioca Tundra” was heard in the background. The track created an eerie contrast against the on-camera scene.
Shortly after the episode aired in August 2022, Indie Wire spoke to the series’ music supervisor Thomas Golubić, who explained how Nesmith’s song was chosen for the series.
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“That’s very much a Tom Schnauz (Better Call Saul‘s EP, writer and director) bit of genius, which we’re always happy to follow when those moments happen with him. Tom really loved the idea of using that song. He’d heard it when Mike Nesmith had played that song live.”
Golubić continued, “We ended up finding [that version] on a box set of a retrospective release. It was a pretty obscure find and surprisingly tricky to clear. Nobody had it in their records. Nobody knew where it was.”
“Tapioca Tundra” was on the B-side of The Monkees’ pop hit, “Valleri.” Released in 1968, the song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
B-sides were a golden opportunity for songwriters. Because publishing royalties paid the same rates regardless of which side got radio play, placing one of his original compositions on the flip side of a million-selling single guaranteed a lucrative payout, according to Steve Hoffman Music Forum.
While money was likely a huge motivator, placing “Tapioca Tundra” on the back of the “Valleri” single was far more than just a smart business move. By 1968, Nesmith was growing increasingly vocal about pushing The Monkees forward as a band, and landing his own non-pop-style song on a multi-million-selling release was a creative victory. “Tapioca Tundra” hailed from the group’s fifth LP The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees.
Decades after he quietly fought for artistic identity, Mike Nesmith got the last laugh. “Tapioca Tundra” may have started as an obscure flip side, but its second life on modern TV proved just how timeless his writing really was.