A complete playlist of every song used in a David Lynch movie
Which art form is the best? There’s a can of worms that isn’t getting a lid put on it anytime soon. Writing is the best because of X, music because of Y, and imagery because of Z; all of the reasons why people manage to connect so strongly with different art forms are legitimate, but when you watch a film, it is a rare experience where all of those art forms are combined into one. Some filmmakers are excellent at taking advantage of all they have available to them, such as David Lynch.
The key to creativity is that nothing should be left to chance. Everything you include in your piece of work should be done with purpose behind it. The minute something is incorporated into work for the sake of being included, it loses its artistic merit, and therefore, everything needs to be carefully thought out. This applies to the soundtrack.
The importance of a movie’s soundtrack cannot be understated. With a few simple tweaks to lighting and music, you have yourself a completely different film. For instance, if you take The Truman Show, for example, a movie that is supposed to be a comedy, if you add some strange sounds, then the atmosphere would alter and become menacing rather than amusing. The same can be applied to Hereditary, which is widely considered the peak of horror. If you put the Benny Hill theme over Toni Collette climbing on the ceiling and sawing off her own head, it would change the entire theme of the movie.
An artist who doesn’t take a soundtrack for granted is David Lynch. He has a thorough understanding of how intrinsic the soundtrack of a movie is to its overall execution. His knowledge of how to use diegetic and non-diegetic music in his films and TV series sets him apart from other filmmakers when it comes to using a score.
Diegetic music (usually called a score) is music that exists within the movie’s fictional world. It can be used in the background of a restaurant scene or shots at a theatre or a gig. Then, non-diegetic music (often called incidental music) consists of songs that are for the viewer and are used to create an atmosphere.
Lynch uses both to make the world he is creating all the more accurate, and our ability to understand it is a lot easier thanks to his use of music. He doesn’t only use a soundtrack as commentary but can use the music to drive the film’s narrative further. The way he can transform diegetic music to non-diegetic and back without warning is inspiring, and the exciting songs he uses throughout his movies are a massive contributing factor towards this.
In working with the likes of Toto, Angelo Badalementi and Nina Simone, Lynch can create some of the best soundtracks in film. This is a list of all the different songs he has used throughout his career.
The music from David Lynch movies:
- David Lynch/Alan R. Splet – Digah’s Stomp / Lenox Avenue Blues / Stompin’ the Bug / Messin’ Around with the Blues
- David Lynch/Alan R. Splet – In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)
- John Morris – The Elephant Man Theme
- John Morris – Dr. Trevis Visits the Freak Show and Elephant Man
- John Morris – John Merrick and Psalm
- John Morris – John Merrick and Mrs. Kendal
- John Morris – The Nightmare
- John Morris – Mrs. Kendal’s Theatre and Poetry Reading
- John Morris – The Belgian Circus Episode
- John Morris – Train Station
- John Morris – Pantomime
- Samuel Barber – Adagio for Strings
- John Morris – Recapitulation
- Toto – Prologue
- Toto – Main Title
- Toto – Robot Fight
- Toto – Leto’s Theme
- Toto – The Box
- Toto – The Floating Fat Man (The Baron)
- Toto – Trip to Arrakis
- Toto – First Attack
- Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois/Roger Eno – Prophecy Theme
- Toto – Dune (Desert Theme)
- Toto – Paul Meets Chani
- Toto – Prelude (Take My Hand)
- Toto – Paul Takes the Water of Life
- Toto – Big Battle
- Toto – Paul Kills Feyd
- Toto – Final Dream
- Toto – Take My Hand
- Toto – Prologue/Main Title
- Toto – Guild Report
- Toto – House Atreides
- Toto – Paul Atreides
- Toto – Robot Fight
- Toto – Leto’s Theme
- Toto – The Box
- Toto – The Floating Fat Man (the Baron)
- Toto – Departure
- Toto – The Trip to Arrakis
- Toto – Sandworm Attack
- Toto – The Betrayal/Shields Down
- Toto – First Attack
- Toto – The Duke’s Death
- Toto – Sandworm Chase
- Toto – The Fremen
- Toto – Secrets of the Fremen
- Toto – Paul Meets Chani
- Toto – Destiny
- Toto – Riding the Sandworm
- Toto – Reunion with Gurney
- Toto – Prelude (Take My Hand)
- Toto – Paul Takes the Water of Life
- Toto – The Sleeper Has Awakened!
- Toto – Big Battle
- Toto – Paul Kills Feyd
- Toto – Final Dream
- Toto – Dune (Desert Theme)
- Toto – Dune Main Title (Demo Version)
- Toto – Take My Hand
- Angelo Badalamenti – Main Title
- Angelo Badalamenti – Night Streets/Sandy and Jeffrey
- Angelo Badalamenti – Frank
- Angelo Badalamenti – Jeffrey’s Dark Side
- Angelo Badalamenti/David Lynch – Mysteries of Love (French Horn Solo)
- Angelo Badalamenti – Frank Returns
- Angelo Badalamenti/David Lynch – Mysteries of Love (Instrumental)
- Isabella Rossellini/Angelo Badalamenti – Blue Velvet/Blue Star – Montage
- Angelo Badalamenti/David Lynch – Lumberton U.S.A./Going Down to Lincoln -Sound Effects Suite
- Angelo Badalamenti – Akron Meets the Blues
- Bill Doggett – Honky Tonk Part I
- Roy Orbison – In Dreams
- Ketty Lester – Love Letters
- Julee Cruise/Angelo Badalamenti – Mysteries of Love
- Gewandhausorchester – Im Abendrot (Excerpt)
- Powermad – Slaughterhouse
- Angelo Badalamenti – Cool Cat Walk
- Nicolas Cage – Love Me
- Them – Baby Please Don’t Go
- Koko Taylor – Up in Flames
- Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
- Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps – Be-Bop a Lula
- Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra – Smoke Rings
- Rubber City – Perdita
- Chris Isaak – Blue Spanish Sky
- Angelo Badalamenti – Dark Spanish Symphony (Edited) (String Version)
- Angelo Badalamenti – Dark Spanish Symphony (50’s Version)
- Angelo Badalamenti – Dark Lolita
- Nicolas Cage – Love Me Tender
- Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks Theme
- Angelo Badalamenti – Laura Palmer’s Theme
- Angelo Badalamenti – Audrey’s Dance
- Julee Cruise – The Nightingale
- Angelo Badalamenti – Freshly Squeezed
- Angelo Badalamenti – The Bookhouse Boys
- Julee Cruise – Into the Night
- Angelo Badalamenti – Night Life in Twin Peaks
- Angelo Badalamenti – Dance of the Dream Man
- Angelo Badalamenti – Love Theme From Twin Peaks
- Julee Cruise – Falling
- Angelo Badalamenti – Love Theme Intro
- Angelo Badalamenti – Shelly
- Angelo Badalamenti – New Shoes
- Angelo Badalamenti – High School Swing
- Angelo Badalamenti – Hayward Boogie
- David Lynch – Blue Frank
- Angelo Badalamenti – Audrey’s Prayer
- Angelo Badalamenti – I’m Hurt Bad
- Angelo Badalamenti – Cop Beat
- Angelo Badalamenti – Harold’s Theme
- Angelo Badalamenti – Barbershop
- Angelo Badalamenti – Night Bells
- Angelo Badalamenti – Just You
- Angelo Badalamenti – Drug Deal Blues
- Angelo Badalamenti – Audrey
- Angelo Badalamenti – Josie and Truman
- Angelo Badalamenti – Hook Rug Dance
- Angelo Badalamenti – Packards’ Vibration
- Angelo Badalamenti – Half Heart
- Angelo Badalamenti – Laura’s Dark Boogie
- Angelo Badalamenti – Dark Mood Woods/The Red Room
- Angelo Badalamenti – Love Theme Farewell
- Angelo Badalamenti – Theme From Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me
- Angelo Badalamenti – The Pine Float
- Jimmy Scott – Sycamore Trees
- Angelo Badalamenti – Don’t Do Anything (I Wouldn’t Do)
- Thought Gang – A Real Indication
- Julee Cruise – Questions in a World of Blue
- David Lynch – The Pink Room
- Thought Gang – The Black Dog Runs at Night
- David Lynch/David Slusser – Best Friends
- Angelo Badalamenti – Moving Through Time
- Angelo Badalamenti – Montage From Twin Peaks
- Angelo Badalamenti – The Voice of Love
- David Bowie – I’m Deranged (Edit)
- Trent Reznor – Videodrones; Questions
- Nine Inch Nails – The Perfect Drug
- Angelo Badalamenti – Red Bats With Teeth
- Angelo Badalamenti – Haunting & Heartbreaking
- The Smashing Pumpkins – Eye
- Angelo Badalamenti – Dub Driving
- Barry Adamson – Mr. Eddy’s Theme 1
- Lou Reed – This Magic Moment
- Barry Adamson – Mr. Eddy’s Theme 2
- Angelo Badalamenti- Fred & Renee Make Love
- Marilyn Manson – Apple of Sodom
- Antônio Carlos Jobim – Insensatez
- Barry Adamson – Something Wicked This Way Comes (Edit)
- Marilyn Manson – I Put a Spell on You
- Angelo Badalamenti – Fats Revisited
- Angelo Badalamenti – Fred’s World
- Rammstein – Rammstein (Edit)
- Barry Adamson – Hollywood Sunset
- Rammstein – Heirate Mich (Edit)
- Angelo Badalamenti – Police
- Trent Reznor – Driver Down
- David Bowie – I’m Deranged (Reprise)
- Angelo Badalamenti – Laurens, Iowa
- Angelo Badalamenti – Rose’s Them
- Angelo Badalamenti – Laurens Walking
- Angelo Badalamenti – Sprinkler
- Angelo Badalamenti – Alvin’s Theme
- Angelo Badalamenti – Final Miles
- Angelo Badalamenti – Country Waltz
- Angelo Badalamenti – Rose’s Theme (Variation)
- Angelo Badalamenti – Country Theme
- Angelo Badalamenti – Crystal
- Angelo Badalamenti – Nostalgia
- Angelo Badalamenti – Farmland Tour
- Angelo Badalamenti – Montage
- Angelo Badalamenti – Jitterbug
- Angelo Badalamenti – Mulholland Drive
- Angelo Badalamenti – Rita Walks/Sunset Boulevard/Aunt Ruth
- Angelo Badalamenti/David Lynch – Diner
- Angelo Badalamenti – Mr. Roque/Betty’s Theme
- Milt Buckner – The Beast
- Sonny Boy Williamson – Bring It On Home
- Linda Scott – I’ve Told Every Little Star
- Angelo Badalamenti/David Lynch – Dwarfland/Love Theme
- Angelo Badalamenti/David Lynch – Silencio
- Rebekah Del Rio – Llorando (Crying)
- BlueBob – Pretty 50’s
- BlueBob – Go Get Some
- Angelo Badalamenti – Diane and Camilla
- Angelo Badalamenti – Dinner Party Pool Music
- BlueBob – Mountains Falling
- Angelo Badalamenti – Mulholland Drive/Love Theme
- David Lynch – Ghost of Love
- David Lynch – Rabbits Theme
- Mantovani – Colors of My Life
- David Lynch – Woods Variation
- Dave Brubeck – Three to Get Ready
- Bogusław Schaeffer – Klavier Konzert
- Kroke – The Secrets of the Life Tree
- Little Eva – The Locomotion
- David Lynch – Call From the Past
- Krzysztof Penderecki – Als Jakob Erwachte
- Witold Lutosławski – Novelette Conclusion (excerpt) / Joey Altruda – Lisa (edit)
- Beck – Black Tambourine (film version)
- David Lynch – Mansion Theme
- David Lynch – Walkin’ on the Sky
- David Lynch/Marek Żebrowski – Polish Night Music No. 1
- David Lynch/Chrysta Bell – Polish Poem
- Nina Simone – Sinnerman (edit)
