The story of how Angelo Badalamenti wrote the theme for ‘Twin Peaks’
No doubt one of the most seminal TV series of all time, Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, transformed the possibility of small-screen storytelling, unravelling a bizarre fictional mystery that involved the tragic death of a young woman named Laura Palmer. Rocked by the news, the town falls into a state of paralysis, with characters feeling like lost spirits wandering through the wilderness as a strange malevolent force shrouds the town with dark mystery.
In equally rocking news, it has today been unveiled that Angelo Badalamenti, the iconic composer best known for his work on Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 85. The news was confirmed by members of Badalamenti’s family members on Monday, August 12th. “My great uncle Angelo Badalamenti has crossed the barrier onto another plane of existence,” a statement reads.
“Between his work on Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Cabin Fever, Nightmare On Elm Street 3 and a plethora of others, plus his relationships and collaborations with David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Nina Simone, Julee Cruise, Isabella Rosselini, Dolores O’Riordan, Anthrax, Dokken, Eli Roth and especially David Lynch, he has always been the most interesting man in the world to me”.
The statement adds: “A true musical and artistic inspiration for me and countless others. Stayed true to his roots and family, never leaving North Jersey for LA. Not to mention the casual but mind blowing true stories from his life he never ran out of. He will truly be missed by many”.
Badalamenti, who received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his Twin Peaks theme in 1990, was one of David Lynch’s closest collaborators, working with the surrealist director on projects such as Wild at Heart, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet and more. However, it is his work on Twin Peaks that will be forever etched into the memories of his biggest supporters.
Though truthfully, it is not the plot of Twin Peaks that proves to be the show’s greatest legacy; instead, it is the idiosyncratic style of David Lynch that encouraged fans to keep coming back for more. Injecting an increasing amount of surrealism into the series, the director behind Wild at Heart, Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway became an international sensation following the release of his iconic series.
One of the many ways in which Lynch performed this dreamlike atmosphere was through the soundtrack, collaborating with the late musician Julee Cruise to form a symbiotic creative partnership. The music of Cruise quickly became an indelible part of the Twin Peaks puzzle, with her ethereal sounds weaving into the very fabric of the show to become an omniscient hymn to the ongoing mystery.
As well as the sounds of Cruise, dotted throughout the three seasons of the show, much of the soundtrack was created by the American composer Angelo Badalamenti, who wrote the show’s influential opening score and ‘Laura Palmer’s Theme’ too. Tinged with a wistful melancholy, Badalamenti’s music would help establish Lynch’s series in the realms of surrealism.
An eccentric musician, Badalamenti was filmed in an old interview beside his piano, recreating the sound of ‘Laura Palmer’s Theme’ whilst describing how he scored the track with Lynch’s guidance. Though we would write out the ramblings of Badalamenti from the video, it is simply impossible to reflect the sheer jubilation and enthusiasm of the musician who describes the power of his music as he plays the piano.
Once his rendition of ‘Laura Palmer’s Theme’ is complete, he states: “David got up and gave me a big hug, he said ‘Angelo, that’s Twin Peaks’”. Speaking in a way in which the words of Lynch leap into vivid existence, Badalamenti continues in his recollection, adding, “I said, ‘OK David, I’ll go home and I’ll work on it’. He said, ‘Angelo, Don’t do a thing, and don’t change a single note. I see Twin Peaks”.
Working closely alongside Lynch and Cruse throughout the production of the show, the music of Twin Peaks became a crucial storytelling arm, with the soundtrack topping album charts across the world. In a conversation with Pitchfork in 2018, Cruise spoke fondly of this collaboration, recalling, “It was really a great team because Angelo and I are so malleable and so good at being chameleons. If you want me to sing a high A flat, I’ll do it. If you want me to weigh 80 pounds, I’ll do it. I’m an actor, I’m a musician, I’m a writer”.
Watch the great Angelo Badalamenti explain how he wrote Laura Palmer’s theme, below.
