‘Night Time, My Time’: how Sky Ferreira encapsulated Laura Palmer’s dark inner world through song
David Lynch’s work has touched and inspired many. In all of its complexity and surrealness, the filmmaker’s art was primarily preoccupied with humanity and our relationship to suffering and dreams – or rather, nightmares. Deconstructing the American Dream or exposing the innate terror lurking among the mundane, Lynch’s work shot right into the heart of his audience, forcing viewers to reckon with darkness.
Yet, all of Lynch’s work approached these themes with empathy and beauty. Capturing the strangeness of existence with his bizarre and often incomprehensive images, Lynch’s work truly encapsulated a world that few could tap into and understand. He was able to unlock something inside of him that most people – if they have it – are too scared to open; Lynch wasn’t scared to, though, and his bold take on the human experience resulted in some incredible pieces of art, like Twin Peaks.
Co-created with Mark Frost, the pair changed television with the pioneering show, which overhauled the concept of the soap opera and mystery drama. Set in the eponymous town inhabited by a strange ensemble of pie-loving individuals, we follow FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper as he investigates the murder of a teenage girl named Laura Palmer. At the start of the show, we see the discovery of her body, washed up and wrapped in plastic.
As the show unravels, we learn more and more about Palmer’s complex life, tainted by abuse and an addiction to cocaine. Despite being a high-schooler, she spends much of her time working as a prostitute, attempting to escape her painful home life. It’s not until season two that we discover the reason for Laura’s pain – for years she was frequently raped by her father, Leland, while he was under the influence of a malevolent spirit named BOB.
Laura’s final seven days and her tragic demise are explored in the 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Played by Sheryl Lee, Laura remains one of Lynch’s most beloved creations, and arguably his favourite. She has resonated with many viewers, particularly those who have suffered abuse, and has become an enduring cinematic figure in the decades since she was first introduced.
She has also inspired many songs, with Sky Ferreira’s ‘Night Time, My Time’ from her album of the same name arguably capturing the essence of Laura’s complicated inner world the best. Beginning with nervous drums, a haunting and elegiac soundscape subsequently emanates and creates a dark yet beautiful atmosphere. The singer then paraphrases lines from a conversation between Laura and her friend Donna in Fire Walk With Me, singing, “Night time is my time/ I’m drowning, not waving/ Falling in space/ Will I slow down?/ Or go faster and faster.”
“I wouldn’t feel anything. When we burst into dust forever/ And no angels will help us out/ ‘Cause they’ve all gone away,” she continues, with the latter two lines arguably Laura’s most unforgettable dialogue, capturing the sheer hopelessness that she felt as a victim of abuse. Nighttime is her chance for escape, where she can go out and drink, do drugs, and have sex with men on her own terms. Yet these acts inevitably lead her down a path of self-destruction, causing her to fall “faster and faster.”
These lines, “Go faster and faster,” are repeated as the song comes to an end, with Ferreira’s voice fading into a distant echo as though she is falling into space and the instrumentals gearing into more chaotic and consuming territory. It’s the perfect tribute to Lynch’s work, encapsulating Laura’s experience of life into four sharp minutes.
Ferreria went on to have a small part in Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017, telling IndieWire, “I couldn’t believe that I was in Twin Peaks, it was such a big deal for me. When they asked me to do it, I wasn’t expecting it. It was very full circle. I’ve worked with David and for his foundation and stuff before, but only musically. After Night Time, My Time, it’s very surreal.”
