‘Lost Highway’: The song that inspired the David Lynch movie
While David Lynch is renowned for being a provincial filmmaker, his ability extends beyond just what is seen on the screen. He is frequently credited with creating an atmosphere, whether warm, uncomfortable or frightening, depending on the scene, but his ability to intertwine cinematography, dialogue and music is unmatched.
As such, it won’t surprise fans of Lynch to learn that when it comes to putting a film together, there is more that inspires him than just the potential plot. He is considering multiple angles and the various ways he will be able to create an atmosphere within his movie. This means considering the likes of the soundtrack he will use, who will be cast in the project and how he will shoot it.
When a creative person considers so much, they find inspiration from various angles, and Lynch’s 1997 surrealist psychological thriller, Lost Highway, is the perfect example of that. Different sparks lit the fire that eventually burned the movie into our retinas, including literature, real-world events and music.
Lynch has confirmed that one of the first times he encountered the phrase “lost highway” was in the 1992 book Night People by Barry Gifford. He grew so attached to the words that he asked Gifford if he would help him write a script under the same name. Gifford agreed, and after multiple back-and-forths, they eventually landed on a story.
Part of the story was inspired by the trial of O.J. Simpson and his ability to continue living his life as usual afterwards. Additionally, in the opening scene of the thriller, one of the main characters, Fred Madison, hears the words “Dick Laurent is dead” over his intercom. An excellent way to get a viewer vested, Lynch said that a similar eerie event at his house inspired him. As such, many plot points come from real-world instances, but music also plays a part in developing the movie’s themes.
In 1949, Hank Williams released the track ‘Lost Highway,’ which is responsible for two of the most notorious musical phrases. These are the concept of the lost highway and the phrase, “I’m a rolling stone,” both of which run slightly parallel to each other as they envelop the idea of persistent movement. The lost highway started to be used as a metaphor for musicians who wanted to leave home and follow their dreams, with constant imagery of people abandoning what they know and running away to something better, leaving their troubles behind.
These themes can be seen consistently throughout the David Lynch film of the same name, as the main character, who finds themselves at the heart of the story, is changed throughout. There is also the constant idea of movement and running, all the way down to the last shot, as Fred Madison is chased by police cars until all falls silent. The fact he is a musician also plays into this narrative.
Though David Lynch has never said the song was a direct inspiration towards the movie, there is no doubt it will have played its part due to the subconscious links seen throughout. It further embodies Lynch’s ability to draw from and use various art forms when compiling his modern classics.
