“Today, no music.” In this subtle yet fitting acknowledgement during his daily weather report, director David Lynch paid tribute to his longtime collaborator and friend Angelo Badalamenti who passed away on Sunday at the age of 85. A prolific and iconic composer, Badalamenti was behind some of the most magnificent pieces of music of the last several decades. From his work on television series like Twin Peaks as well as the subsequent Twin Peaks: The Return to films like Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, he was an absolute titan in how he crafted some of the most enduring pieces of music ever heard by audiences. His work was what made the vibrant worlds of television and film come alive. All, in their own way, pulled us deeper into the beauty and dread of each of them. It left a mark on the medium itself that was all his own. His loss is a devastating one in a month that had already seen the loss of Twin Peaks actor Al Strobel. Though it is a heavy blow to lose another amazing artist, the compositions Badalamenti crafted have a power that will move us for time eternal.
Angelo Badalamenti's Music Demanded to be Noticed
More than anything, Badalamenti’s music demanded to be noticed and made each of the stories lucky enough to have his work as part of its world infinitely better. It could be flooring, ripping through your very soul when you least expected it, while also being delicate in how it would sneak up on you. Trying to think of any of the works he made compositions for without him is like imagining a painting that could only be seen from a mile away. Badalamenti cuts this distance into nothing as he draws us right up to the world. It feels intimate and personal without ever sacrificing the scale of the story behind it. His music would get under your skin unlike nothing else, shattering our sense of self and story in the best way possible. Even just the opening theme of Twin Peaks, which remains one that I would never skip, makes the most of every single moment. From the first time it is heard in the pilot, there is an expansive playfulness to it in how it almost resembles a soap opera. It then becomes so much more than that, overflowing with profound emotion and an increasing sense of sadness that worms its way into your mind. The way it fused itself to the images Lynch created gets taken for granted, though the care that Badalamenti brought to every note is what made this work.
That is even before we get to the masterful "Laura Palmer's Theme," which is as subtly unsettling as it is absolutely soul-crushing. It starts out simple, with only a handful of instruments echoing around in our minds before it brings in more and more. There is that incredible piano that makes it feel like we are almost floating, while somehow still sinking deeper alongside the darker elements. It fades away before coming back in, like a rising up of Laura’s spirit and emotion brought back from the great beyond. Every single moment it is heard in the many crucial scenes, it absolutely ensures everything soars. Even just a moment of recognition in The Return is made into something deeply moving yet devastating from the music that rushes in to fill a scene defined by tragic silence. While there are plenty of works that have overused their musical scores, every iteration we get of this song is just so crushing that it carves out a unique emotion each time we hear it. It is as if we are both hearing it for the first time and for the hundredth time in how it catches us off guard. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to Badalamenti describe his process in bringing this to life in his own words, you should absolutely do so as his passion for this music is as moving as the work itself.
Badalamenti's Music Goes Beyond "Laura Palmer's Theme"
While this song is the one that most will recognize, there were dozens of equally mesmerizing pieces that deserve just as much praise. In every one of them, the moments of music where everything reaches a fever pitch are absolutely essential to the experience. Looking at his recent work in The Return, it didn’t just draw from what he had done in the past, as Badalamenti brought the same commitment to bringing the scenes to life all these many decades later. In particular, “Dark Space Low” is one that contains just as much of a timeless quality even as it is still reserved. It feels fleeting and fearful, gradually yet decisively driving its way into the recesses of our consciousness with every note. Every single part of it lingers, feeling both heavy on the soul yet light in its musical flexibility. Then there is a song like “Night” that hits similar emotional beats, then reinterprets them into something new and more expansive. Everything builds on itself, reaching new heights with each distinct composition. Every score feels as if Badalamenti is having a rich conversation with his own music and us at the same time, always finding a new moment of sublime musical elevation that you only wish that you could float away into and never have to come down from.
Not long ago, I found myself in a conversation about what it is that a composer ought to contribute to film and television. This person firmly believed that any music that “tells us how to feel” is a distraction from the story itself. It has bounced around in my head ever since as this perspective has felt more and more narrow-minded. Music that moves us deserves to be heard and can make any work of already awe-inspiring art into something even more unforgettable. It can stand on its own, sure, but it also thrives precisely because of how it meshes with the nuances of the story. To dismiss this is to lose out on works that are made all the more powerful. If there was ever a rebuttal to such a reductive perspective, it would be in just hearing one single song from Badalamenti. He was and will remain one of the greatest composers of all time, whose work will fittingly endure long after all of us are gone.