The Log Lady: “Welcome to Twin Peaks. My name is Margaret Lanterman. I live in Twin Peaks. I am known as the Log Lady. There is a story behind that. There are many stories in Twin Peaks – some of them are sad, some funny. Some of them are stories of madness, of violence. Some are ordinary. Yet they all have about them a sense of mystery – the mystery of life. Sometimes, the mystery of death. The mystery of the woods. The woods surrounding Twin Peaks.”
Rest calm, there are no Twin Peaks reboot spoilers ahead!
With the occasion of the new episodes of this stunning cult series, we couldn’t help but reminisce some of the classic moments and get sucked back into the haunting atmosphere. Why is that? Because David Lynch is a majestic storyteller who knows how to capture raw human emotions.
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“Life should be blissful, and blissful doesn’t mean just a small happiness. It’s huge. It is profound.” – David Lynch
The music of Twin Peaks encloses two visionary artists, composer Angelo Badalamenti and singer Julee Cruise. The jazzy, ambiental, dreamy pop tunes perfectly complete the mysterious and edgy decor of the series. We’re like lost sailors encountering the mesmerising song of a siren. The magic of the Twin Peaks soundtrack is that even if you hear is out of context, say at a bar or in your car, it transports you to “a place both wonderful and strange”.
How It Came To Life
“Don’t change a single note. I see Twin Peaks.”
Lynch had it all figured out in his head. All he had to do is make Badalamenti see his way. He told the composer to imagine he was alone in the woods, with only the wind blowing and an owl hooting. “Slow things down“, he continued. “Picture a distressed teenage girl emerging from the darkness, getting closer. She’s getting close, you can see her face, Angelo, she’s in pain, reach a climax.” In only 20 minutes they had created Laura Palmer’s Theme.
The main theme song, Falling, was actually written one year prior to the series’ creation when Lynch, Badalamenti and Cruise were just experimenting. Lynch thought it wonderfully captured the essence of Twin Peaks. “Angelo, this is the title. This is the identity of Twin Peaks,” he said. The synergy between the two was incredible. Not to mention the blissful innocence of Julee Cruise, who’s angelic vocals balance the heavy, tormented moments, adding the duality factor characteristic to Lynch’s work.
Photo source: TwinPeaksSoundtrackDesign
“The stars still shine bright
The mountains still high
Yet something is different
Are we falling in love?”
(Julee Cruise – Falling)
The Best Musical Moments
1. Julee Cruise – Rockin Back Inside My Heart / Bar scene & Maddy’s death
As the giant said, “It is happening again”. And thus we see a hypnotic mix between the Roadhouse Singer performing at the Bang Bang Bar, Detective Cooper entering a dreamlike state, Donna Hayward crying out of the blue (was she sensing something?) and Maddy’s final moments at the Palmer residence, along with the epic reveal of who killed Laura Palmer. Again, David Lynch played with the framework and, simultaneously, with our feelings.
“Shadow in my house
The man he has brown eyes
She’ll never go to Hollywood
Love moves me”
Photo source: LostInTheMovies
2. Angelo Badalamenti – I’m Hurt Bad / James & mistress scene
This dramatic composition ends the episode where James Hurley flees town on his motorcycle, arriving at a bar, where he get involved with the foxy Evelyn Marsh. While James is not necessarily liked by the fanbase, the song is considered one of the most expressive Badalamenti had ever created. This instrumental masterpiece overflows with emotion while the saxophone resembles a scream for help. Some even compare the song to a “nightmare” since it depicts someone reaching his lowest point.
3. Jimmy Scott – Sycamore Threes / Red Room scene in Fire Walk With Me
We link this song to one of Twin Peaks’ quintessential places, the Red Room, which connects the While and Black Lodges. It captures the transcendence between reality and fantasy, like a bridge Dale Cooper must pass in order to find the truth. The unspoken dialogue between Dale and the Man From Another Place and its peculiar dance, turn into horror-like flashes, which become faster and faster as our pulse rises with anticipation.
“You take me for a walk
Under the sycamore trees
The dark trees that blow baby”
Photo source: DazedDigital
4. Julee Cruise – Questions in a World of Blue / Laura Palmer scene in Fire Walk With Me
The sequel movie, Fire Walk With Me, was created in order to fill out some blanks and help us understand Laura Palmer more. By the end of the original series, we didn’t view Laura with kind eyes, mainly due to how she ended up in that situation in the first place. However, this scene of Laura, the IT Girl, going out, flirting and then crying shows there’s more to her than meets the eye (*duh, Lynch!*), like she was aware where all that would lead to. Through this moment, we understood her pain, loneliness, the fragility of morality and how Bob ended up filling that emptiness inside her.
The Log Lady: [to Laura] “When this kind of fire starts, it is very hard to put out. The tender boughs of innocence burn first, and the wind rises, and then all goodness is in jeopardy.”
The Revival of Twin Peaks & Our Expectations
“The core of it is Agent Cooper’s odyssey back to Twin Peaks,” said David Lynch about the new season of Twin Peaks. We don’t know much about the plot, however, we know that, at the age of 80, Badalamenti is still composing for Lynch. We’re shaking with excitement to hear the results, in all the new 18 episodes.
Speaking of which, we can’t wait to see how Cooper’s descent into madness unravelled, if Lynch will make cameos, what is Laura Dern’s role in all this, did Audrey Horne find romance, can anyone replace Bob as the main villain and much much more! What are you most excited about?
Source: Giphy
Main Photo Source: WelcomeToTwinPeaks
