''Blue Velvet'' was the soundtrack of the film of '' the same name''. It included original music by composer and conductor,

Angelo Badalamenti Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), ''The Straight St ...

. It was released in 1986 on

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

. The soundtrack is a dark combination of classic composition and vintage/modern pop songs, which mirrors the film's un-stated timeless setting envisioned by director

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

and unsettling neo-noir atmosphere. Thus, the film has become noted for its diverse musical selections. Seen as a prominent stylistic feature in the film is also the unconventional use of vintage pop songs, such as

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...

’s " Blue Velvet" and

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

’s " In Dreams", juxtaposed with an orchestral score.'' Lynch on Lynch''. . Pages 132, 135. Badalamenti's score alludes to

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's 15th Symphony, which Lynch had been listening to regularly while writing the screenplay.

Background and music

Lynch worked with Badalamenti for the first time in this film and asked him to write a score that had to be “like Shostakovich, be very Russian, but make it the most beautiful thing but make it dark and a little bit scary.” Badalamenti would later go on to contribute to all of Lynch's future full-length films except for ''

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'' (2006). Inspired by

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating ...

's recent cover of

Tim Buckley Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years. Buckley began his career based in folk music, but his subsequent albums experimented with ja ...

's "

Song to the Siren "Song to the Siren" is a song written by Tim Buckley to a poem by his writing partner Larry Beckett, released by Buckley on his 1970 album '' Starsailor''. It was also later released on '' Morning Glory: The Tim Buckley Anthology'', the album fea ...

", Lynch had wanted

Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted ...

to sing her own version, but was unable to secure the rights. In its place, Badalamenti composed a music for "Mysteries of Love" with lyrics by Lynch and

Julee Cruise Julee Ann Cruise (December 1, 1956 – June 9, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released fo ...

sang it.

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The Clovers The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s.The Guinness Who's Who of Fifties Music. General Editor: Colin Larkin. First published 1993 (UK). . The Clovers p77. They had ...

' 1950s song " Blue Velvet" served as inspiration for the film and heavily incorporated it.{{cite news , first=Borden , last=Lizzie , title=The World According to Lynch , publisher=

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, date=September 23, 1986 ''Mysteries of Love: The Making of Blue Velvet'', ''Blue Velvet'' Special Edition DVD documentary,

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Legacy

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' ranked ''Blue Velvet'' at #100 on their list of the ''100 Greatest Film Soundtracks'': "The haunting soundtrack accompanies the title credits, then weaves through the narrative, accentuating the noir mood of the film."'' — Critic John AlexanderThe Films of David Lynch
50 Percent Sound
last accessed July 10, 2007.

Track listing

# "Main Title" 1:27 # "Night Streets/Sandy and Jeffrey" 3:42 # "Frank" 3:34 # "Jeffrey's Dark Side" 1:48 # "Mysteries of Love" 2:10 # "Frank Returns" 4:39 # "Mysteries of Love" nstrumental4:41 # "Blue Velvet/Blue Star" 3:14 # "Lumberton U.S.A./Going Down to Lincoln" 2:13 # "Akron Meets the Blues" 2:40 #

Bill Doggett William Ballard Doggett (February 16, 1916 – November 13, 1996) was an American pianist and organist. He began his career playing swing music before transitioning into rhythm and blues. Best known for his instrumental compositions "Honky Tonk" ...

- "Honky Tonk, Pt. 1" 3:09 #

- " In Dreams" 2:48 #

Ketty Lester Ketty Lester (born Revoyda Frierson; August 16, 1934) is an American singer and actress known for her 1961 hit single "Love Letters", which reached the top 5 of the charts in the U.S. and the UK. She is also known for her role as Hester-Sue Terh ...

- "

Love Letters A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

" 2:36 #

- "Mysteries of Love" 4:22

Personnel

* Angelo Badalamenti – Composer, Conductor, Contractor *

– Performer * Carmine d'Amico – Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Contractor * Chris d'Amico – Bass (Electric) * Bill Doggett – Organ, Performer * Dan Hersch – Digital Editing, Digital Transfers * Richard Kraft – Executive Producer * Ketty Lester – Performer * David Lynch – Conductor * Roy Markowitz – Drums * Tom Null – Executive Producer * Roy Orbison – Performer * Wayne Sabella – Piano * Jiri Sobac – Engineer

Releases

The first official release (on LP, tape and CD) was released in late 1986. The following release was on an audio CD on October 15, 1990 by Varèse Sarabande. It, however, did not feature the original rendition title song as many times as it was used in the movie.

References

Film soundtracks 1986 soundtrack albums Varèse Sarabande soundtracks Angelo Badalamenti soundtracks