1990–1991
Epic show, epic theme song.
Damn, this gives me the chills.
Alright, let’s start. Technically, and with respect to the show, the theme from Twin Peaks is officially called “Twin Peaks Theme”. It was composed by Italian-American composer Angelo Badalamenti and was released as part of the original soundtrack, which was made public on September 11, 1990. Below is the song (full version, 5:10) as it appears on the disc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db5ZhxM8VZQ
The song won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1991.
However, we all know that dream pop artist Julee Cruise is associated with the theme song. Her song “Falling” is basically the lyric-ed version of the “Twin Peaks Theme”. “Falling” is still credited to Angelo Badalamenti, but the lyrics were written by David Lynch (who also happens to be one of the creators of the show). How Ms. Cruise came into the picture, we don’t know. “Falling” was released as part of Julee Cruise’s album Floating into the Night, which was released on September 8, 1989—so basically, this album came first, but I think (I know) the song was definitely written for the show.
* Apparently, Ms. Cruise also appeared in the series and in the movie (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me).
Below is “Falling”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmWThPTdd8Q
And the lyrics.
Twin Peaks theme song lyrics
Don’t let yourself be hurt this time
Don’t let yourself be hurt this timeThen I saw your face
Then I saw your smileThe sky is still blue
The clouds come and go
Yet something is different
Are we falling in love?Don’t let yourself be hurt this time
Don’t let yourself be hurt this timeThen your kiss so soft
Then your touch so warmThe stars still
Shine bright
The mountains still right
Yet something is different
Are we falling in love?Falling
Falling
Are we falling in love?
What else?
In 2007, some 17 years after the fact, a second soundtrack was released for the series—to coincide with the release of a special-edition DVD. It contains more music by Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch.
Of course there is the less-than-stellar movie (inspired by the series) Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (its soundtrack also contains “Twin Peaks Theme”), but maybe we’ll do a separate post for that, or rather, let’s not ruin this post with that.
And now finally, the classic opening sequence that featured the theme song.
The above was actually uploaded by CBS’ official channel—show was ABC but CBS did some distributing (I think).
Phew, that’s about it. Will update this post if I feel I skipped something.