NEW YORK ā The loss of singular talent and visionary filmmaker David Lynch is not only felt in the world of cinema, but music, where he had inextricable influence on multiple generations of artists.
Lynch, whose death was announced Thursday, composed music for many of his films, collaborated with others, directed music videos, released albums and inspired legions of creatives.
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You know his films, now, learn about his musical legacy. (You can hear all of the tracks on our Spotify playlist.)
āIn Heavenā from āEraserheadā
Lynch composed much of the soundtrack to the clangorous āEraserhead,ā his 1978 debut movie. It foreshadows both a long career in film and an enduring interest in using music to establish a surrealist ambience in his work. āIn Heaven" holds particular resonance in the film. It's performed by a woman who lives in protagonist Henry Spencer's radiator, for one thing. It has been embraced by legions of indie rock fans. The Pixies have covered it and it is interpolated into Modest Mouseās "Workinā on Leavinā the Livinā."
Chris Isaak, āWicked Gameā
Chris Isaakās 1989 desert ballad āWicked Gameā did not become a hit until it was included in Lynchās 1990 romantic crime drama āWild at Heart" starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. And that, my friends, is Lynch's musical power.
Angelo Badalamenti, āTwin Peaksā theme
It would be a challenge to name a music and film collaboration stronger and more ideal than the one between Badalamenti and Lynch. They first worked together on 1986's āBlue Velvet," leading to a long partnership (and, no doubt, armies of new Roy Orbison fans, given his placement in the film). But it's Badalamenti's theme for āTwin Peaksā that fans no doubt think of first when their names appear.
The singer Julee Cruise had a hit in the song, titled āFalling." It is the perfect distillation of the show's beauty, mystery and violence ā and that of its setting, the foggy Pacific Northwest.
Moby, āGoā
Moby sampled the āTwin Peaksā theme in his 1991 single, āGo,ā transforming the song into a career-making rave.
Later, in 2009, Lynch would direct a music video for Moby's "Shot in the Back of the Head.ā He had quite the run as a music video director, working with everyone from Nine Inch Nails and Donovan to the German nu-metal band Rammstein.
David Lynch, āThank You Judgeā
In 2001, Lynch released his debut album, āBlueBOB,ā a sometimes industrial, goth-y (no surprise there) blues rock full-length. At times, it recalls the avant-garde no-wave of a cult classic band like Pere Ubu ā particularly on the track āThank You Judge.ā It is very distorted, very reverb heavy, and very much not for the faint of heart.
David Lynch and Karen O, āPinkyās Dreamā
In 2011, Lynch released the album āCrazy Clown Time," producing the standout electro-pop opener āPinky's Dream." It features the great singer Karen O, frontwoman of the '00s New York rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
David Lynch and Lykke Li, āIām Waiting Hereā
On his third album, āThe Big Dream,ā Lynch teamed up with Swedish singer Lykke Li for the dreamy āI'm Waiting Here,ā a breathy, depressed doo-wop anti-hit that sounds like it was recorded in the spot where a sunset horizon hits an open road.
Chromatics, āShadowā
In 2017, 26 years after the end of the second season of āTwin Peaks," the show returned for a limited series, āTwin Peaks: The Return.ā It featured tons of performances from Lynch-approved acts ā Nine Inch Nails, Eddie Vedder, Sharon Van Etten and of course Julee Cruise among them. But a performance by the Portland, Oregon synthpop band Chromatics in episode two stands out. The song is āShadow,ā and it is so undeniably perfect for the show, the band appears as if they were made for it.
Flying Lotus, āFire Is Comingā
Lynch is the first voice heard on Flying Lotus'"Fire Is Coming" ā a distinctive orator and storyteller, and a curious choice to open to a beat-heavy track from the inventive DJ. But looping Lynch saying the title track over and over again? That's an inspired decision.
Chrystabell & David Lynch, āSublime Eternal Loveā
In her review, The Associated Press' Krysta Fauria describes Lynch's last album, āCellophane Memoriesā a collaboration with the artist Chrystabell, as āsurrealistā and ādifficult to categorize within a genre.ā She argues it can only be defined by its āaustere lyrics and ambient soundscapes carried by Chrystabellās hypnotic, reverbed vocals.ā Now that it has become Lynch's final album, it doubles as a fitting coda ā as does its closing track, āSublime Eternal Love." It's a haunting, romantic vocal performance atop modulating synthetic production, the kind sound long associated with Lynch.