“Diane, 11:30 AM, February 24th. Entering the town of Twin Peaks.”
With those iconic words, Special Agent Dale Cooper drove into a new world. It was a world of good coffee, cherry pies, and a mystery that would haunt us forever: Who killed Laura Palmer? But as Cooper began his investigation into the tragic death of the prom queen it wasn’t just the visuals that captured us. It was the unique Lynchian world.
That’s Twin Peaks
Before a single frame was filmed, David Lynch sat at a Fender Rhodes piano. He was with composer Angelo Badalamenti. But he didn’t give him sheet music. He gave him a story. In the video below, Angelo explains how the “darkness” and the “climb” of Laura Palmer’s Theme were created. In took just a few minutes of pure, subconscious creation.
Decoding the Chord Progression
What makes this piece so unique isn’t just the melody. It is how the melody is harmonised and re-harmonised. This technique provides the perfecr balance of tension and release.
Reharmonisation of the Main Theme
In film scoring, music doesn’t just follow the image. It enriches it. It heights the tension and emotional climax of the scene. This is a fundumental principle of music.
In “Laura’s Theme,” this transition is physically palpable. The composition begins with a specific tonal center, utilizing sophisticated 7th and 9th chords, as well as their inversions. But, furthermore, to mirror the complex emotions of the director, and in this case, we need something truly “Lynchian”.
This shift expresses the dual nature of the protagonist. For those of us who have seen Twin Peaks, we know the tragic complexity of Laura Palmer’s life (no spoilers!). The listener feels this reharmonisation of the main theme as a direct link to the story. Through this shift, the audience doesn’t just watch the story, they feel it.
Dreamlike Nightmare
Lynch was the director who brought human nightmares to our screens, in such a dreamlike way that you actually wanted to see them, to experience them. The music and melodies of Angelo Badalamenti perfectly scored the lynchian vision. Together, they create a series (and a film) that remains timeless to this day.