Blue Velvet (soundtrack)

Blue Velvet was the soundtrack of the film of the same name. It included original music by composer and conductor, Angelo Badalamenti. It was released in 1986 on Varèse Sarabande.

Blue Velvet (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Angelo Badalamenti
Released	1986
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	43:03
Label	Varèse Sarabande

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

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 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’s "Blue Velvet" and Roy Orbison’s "In Dreams", juxtaposed with an orchestral score.^[2]

Badalamenti's score alludes to Shostakovich's 15th Symphony, which Lynch had been listening to regularly while writing the screenplay.^[2]

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.”^[3] Badalamenti would later go on to contribute to all of Lynch's future full-length films except for Inland Empire (2006).

Inspired by This Mortal Coil's recent cover of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", Lynch had wanted Isabella Rossellini 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 sung by Julee Cruise.^[4]

Bobby Vinton's cover of The Clovers' 1950s song "Blue Velvet" served as inspiration for the film and heavily incorporated it.^[5][6]

Legacy

Entertainment Weekly 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 Alexander^[7]

Track listing

1. "Main Title" 1:27
2. "Night Streets/Sandy and Jeffrey" 3:42
3. "Frank" 3:34
4. "Jeffrey's Dark Side" 1:48
5. "Mysteries of Love" 2:10
6. "Frank Returns" 4:39
7. "Mysteries of Love" [Instrumental] 4:41
8. "Blue Velvet/Blue Star" 3:14
9. "Lumberton U.S.A./Going Down to Lincoln" 2:13
10. "Akron Meets the Blues" 2:40
11. Bill Doggett - "Honky Tonk, Pt. 1" 3:09
12. Roy Orbison - "In Dreams" 2:48
13. Ketty Lester - "Love Letters" 2:36
14. Julee Cruise - "Mysteries of Love" 4:22

Personnel

• Angelo Badalamenti – Composer, Conductor, Contractor
• Julee Cruise – 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. A 2CD deluxe edition with previously unissued material was released in 2021.

Additional music

Despite being the title track and prominently featured in the movie, the Bobby Vinson recording of Blue Velvet is not included on the soundtrack album. In addition, the songs Livin' For Your Lover and Gone Ridin' by Chris Isaak also appear in the movie, and are not on the soundtrack album.