Director David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti were frequent collaborators and you can barely think of one without the influence of the other.
The soundtrack to the 1986 film Blue Velvet is the movie that kicked off their long and fruitful partnership.
Not only does it feature pop classics like the title track made famous by Bobby Vinton and Roy Orbison's "In Dreams," but the duo joined forces to create an iconic original tune as well.
When Angelo Badalamenti asked David Lynch what he wanted the track to sound like, he answered:
"Oh, just make it like the wind, Angelo. It should be a song that floats on the sea of time. Make it cosmic."
Lynch loved the result and asked Badalamenti to find a female singer who sounded like Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil— Lynch had wanted the latter's "Song to the Siren" but couldn't secure the rights.
Badalamenti suggested Julee Cruise, with whom he’d worked previously, and the result dazzled Lynch and filmgoers alike.
In a sad coincidence, both Badalamenti and Cruise died in 2022. But this cinematic gem lives on.
From Blue Velvet, today's SoundTRAX is Julee Cruise with "Mysteries of Love."
