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Best known for his collaborations with David Lynch, most notably the dreamy, haunting music for the director's cult TV soap opera, "Twin Peaks" (1990-91). After completing his classical training, Badalamenti worked as a Borscht Belt pianist in the 1950s, as a jingle writer and as an arranger-songwriter for performers as diverse as Mel Tillis and Shirley Bassey. As Andy Badale he wrote the songs for the 1973 film "Gordon's War" and the score for "Law and Disorder" (1974).Although he continued composing, Badalamenti saw his career take off when he was hired as Isabella Rossellini's vocal coach and subsequently wrote the atmospheric score for Lynch's "Blue Velvet" (1986). He has continued a long association with the director, including scoring TV commercials and films like "Lost Highway" (1997). Badalamenti's non-Lynch credits include "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989), but he seems most at home with darker fare like the noirish "Tough Guys Don't Dance" (1987) and "The Comfort of Strangers" (1990), the black comedy "Parents" (1989) and the phantasmagoric "The City of Lost Children" (1995).
Best known for his collaborations with David Lynch, most notably the dreamy, haunting music for the director's cult TV soap opera, "Twin Peaks" (1990-91). After completing his classical training, Badalamenti worked as a Borscht Belt pianist in the 1950s, as a jingle writer and as an arranger-songwriter for performers as diverse as Mel Tillis and Shirley Bassey. As Andy Badale he wrote the songs for the 1973 film "Gordon's War" and the score for "Law and Disorder" (1974).
Although he continued composing, Badalamenti saw his career take off when he was hired as Isabella Rossellini's vocal coach and subsequently wrote the atmospheric score for Lynch's "Blue Velvet" (1986). He has continued a long association with the director, including scoring TV commercials and films like "Lost Highway" (1997). Badalamenti's non-Lynch credits include "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (1989), but he seems most at home with darker fare like the noirish "Tough Guys Don't Dance" (1987) and "The Comfort of Strangers" (1990), the black comedy "Parents" (1989) and the phantasmagoric "The City of Lost Children" (1995).
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Notes
"He's got this musical soul, and melodies are always floating around inside. I feel the mood of a scene in the music, and one thing helps he other, and they both just start climbing." --David Lynch on his relationship with Badalamenti ("People" Magazine, September 10, 1990)
"He'd say, 'Try and come up with something that's beautiful and dark. Then it should build to a climax that just tears your heart out.' So I'm looking at him strangely, but as he's talking my eyes start going somewhere, and I start hearing melodies." --Badalamenti describing working relationship with Lynch ("People" Magazine, September 10, 1990)
Badalamenti has master's degrees in French horn, composition and piano. He has also won at least eight ASCAP awards. The composer has arranged pieces for recording artists such as Liza Minnelli, George Benson, Melba Moore and the Pet Shop Boys.
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