Blue Velvet (soundtrack)  

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The Blue Velvet soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti is a dark combination of classic composition and vintage/modern pop songs, which mirrors the film's un-stated timeless setting envisioned by 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 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. The score makes direct quotations from Shostakovich's 15th Symphony, which Lynch had been listening to regularly while writing the screenplay. 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

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

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

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. The following release was on an audio CD on October 15, 1990 by Varèse Sarabande. It, however, did not feature the original rendition title song as many times as it was used in the movie.