Angelo Badalementi
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Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
and
arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...
best known for his film music, notably the scores for his collaborations with director
David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
, '' Blue Velvet'' (1986), ''
Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...
'' (1990–1991; 2017), '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), ''
The Straight Story ''The Straight Story'' (stylised as ''the Straight story'') is a 1999 biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch. It was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and collaborator, who also co-wrote the script with ...
'' (1999), and ''
Mulholland Drive Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after pioneering Los Angeles civil engineer William Mulholland. The western rural portion in Los Angeles and Ventura counties is n ...
'' (2001). Badalamenti also composed scores for such films as ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas slapstick comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, wr ...
'' (1989), ''
The City of Lost Children ''The City of Lost Children'' () is a 1995 science fantasy film directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Jeunet and Gilles Adrien, and starring Ron Perlman. An international co-production of companies from France, Germany, ...
'' (1995), ''
Holy Smoke! ''Holy Smoke!'' is a 1999 independent romantic comedy drama film directed by Jane Campion, and starring Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel. The plot follows an American exit counselor (Keitel) who attempts to deprogram a young Australian woman (W ...
'' (1999), and ''
A Very Long Engagement ''A Very Long Engagement'' () is a 2004 romantic war drama film, co-written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel and Marion Cotillard. It is a fictional tale about a young woman's desperate search for he ...
'' (2004), and recorded songs with artists including
Julee Cruise Julee Ann Cruise (December 1, 1956 – June 9, 2022) was an American singer and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released four albums beg ...
(in collaboration with Lynch),
Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...
,
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...
,
Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
,
Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...
,
Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
,
Tim Booth Timothy Booth (born 4 February 1960) is an English singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the indie rock band James, and co-wrote several of their hit singles including " Sit Down", " Come Home", and " La ...
,
Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux (, ), is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who w ...
and
Dolores O'Riordan Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan ( ; 6 September 1971 – 15 January 2018) was an Irish musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band The Cranberries. O'Riordan was the principal songwriter of ...
. In 1990, Badalamenti won the
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011. *In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental *From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance ...
for his " ''Twin Peaks'' Theme" at the
32nd Annual Grammy Awards The 32nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 1990, and hosted by Garry Shandling. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Performers * Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings * Gloria Estefan - Don't Wanna ...
. He received a lifetime achievement award from the
World Soundtrack Awards The World Soundtrack Awards, launched in 2001, are the annual awards for best Film score, film music, presented during the Film Fest Gent. The World Soundtrack Academy supports the art of film music through cultural, educational and professional ac ...
's Academy in 2008 and the Henry Mancini Award from the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...
in 2011.


Early life

Angelo Daniel Badalamenti was born on March 22, 1937, in the
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
of
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
in New York City, the second of four children born to Leonora () and John Badalamenti. His father, who was of Italian descent from the town of
Cinisi Cinisi (; ) is a town and a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in Sicily. As of 1 January 2022 it has a population of 11.846. Geography The town is part of the Palermo metropolitan area, borders with the municipalities of Carini an ...
, was a fish market owner. He began taking piano lessons at age eight. By the time Badalamenti was a teenager, his aptitude at the piano earned him a summer job accompanying singers at resorts in the
Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...
. His elder brother was a jazz trumpet player who used to improvise with other musicians. He also went to Latin American dance clubs. Badalamenti attended Lafayette High School, where he wrote the processional march for his high school graduation. After graduating, he enrolled at the
Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...
at the
University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...
, but transferred after two years to the
Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1958 and a master's degree in 1959. He began composing music pieces in
Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...
's style.


Film and television scoring

Badalamenti scored films such as ''
Gordon's War ''Gordon's War'' is a 1973 action film written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis. It stars Paul Winfield as Gordon Hudson. ''Gordon's War'' was made at the height of blaxploitation films popularity from the ea ...
'' and '' Law and Disorder'', but his break came when he was hired as
Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (; born 18 June 1952) is an Italian actress and model. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme ...
's singing coach for the song " Blue Velvet" in
David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
's 1986 film '' Blue Velvet''. Badalamenti and Lynch collaborated to write "Mysteries of Love" using lyrics Lynch wrote.
Julee Cruise Julee Ann Cruise (December 1, 1956 – June 9, 2022) was an American singer and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released four albums beg ...
, who went on to work with Lynch and Badalamenti on other projects, performed the vocals for that track. Badalamenti composed the film's score and served as music supervisor. Lynch's request to him was for the score to be "like
Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded ...
, be very Russian, but make it the most beautiful thing but make it dark and a little bit scary." Badalamenti appears in ''Blue Velvet'' as the piano player in the club where Rossellini's character performs. This film was the first instance of a career-long collaborative relationship with Lynch spanning television and film. Badalamenti dubbed their partnership "my second-best marriage". After scoring a variety of mainstream films, including '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' and ''
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'' is a 1989 American Christmas slapstick comedy film and the third installment in ''National Lampoon'' magazine's ''Vacation'' film series. ''Christmas Vacation'' was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, wr ...
'', Badalamenti again collaborated with Lynch in scoring Lynch's television show ''
Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...
'', featuring Cruise's vocals on the leading song "
Falling Falling or fallin' may refer to: *Falling (physics), movement due to gravity *Falling (accident) * Falling (execution) *Falling (sensation) People * Christine Falling (born 1963), American serial killer who murdered six children Books * ''Fal ...
". ''Twin Peaks'' became the score Badalamenti is perhaps best known for, one that helped define the show's style and mood. The score features different themes patterned after specific characters in the show—"Audrey's Dance", for example, is an "abstract jazzy" theme that plays when
Audrey Horne Audrey Horne is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Twin Peaks'', played by Sherilyn Fenn. The character was created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. She was introduced in the pilot. The daughter of Ben and Sylvia Horne, siste ...
(played by
Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress. She played Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. She als ...
) is onscreen. Many of the songs from the series were released on Cruise's album '' Floating into the Night''. Badalamenti won the
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011. *In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental *From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance ...
for the "Twin Peaks Theme" from the ''Twin Peaks'' soundtrack. The song also earned a gold plaque from the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. Between 1991 and 1993, Badalamenti and Lynch collaborated on the project Thought Gang, the results of which were released in 2018. Other Lynch projects Badalamenti worked on include the movies '' Wild at Heart'', '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', '' Lost Highway'', ''
The Straight Story ''The Straight Story'' (stylised as ''the Straight story'') is a 1999 biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch. It was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and collaborator, who also co-wrote the script with ...
'', ''
Mulholland Drive Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after pioneering Los Angeles civil engineer William Mulholland. The western rural portion in Los Angeles and Ventura counties is n ...
'' (in which he has a small role as a gangster with a finicky taste for espresso), and ''
Rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...
'', and the television shows ''
On the Air On the Air may refer to: * ''On the Air'' (album), 1984, by Billy Preston * ''On the Air'' (TV series), an American sitcom * ''On the Air'' (film), a 1934 British musical comedy * On the Air (band), an English rock band * On the Air (radio play),a ...
'' and ''
Hotel Room ''Hotel Room'' (sometimes referred to as ''David Lynch's Hotel Room'') is an American drama anthology series that aired for three episodes on HBO on January 8, 1993, with a rerun the next night. Created by Monty Montgomery and David Lynch (who ...
''. His projects with other directors include the TV film ''Witch Hunt'' and the films ''
Naked in New York ''Naked in New York'' is a 1994 American romantic comedy film directed by Daniel Algrant and starring Eric Stoltz, Mary-Louise Parker, Ralph Macchio, Jill Clayburgh, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, and Kathleen Turner, and featuring multiple ce ...
'', ''
The City of Lost Children ''The City of Lost Children'' () is a 1995 science fantasy film directed by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, written by Jeunet and Gilles Adrien, and starring Ron Perlman. An international co-production of companies from France, Germany, ...
'', ''
A Very Long Engagement ''A Very Long Engagement'' () is a 2004 romantic war drama film, co-written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel and Marion Cotillard. It is a fictional tale about a young woman's desperate search for he ...
'', ''
The Wicker Man ''The Wicker Man'' is a 1973 British folk horror film directed by Robin Hardy (film director), Robin Hardy and starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt and Christopher Lee. The screenplay is by Anthony Shaffer (writer ...
'', '' Dark Water'', and ''
Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
''. He also worked on the soundtrack for the video game ''
Fahrenheit The Fahrenheit scale () is a scale of temperature, temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the German-Polish physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accou ...
'' (known as ''Indigo Prophecy'' in North America), and wrote the music for
Paul Schrader Paul Joseph Schrader (; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay of Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'' (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scor ...
's films ''
Auto Focus An autofocus (AF) optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus on an automatically or manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system has ...
'', '' The Comfort of Strangers'', and '' Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist''. In 1995, he asked
Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...
to write lyrics for a song for the soundtrack of
Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre Jeunet (; born 3 September 1953) is a French film director and screenwriter. His films combine fantasy, realism, and science fiction to create idealized realities or to give relevance to mundane situations. Jeunet debuted as a direc ...
's ''The City of Lost Children''; the result was "Who Will Take My Dreams Away". In 1998, Badalamenti recorded " A Foggy Day (in London Town)" with
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
for the
Red Hot Organization ''Red Hot Organization'' (RHO) is a non-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization with goals to promote diversity through equal access to healthcare through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors ...
's compilation album ''
Red Hot + Rhapsody Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
'', a tribute to
George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...
that raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. Badalamenti had sent a demo of the song with his own vocals to the record company and Bowie was the first singer to respond. In 1999, he worked with director
Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and ''The Power of the Dog (film), The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for ...
on the film ''
Holy Smoke! ''Holy Smoke!'' is a 1999 independent romantic comedy drama film directed by Jane Campion, and starring Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel. The plot follows an American exit counselor (Keitel) who attempts to deprogram a young Australian woman (W ...
'', writing the soundtrack after working with Campion for a few days. In 2005, he composed the themes for the movie ''Napola'' (''Before the Fall''), which were then adapted for the score by
Normand Corbeil Normand Corbeil (April 6, 1956 – January 25, 2013) was a Canadian composer known for his work on films, video games and television. Biography Corbeil won a BAFTA Games Award and an Interactive Achievement Award for composing the soundtrack ...
. In 2008, he composed and directed the soundtrack of ''
The Edge of Love ''The Edge of Love'' is a 2008 British biographical romantic drama film directed by John Maybury and starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, and Matthew Rhys. The script was written by Knightley's mother, Sharman Macdonald. ...
'':
Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux (, ), is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who w ...
sang the Weill-influenced "Careless Love", and
Patrick Wolf Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Denis Apps; 30 June 1983) is an English singer-songwriter from South London. Wolf uses a wide variety of instruments in his music, most commonly the ukulele, piano, and viola. He is known for combining electronic samp ...
and
Beth Rowley Beth Ann Rowley (born 10 October 1981) is an English singer-songwriter. Early life Rowley was born in Lima, Peru, to British parents who moved back to Bristol, England, when Rowley was two years old. Career Early career She was influenced by ...
recorded vocals for several other tracks. Badalamenti received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the
World Soundtrack Awards The World Soundtrack Awards, launched in 2001, are the annual awards for best Film score, film music, presented during the Film Fest Gent. The World Soundtrack Academy supports the art of film music through cultural, educational and professional ac ...
on October 18, 2008, in
Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
, Belgium. That night, he performed a concert at the piano with the
Brussels Philharmonic orchestra The Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra (BPhO) is a Belgian orchestra based in Brussels that was established in 2002 by Antonio Vilardi, then artistic director of the Théâtre Saint-Michel, Clare Roberts, a French horn player, and Roger Bausier, t ...
directed by
Dirk Brossé Dirk, Knight BrosséEtat présent de la noblesse belge 2015, p. 20 (born 18 February 1960, Ghent) is a Belgian conductor and composer. He has composed over 200 works, including concerti, oratorios, lieder, chamber music and symphonic works. Br ...
, with Siouxsie Sioux and Beth Rowley on vocals. The concert, spanning his whole career with a selection of tracks, was broadcast on Belgian television. On July 23, 2011, the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...
gave Badalamenti the Henry Mancini Award for his accomplishments in film and television music. The 2017 revival of the ''Twin Peaks'' television series marked the continuation of Badalamenti's work with Lynch. Its score features new compositions by Badalamenti as well as material from the original score.


Collaborations

From the start, Badalamenti collaborated with other songwriters. In 1964, he contributed to
Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles from 1963 to 1966. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom in late 1963, propelled by the singles " Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and " She Loves Yo ...
by arranging, conducting, and co-writing a Christmas novelty single, "Santa, Bring Me Ringo", which was performed by Christine Hunter. In 1966, he co-wrote a song, "Visa to the Stars", on
Perrey and Kingsley Perrey and Kingsley (known also as "Perrey & Kingsley" or "Perrey-Kingsley") was an electronic music duo made up of French composer Jean-Jacques Perrey and German-American composer Gershon Kingsley. The duo lasted from 1965 to 1967 and both a ...
's album '' The In Sound from Way Out!'' In 1967, using the name Andy Badale, he co-wrote a song, "Pioneers of the Stars", for
Perrey and Kingsley Perrey and Kingsley (known also as "Perrey & Kingsley" or "Perrey-Kingsley") was an electronic music duo made up of French composer Jean-Jacques Perrey and German-American composer Gershon Kingsley. The duo lasted from 1965 to 1967 and both a ...
's next album, '' Kaleidoscopic Vibrations: Electronic Pop Music From Way Out''. The same year, he and Norm Simon co-wrote "I Want to Love You for What You Are", a No. 54 pop hit for
Ronnie Dove Ronald Eugene Dove (born September 7, 1935) is an American pop music, pop and country music singer who had a string of hit pop records in the mid to late 1960s and several country chart records in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Ronnie Dove, th ...
. He also arranged, produced, and co-wrote some songs on Perrey's two solo albums for Vanguard Records using the Badale pseudonym. Badalamenti also wrote songs for
Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...
and
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...
. In 1967, he co-wrote the song "I Hold No Grudge" for Simone's album '' High Priestess of Soul''. In 1968, he and
Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premie ...
wrote "I've Been Loved" for Bassey’s album '' This Is My Life''. In 1987, he lent his services to the British
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
duo
Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
, orchestrating "It Couldn't Happen Here". He also arranged the strings on two tracks from their 1990 album ''
Behaviour Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of Individual, individuals, organisms, systems or Artificial intelligence, artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or or ...
''. Badalamenti arranged songs for artists such as
Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...
and
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
. In 1989 he arranged Springfield's single "
Nothing Has Been Proved "Nothing Has Been Proved" is a song and a single release by British singer Dusty Springfield, written and produced by the Pet Shop Boys. The song was the second collaboration between Springfield and the Pet Shop Boys, following their UK #2 and ...
", which was written by the Pet Shop Boys. Badalementi conceived entire albums with singers such as Julee Cruise, Marianne Faithfull and
Tim Booth Timothy Booth (born 4 February 1960) is an English singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the indie rock band James, and co-wrote several of their hit singles including " Sit Down", " Come Home", and " La ...
of the band
James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
. In 1993, he and Lynch directed an album for Cruise, ''The Voice of Love'', which included several tracks from ''Twin Peaks''. Also in 1993, he collaborated with
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
band
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...
on the ''Twin Peaks''-inspired track "Black Lodge" from the album ''
Sound of White Noise ''Sound of White Noise'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in May 1993 by Elektra Records. It is the band's first album to feature vocalist John Bush, who replaced longtime frontman Joey Belladonna in 1992 ...
''. In 1995, Badalamenti composed, orchestrated, and produced Faithfull's album '' A Secret Life''. In 1996, he teamed up with Tim Booth as
Booth and the Bad Angel Booth and the Bad Angel was a British musical project based on the collaborative efforts of Tim Booth (lead singer with the British alternative rock band James) and the American film composer Angelo Badalamenti. Featuring Bernard Butler on guitar, t ...
; they released their eponymous album on the Mercury label. In 2000, he worked with
Orbital Orbital may refer to: Sciences Chemistry and physics * Atomic orbital * Molecular orbital * Hybrid orbital Astronomy and space flight * Orbit ** Earth orbit Medicine and physiology * Orbit (anatomy), also known as the ''orbital bone'' * Orbitof ...
on the single "Beached" for the movie '' The Beach''. In 2004, he composed the ''
Evilenko ''Evilenko'' is a 2004 English-language Italian crime horror thriller film very loosely based on the Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. Written and directed by David Grieco, the film stars Malcolm McDowell, Marton Csokas, and Ronald Pickup ...
'' soundtrack, working with
Dolores O'Riordan Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan ( ; 6 September 1971 – 15 January 2018) was an Irish musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band The Cranberries. O'Riordan was the principal songwriter of ...
, who sang the main theme and with whom he continued to collaborate.


Other projects

Badalamenti composed some of the score for the
opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.
of the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...
in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.


Live performances

Badalamenti performed at a concert entitled "The Music of David Lynch" in 2015, in recognition of the tenth anniversary of the
David Lynch Foundation The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace (or simply DLF) is a global charitable foundation with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded by film director and Transcendental M ...
. The performance was held at
Ace Hotel Los Angeles The United Artists Theatre is a historic former movie palace and office building located at 937 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, California. It was the tallest building in the city for one year after its completion in 1927 and was the tal ...
and included Julee Cruise and other artists known for collaborating with Lynch.


Personal life

Badalamenti and his wife, Lonny, married in 1968 and had two children. He died of natural causes at his home in
Lincoln Park, New Jersey Lincoln Park is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 10,915, an increase of 394 (+3.7%) from the 2010 census count of 10,521, which in turn reflected a ...
, on December 11, 2022, at age 85. Following his death, several industry figures paid tribute to Badalamenti. David Lynch, during his daily installment of ''Weather Report'' on December 12, said, "Today—no music".


Discography


Awards

* 1990: Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance: "''Twin Peaks'' Theme" * 1993: Saturn Award for Best Music: ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' * 2008: World Soundtrack Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award * 2011: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers: Henry Mancini Award


See also

* List of noted film producer and composer collaborations


References


External links


Official site
* * * *
Entry at discogs.com
as Andy Badale {{DEFAULTSORT:Badalamenti, Angelo 1937 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American composers 21st-century American composers American film score composers American male film score composers American people of Italian descent People from Lincoln Park, New Jersey People of Sicilian descent American television composers Eastman School of Music alumni Grammy Award winners Lafayette High School (New York City) alumni American male television composers Manhattan School of Music alumni Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Morris County, New Jersey Varèse Sarabande Records artists Windham Hill Records artists Warner Records artists East West Records artists London Records artists Hollywood Records artists La-La Land Records artists Nonesuch Records artists