Twin Peaks

The music and the plot

Contents

The world of Twin Peaks 2

Relevant compositional tools 3

The structure of the theme 6

The usage of the theme in the pilot 8

Diegetic? 9

Conclusion 10

Bibliography 10

The World of Twin Peaks

“I don’t know what comes first, the drama or the music”i

The statement is taken from an interview with Julee Cruise, the singer who performed

most of the vocal music for the series. It is a statement that shows the multiplicity of

possible interpretations, not only because we can interpret the music based on what we

see, but we can interpret the music based on what we think, in this case know, what is

going to happen in the narrative of the series. What I would like to study in this paper is

the following: does the music of Twin Peaks convey something about the narrative

before the storyline is revealed? My methodology here is to cite some relevant literature

on scoring practices in Hollywood and apply these principles to the music in the series,

as well as looking at the usage of the music in specific scenes. Due to the limitations of

this paper I have chosen to focus on one episode, the pilot episode. I find this most

convenient because it set the standard for all the other episodes.ii Lynch admits in

interviews that he never expected to end up producing any more than a pilot episode.

Despite this, I have chosen to base aspects of my interpretation within a context of the

entire storyline, primarily just to provide a wider foundation which in turn could yield a

richer interpretation. Another self-imposed limitation for this paper is that I shall only

focus on “Laura Palmer’s theme” as it is titled on the soundtrack.iii One could of course

claim that the plot was written along the way and that the music in the pilot cannot be

read as a part of a coherent body of meaning forming the entire series. I choose to

discard such arguments simply because they do not allow for as rich interpretations.

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Besides, the history of music and the interpretation of it, is littered with fortunate

accidents that have given unexpected and successful results.

Twin Peaks is a very alien place. On the surface it may seem like a small town where

nothing happens. In the unravelling of the plot it is revealed that the town has its

demons (both natural and supernatural) as well more secular issues of morality, both in

the sense of greed and sexuality. Even in the pilot, the town is presented with a certain

dark mystique, shots of trees moving in the wind and the music play an important role in

creating this mood. Characters making ominous statements talking about something

“dark” or “evil” in the woods reinforce this. The character of Laura Palmer is not only

very significant when it comes to the plot, she mirrors Twin Peaks in the sense that she

too, seems very familiar. On the surface she appears as a wholesome American youth,

she is blonde and a cheerleader (of course) and she is dating the quarterback of the

school team. The shock of her murder and the reaction of the other characters to this,

also function as to give her an aura of kindness, everybody seems to like her. This

kindness is demonstrated in the plot by the fact that she helped in teaching Johhny, who

is handicapped and she arranged the “Meals on Wheels” programme that provided food

to people who, for different reasons, could not venture out of their homes. However, in

the wake of the murder of Laura her dark secrets are revealed, her cocaine abuse, her

adultery and her prostitution. Eventually her secret life leads to her death.

Relevant compositional tools

Kalinak compares music, and perhaps even more so, film music to language, primarily

for two reasons: firstly music, is based on systems that seem logical, they can be

understood, if not as concrete meanings then at least one can hear when the composer

uses these system, especially if the composer chooses to discard these rules. Secondly,

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these systems can be seen as culture specific, film music relies on a set of techniques, or

clichés, that have a specific semiotic meaning in the context of films. This can be

attributed to the cultural rules of the music (music theory) and simply on human

psychology. Tremolo strings to indicate suspense for instance, is probably a convention

learned from seeing other films, the use of stingers for instance (sudden, accentuated

chords) is an example of the psychology.

Some of the most important tools for the composer are undoubtedly the use of

harmonies, rhythm and timbre (instrumentation). Clearly there are other factors, but I

have chosen to focus on some of the techniques that are most relevant in this case. The

harmonic aspect focuses around consonant and dissonant notes. The consonant tones

are stable in the sense that they sound complete, they follow the diatonic scales (as can

dissonant notes), but they also give us a sense of music that follows the “rules”, in this

case: of western music theory. Once the music becomes dissonant it can work as a

signifier that something is wrong, unsettled or foreign. Some dissonant chords can be

seen or heard as something that is unresolved. Musically it is unresolved because it does

not necessarily follow the diatonic system. The use of for instance chromaticism could

be an example of this, where one does not necessarily get a clear feel for what chords are

used. In “Settling the Score”, Kalinak uses the score of Vertigo as an example of this and

she states that: “the specifics of the preceding analysis are far less important to

remember than the main point: “Herrmann has created a harmony to disturb tonality”iv,

and she goes on to say that: “there is something quite unsettling about listening to

Vertigo, and at least part of that something is its harmonic structure.” As I will attempt to

show later, this kind of thinking can be transferred to Laura’s theme.

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Kalinak states that the harmonic structure only is “…part of that something is the

harmonic structure...” what she is in fact alluding is a set of other techniques, and I will

attempt to describe the most relevant of these techniques for the theme at hand. Rhythm

is probably easier to trace back to psychological processes, but even though they may

not be established by conventions to the same extent as harmony. They are at least,

maintained or elaborated by them. Regular rhythms can:”…be lulling and even hypnotic

because of the familiarity created through their repetition….”v. The use of rhythm in

Laura’s theme could be seen along these lines. The first section does not give a clear

sense of a metric rhythm. Whereas section two give a much clearer rhythm, both in the

arpeggiated piano chords, and in the actual melody, which in turn supports the idea of

section 2, being something more familiar and acting in a juxtaposed way to the more

alien sounding first section.

The instrumentation and general timbre could also be seen as juxtaposing in a similar

way. Section one is made up by synths, which could be seen as alien. They are not “real

instruments” in the sense that they can be used to distort and create entirely new

different sounds. This is the strength of the instrument, it cannot necessarily be

recognized as a synth because of a specific timbre, it can be recognized by many timbres

that are sometimes based on actual instruments and sometimes are deliberate

distortions of familiar sound that becomes new sounds. This is in a way similar to what

the supernatural aspects of Twin Peaks are, they are distortions of our reality, with

exaggerations without the constraints of reality. In they same way as a synth does

necessarily have the constraints of a physical world that the acoustic instruments have,

they, one can for example maintain the piano sustain indefinitely because there is no

physical attack. The main point here however is that when section two starts with a

piano, the music draws on a much more familiar and tangible instrumentation,

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representing a more “realistic instrument” and a much more tangible timbre than the

more abstract synth. In her book Hearing Film, Ahahid Kassabian talks about the, in her

words “hyperclassical”, films Star Wars and Indiana Jones. She argues that these films

limit the possibilities of interpretations because they resort to what she calls “…the

tightest musical meaning system available…”vi, implying the classical music system. The

piano could in a sense be seen as doing something along these lines. Reeling us back into

the kindness and familiarity that Laura Palmer represents.

The structure of the theme

The theme itself is clearly divided into 3 sections, with section one and three being the

same part repeated. The first section is dark and ominous, with a fairly dissonant

ostinato, which is achieved in part through using harmony, timbre and rhythm in the

ways described above. This “unsettling” establishes a mood that is, if not scary, it could

certainly represent something evil or dark, possibly in the woods. The density in the

music itself could be seen as being structurally similar to the very dense forest. I would

argue that Laura Palmer’s theme actually starts after the first section. The piano seems

to cut through the dense ostinato, playing a simple, beautiful(diatonic) melody played

with a clear rhythm that is repeated until it reaches a climax. The reason I make the case

for this being the actual theme is that the first time we hear it is the first time we see

Laura Palmer’s face. Her body is turned around, revealing her face. Eventually the

section one returns and seems to drown the theme, returning to the more eerie mood

that preceded it.

I would argue that the structure of the theme says something about the narrative of the

Twin Peaks storyline, as well as something about the world of Twin Peaks. Before we go

further with this we must look at the usage of section 1. It does in fact appear without

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being “relieved” by Laura’s theme. It appears at a handful of other occasions as well:

when Ronette is found walking back into town she is followed by the same music but she

has no theme that relieves her from the synths of the first section. This could mean two

things: that she is given less importance musically and in the narrative, which is true

given the fact that she only appears in a few scenes. And the fact that she is in a sense

not freed from the horrible experiences she has had. She is left in a kind of mental

prison, she is not dead, she is not free but remains at the mercy of the killer, living in

fear. The ominous synth however, acts as a marker signifying the link between Ronette

on the one hand, Laura and the killer. The second scene in which the music appears

without Laura’ s theme is at the crime scene. This, again, acts as a signifier in that the

killer has a clear musical reference. Annette Davison states that: “music can also assist in

further engaging the viewer by encouraging a symbolic identification with a space

within the fictional world of the diegesis, such as that occupied by a particular

character.”vii It does not seem like too much of a stretch to apply the same principles to

the killer and what he represents. This in turn, opens for the music being what the

demon represents in the Twin Peaks world. He is the embodiment of the darkness in the

woods, the supernatural that surrounds the town, the white and the black lodge. This is

something the town has in a sense come to terms with, the Bookhouse boys accept that

they have to live with this. The way the first section is found in the beginning and the

end of the theme could therefore represent the darkness that always has, and always

will be a part of the woods. One cannot escape it, only try to live with it. The entire

theme with all three sections could thus be read as a musical spoiler for entire plot.

Musically the darkness drowns the good, this happens in the last episode of the series,

when Cooper returns he is the vessel for Bob the demon. The bad actually wins. In the

narrative as well as in the music.

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The usage of the theme in the pilot

I aim to demonstrate that the theme is used as a leitmotif, Kalinak defines the leitmotif

as such: “the leitmotif or leading theme is a musical phrase, either as complex as a

melody or as simple as a few notes, which, through repetition becomes identified with a

character, situation, or idea.”viii In order to prove that the theme is indeed connected to a

character, situation and to a certain extent, to an idea we must look at the scenes and

contexts where the theme is used. The theme itself appears almost whenever Laura is

presented, talked about or represented in another way. Except when Leland is in the

morgue with Laura’s body. This is significant in two ways: firstly the lack of music could

reinforce the fact that Laura is dead. The music is not present simply because it is not

Laura that is lying there, she is somewhere else, it is just a dead body, a shell. Laura is

alive musically when people talk about her or mourn her, not in the actual body in the

morgue. Leland does however mourn in this scene he where cries, but he is in fact the

killer, maybe he is not mourning? It could be Bob who is present in Leland’s body at this

time. Regardless if it is Bob or Leland who is there in the scene, it does make the scene

stand out when compared to the other scenes of mourning Laura. Something is “off”

about the scene. Already in the pilot one can see musical hints as to who the killer could

be. When the synth theme is presented for the first time, is straight after the

introduction, our first meeting with the world of Twin Peaks is through the music. The

first scene Laura’s theme is revealed is when her identity is revealed as they turn the

body. When Leland is told that his daughter is killed, which is the second time Laura’s

theme appears, it appears as usual, by the synth pad preceding it. When the Laura’s

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theme is drowned out by the synth again, there is a close up of the phone Laura’s mother

has dropped to the floor. The significance of this could be that the phone in a sense is a

direct link to Laura’s killer, Leland who is on the other side of the phone connection.

Laura’s theme appears again when her death is announced by the principal, it appears

just as he requests a moment of silence in remembrance of Laura. Here the music

embodies again the mourning /the memory of Laura, and therefore Laura herself The

next use of the theme is when James and Donna meet in the forest and talk about Laura,

and end up kissing.

There are other forces of evil in Twin Peaks as well, Leo Johnson is an example of

another villain in the plot, however, he does not have any connection to the Laura’s

theme, he has his own music. It is not used so much as leitmotif but it does signify that

Leo is not directly involved with the murder of Laura Palmer. Thus he represents the

more natural troubles of the town with drugs, arson and blackmail. This also shows

through the music, by him not being associated with Laura’s theme.

Diegetic?

On the surface the music does not seem diegetic, however there are a couple of scenes

that could complicate this. When James and Donna meet next to the lockers at school,

there is an extra who appears shortly after, in the background, he seems to be dancing in

time with the jazz music we are hearing. The next scene we see Audrey Horne sitting in

the classroom, sitting with her legs crossed, one leg appears to be moving to the beat of

the music. Could these characters be hearing the music somehow? Twin Peaks is not a

“realistic” world, it is a place of supernatural mystery, and complicated intrigues that

seem too complicated to be possible in the real world. That the characters are hearing

music seems as probable as the black/white lodges and the demons of the series.

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Conclusion

I would argue that much of the music takes on meta diegetic function, it may not be

directly diegetic in the conventional sense, but it does however contribute, by alluding to

the storyline and the world of Twin Peaks. The supernatural elements and the “dreamy”

world of the series reinforce this. There are also hints that some of the characters may

see or hear more than what we think they do, Cooper’s dreams for example. The music

of Twin Peaks reinforces the narrative in several ways. Not only does it reflect the

storyline it also reflects something about the world of Twin Peaks. It underlines the

general mood with the trees swaying in the wing and the ominous dark presence.

Concretely, it reveals the killer through leitmotif techniques. Thus the entire theme of

Laura is in fact not one but several leitmotifs, Laura and the supernatural that surrounds

Twin Peaks, represented by the Bob. This is achieved, at least in part also by using the

techniques of rhythm, harmony, timbre and instrumentation I have mentioned.

BibliographyBadalamenti, A. (Komponist). (1990). Laura Palmer's Theme. [A. Badalamenti, Artist] På Twin Peaks - Music From The TV Series [CD]. Norway: Warner Bros /Warner.

Davison, A. (2007). Demystified, remystified, and seduced by sirens: listening to David Lynch's films. I J. Richardson, & S. Hawkins (Red.), Essays on Sound and Vision. Finland: Helsinki University Press.

Frost, M., Lynch, D. (Forfattere), & Lynch, D. (Regissør). Twin Peaks - Definitive Gold Box Collection [Film]. U.S.A.: Paramount Home Entertainment.

Kalinak, K. (1992). Settling the Score: Music and the Classical Hollywood Film. Wisonsin, U.S.A.: The University of Wisconsin Press.

Kassabian, A. (2001). Hearing Film: Tracking Identifications in Contemporary Hollywood Film Music. London: Routledge.

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i Bonus material, disc 1(Frost & Lynch)ii Bonus material, disc 1 (Frost & Lynch)iii (Badalamenti, 1990)iv Kalinak, 1992, page 7v Kalinak, 1992, page 9vi Kassabian, 2001, page 89vii Davidson, 2007 page 125viii Kalinak, 1992, page 63