Twin Peaks: The Music And The Plot

Twin Peaks The music and the plot

Contents The world of Twin Peaks 2 Relevant compositional tools

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The structure of the theme

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The usage of the theme in the pilot 8 Diegetic? 9 Conclusion

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Bibliography

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The World of Twin Peaks

“I don’t know what comes first, the drama or the music”1

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.2 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.3 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. Besides, the 2

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

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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, 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 4

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”4, 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. 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….”5. 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 5

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, 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…”6, 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 6

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 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 7

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.”7 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.

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, 8

either as complex as a melody or as simple as a few notes, which, through repetition becomes identified with a character, situation, or idea.”8 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 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 9

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. 10

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.

Bibliography Badalamenti, 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. 11

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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1 Bonus material, disc 1[] 2 Bonus material, disc 1[] 3 [, 1990] 4 Kalinak, 1992, page 7 5 Kalinak, 1992, page 9 6 Kassabian, 2001, page 89 7 Davidson, 2007 page 125 8 Kalinak, 1992, page 63