Angelo Badalamenti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Angelo Badalamenti |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Angelo Daniel Badalamenti |
| Born | March 22, 1937 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 2022 (aged 85) Lincoln Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Film score, jazz, ambient |
| Years active | 1962–2022 |
Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (born March 22, 1937 – died December 11, 2022) was a talented American composer. He was also an arranger, which means he helped organize music for different instruments. Angelo Badalamenti was most famous for creating music for movies and TV shows.
He worked a lot with director David Lynch. Together, they made music for famous films like Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001). He also composed the music for the popular TV show Twin Peaks, both the original series (1990–1992) and its return in 2017.
In 1990, Angelo Badalamenti won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his "Twin Peaks Theme." He also wrote music for other movies like The City of Lost Children (1995) and A Very Long Engagement (2004).
Besides movies, he recorded songs with many famous singers. These included Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey, David Bowie, and Dolores O'Riordan.
Angelo Badalamenti received special awards for his amazing career. In 2008, he got a lifetime achievement award from the World Soundtrack Awards. In 2011, he received the Henry Mancini Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
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Angelo's Early Life
Angelo Daniel Badalamenti was born on March 22, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. He was one of four children. His father, whose family came from Sicily, owned a fish market.
Angelo started learning to play the piano when he was eight years old. As a teenager, he was so good at the piano that he got a summer job. He would play music for singers at resorts in the Catskill Mountains. His older brother was a jazz trumpet player who loved to play music with other musicians. Angelo also enjoyed going to Latin American dance clubs.
He went to Lafayette High School. He even wrote the special march music for his own high school graduation! After high school, he studied music at the Eastman School of Music. Later, he moved to the Manhattan School of Music, where he earned two degrees in music.
Music for Movies and TV Shows
Angelo Badalamenti started by writing music for films like Gordon's War. His big chance came when he helped Isabella Rossellini learn to sing for the 1986 movie Blue Velvet.
Angelo and director David Lynch worked together to create the song "Mysteries of Love." David Lynch wrote the words, and Angelo wrote the music. Julee Cruise, a singer who often worked with them, sang the song. Angelo also wrote all the other music for the movie. David Lynch asked him to make the music sound "very Russian, but beautiful and a little scary." Angelo even appeared in Blue Velvet as the piano player in a club! This movie was the start of a long partnership between Angelo and David Lynch.
After Blue Velvet, Angelo wrote music for other popular films like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Then, he teamed up with David Lynch again for the famous TV show Twin Peaks. Julee Cruise sang the main song, "Falling."
The music for Twin Peaks became very well-known. It helped create the show's unique and mysterious feeling. Angelo wrote different musical themes for each character. For example, "Audrey's Dance" was a jazzy tune that played when the character Audrey Horne was on screen. Many songs from the show were released on Julee Cruise's album Floating into the Night. Angelo won a Grammy Award for the "Twin Peaks Theme."
Angelo worked on many other projects with David Lynch. These included movies like Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, and Mulholland Drive. In Mulholland Drive, Angelo even had a small acting role as a gangster! He also composed for other directors, on films like The City of Lost Children and Secretary. He even wrote music for the video game Fahrenheit.
In 1995, he asked singer Marianne Faithfull to write words for a song for the movie The City of Lost Children. The song was called "Who Will Take My Dreams Away."
In 1998, Angelo recorded "A Foggy Day (in London Town)" with David Bowie. This song was for a special album that raised money for AIDS awareness. In 1999, he worked with director Jane Campion on the film Holy Smoke!.
In 2008, Angelo Badalamenti received a special Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Soundtrack Awards in Belgium. That night, he played piano with the Brussels Philharmonic orchestra. Singers Siouxsie Sioux and Beth Rowley performed his songs. The concert showed music from his whole career and was shown on Belgian TV.
On July 23, 2011, he received the Henry Mancini Award for his great work in film and TV music.
When Twin Peaks returned to TV in 2017, Angelo Badalamenti continued to work with David Lynch. He created new music and used some of his original themes for the show.
Working with Other Artists
Angelo Badalamenti loved working with other songwriters and musicians. In 1964, he helped create a fun Christmas song called "Santa, Bring Me Ringo."
He wrote songs for famous singers like Nina Simone and Shirley Bassey. In 1967, he co-wrote "I Hold No Grudge" for Nina Simone. In 1968, he wrote "I've Been Loved" for Shirley Bassey.
In 1987, he helped the British pop group Pet Shop Boys by arranging the music for their song "It Couldn't Happen Here." He also arranged string music for two songs on their 1990 album Behaviour.
He arranged songs for other artists too, like Dusty Springfield and Paul McCartney. He arranged Dusty Springfield's song "Nothing Has Been Proved" in 1989. He also worked with Paul McCartney at Abbey Road Studios on a song called "Is it raining in London?"
Angelo also created whole albums with singers like Julee Cruise, Marianne Faithfull, and Tim Booth from the band James. In 1993, he worked with David Lynch to make an album for Julee Cruise called The Voice of Love. This album included several songs from Twin Peaks.
In 1995, he wrote and produced Marianne Faithfull's album, A Secret Life. In 1996, he teamed up with Tim Booth to form a group called Booth and the Bad Angel. They released an album together. In 2004, he worked with Dolores O'Riordan (from The Cranberries) on the music for the movie Evilenko.
Other Cool Projects
Angelo Badalamenti composed the opening music for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Live Music Shows
In 2015, Angelo Badalamenti performed at a concert called "The Music of David Lynch." This concert celebrated the tenth anniversary of the David Lynch Foundation. He played with Julee Cruise and other artists who had worked with David Lynch.
His Family Life
Angelo Badalamenti married his wife, Lonny, in 1968. They had two children together. He passed away peacefully at his home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, on December 11, 2022, at the age of 85. After he died, many people in the music world shared their sadness. David Lynch, his long-time friend, simply said, "Today—no music."
What He Recorded
Awards and Honors
- 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
In Spanish: Angelo Badalamenti para niños
- List of noted film producer and composer collaborations
