Angelo Badalamenti’s iconic score for David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” is returning to vinyl as the film celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Varèse Sarabande will release a special 40th anniversary edition of the soundtrack on September 4, with pre-orders now available. The reissue features the original 14-track album in a rainbow foil jacket, along with several limited-edition vinyl pressings. The soundtrack will also be released on CD and as a 48-track digital deluxe edition.
The vinyl editions include yellow vinyl exclusively at Amoeba Records, blue vinyl through Barnes & Noble, sandy pink through Books-A-Million, blue sky blend through Urban Outfitters, silver and blue velvet through Brooklyn Vegan and silver at participating independent retailers.
The release celebrates a soundtrack that helped establish Badalamenti as one of the most distinctive composers in modern cinema while beginning his long-running creative partnership with Lynch.
Badalamenti was initially brought onto Blue Velvet to work with Isabella Rossellini as a voice coach. After plans to use This Mortal Coil’s version of “Song to the Siren” fell through, Lynch asked Badalamenti to create a new piece that would serve the film’s emotional world.
The result was “Mysteries of Love,” performed by Julee Cruise with lyrics by Lynch. Lynch was impressed by the song and subsequently asked Badalamenti to compose the film’s score.
The music became an essential part of Blue Velvet’s unsettling atmosphere, balancing dreamy melodies with darker and more ominous passages. The film’s story follows Jeffrey Beaumont, played by Kyle MacLachlan, as he uncovers the disturbing secrets beneath the surface of an idyllic American suburb.
The score moves between styles, combining orchestral music, jazz influences and midcentury lounge sounds. Tracks including “Main Title,” “Night Streets/Sandy and Jeffrey,” “Frank” and “Akron Meets the Blues” helped establish the movie’s distinctive sonic identity.
The soundtrack also features several songs incorporated into Lynch’s film, including Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams,” Ketty Lester’s “Love Letters” and “Blue Velvet,” performed by Rossellini.
Blue Velvet premiered in 1986 and went on to become one of Lynch’s most acclaimed films. The movie received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, while Dennis Hopper earned recognition for his performance as Frank Booth.
For Badalamenti, the project marked the beginning of a creative partnership with Lynch that would span decades. The composer went on to score several of Lynch’s major projects, including Wild at Heart, Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks.
Badalamenti’s work on Twin Peaks earned him a Grammy Award, further cementing his place in film and television music.
The 40th anniversary Blue Velvet soundtrack offers fans an opportunity to revisit the music that helped make Lynch’s surreal world unforgettable while celebrating one of Badalamenti’s defining works.