A Dream Come True

The Collaboration of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti

Stephan Eicke (Axel Springer Media Corporation, Germany)

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Bloomsbury Academic USA
11 December 2025

Individual film directors, film-makers; Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups; Musical scores, lyrics & libretti

A Dream Come True is an extensive investigation of the working relationship between two revered artists, David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, as an insightful collage that bridges the gap between academic analysis and investigative journalism.

The working-relationship between director David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti is one of the most fruitful and celebrated in cinema history. Yet despite their success and fame, this is the first book written about their decades-long collaboration. It offers new, valuable insights to fans of both Lynch’s and Badalamenti’s work.

The book analyses David Lynch the filmmaker through the lens of Angelo Badalamenti’s music via extensive creative biographies of both, in-depth investigations into how the individual music pieces and scores came to be, how they were altered and changed during the editing process, and what clues both music and sound design can give to unlock the mysteries of individual works. It includes several of their collaborations, including Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, The Straight Story, and Mulholland Drive, among others. The result is an insightful collage of exclusive interviews with many of Lynch’s and Badalamenti’s colleagues and friends, transcribed music examples, direct quotes, previously unpublished photographs, dialogue taken from the films, and a careful examination of secondary—sometimes contradictory—sources.

More than 15 industry professionals, including Oscar-winning sound designer Randy Thom, music editor Lori Eschler, music editor and composer John Neff, musician Barry Adamson, PA John Wentworth and film director Mark Pellington share their experiences and insights in exclusive interviews. For each film, an analysis of both music and sound design reveals how the use of these twin elements helps establish and amplify moods and emotions, and how they serve as keys to interpret the individual films and TV shows.

By: Stephan Eicke (Axel Springer Media Corporation Germany)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 226mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 400g
ISBN: 9798765129043
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 11 December 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: David. Angelo. 1. Sound and Picture Moving Together in Time 2. Angelo Part II: David & Angelo 3. I Heard a Few Things About the Ear: Blue Velvet 4. Fallen Angel: Twin Peaks 5. Weird on Top: Wild at Heart & Industrial Symphony No. 1 6. Angel Falling: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me 7. He’s Deranged: Lost Highway 8. Meditation: The Straight Story 9. Questions in a World of Blue: Mulholland Drive Part III: Angelo. David. 10. Angelo 11. David Conclusion Bibliography Index

Stephan Eicke is a news editor for the German media corporation Axel Springer in Berlin, Germany, for which he edits and translates television documentaries. He has published two books, The Unfilmable Confederacy of Dunces (2022) and The Struggle Behind the Soundtrack (2019). For ten years, he was the editor-in-chief of the film music magazine Cinema Musica.

Reviews for A Dream Come True: The Collaboration of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti

A fascinating journey into the cinematic soundscapes of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti. Stephen Eike’s book fills the gaps in the discourse exploring this brilliant creative partnership. * Clare Nina Norelli, Writer, Australia * A fascinating, deep-in-the-weeds exploration of the how, when and what of the famous duo’s landmark collaborations. A creative approach, as a journalistic, interview-based survey of the David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti working relationship – what they talk about, how they worked together, how certain pieces of music happened, how they were fitted into each show or film. * Michael Atkinson, Long Islasnd University-Post, The Village Voice, USA *