Julee Cruise – Three Demos
With Three Demos, Julee Cruise – best known for her work on the music of Twin Peaks – proves she always had the talent to create something distinctly her own
The works of Iowa-born singer Julee Cruise will forever be associated with David Lynch’s iconic television series Twin Peaks, and that’s okay. Cruise’s chilly, ethereal, moving voice is a perfect fit for the atmospheres which Lynch has become known for. Three Demos is comprised of three blueprints for songs which would go on to be included on the album Floating Into the Night as well as in the various incarnations of Twin Peaks. Here, Julee Cruise’s vocal performance, Lynch’s lyrics and Angelo Badalamenti’s compositions are stripped down to their most powerful form. These early recordings of classic tracks Floating, Falling and The World Spins, performed with only voice and synth, are even harder to shake than the studio versions.
Stylistic flourishes, like the spoken word intro to Floating which was cut from Floating Into the Night, are another reason why Three Demos is well worth a listen. Similarly to Twin Peaks, the substance of Julee Cruise’s music has long been buried under style. Especially in the case of the poignant Falling, spare production gives the collaborations between Cruise, Lynch and Badalamenti room to breathe. What we’re left with isn’t just what would become the theme song to a very famous TV show, it's also a tender and indelible expression of love, as well as the fear of heartbreak which can come with it. The song’s sentiment ('Something is different / Are we falling in love?') and haunting keyboard stand on their own without Cruise’s five-piece backing band.
Although Three Demos peaks with Falling, The World Spins makes for a sweetly lulling closer. Both are proof that Julee Cruise has always had the talent and unknowable allure to follow through on the visions of Lynch and Badalamenti while creating something which is distinctly her own.
Listen to: Floating, Falling, The World Spins