Angelo Badalamenti was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States to an Italian family. He began taking piano lessons at age eight and spent much of his childhood listening to opera and classical music. He studied at the Eastman School of Music and at Manhattan School of Music where he earned a master's degree in music. A classically trained performer, he spent the early years of his career playing the Catskills resort area, later writing and arranging for singers including Shirley Bassey and country star Mel Tillis. Under the pseudonym Andy Badale, he entered the film industry in 1973, debuting with the score to the action film Gordon's War. Despite subsequent work on such features as Law and Disorder (1974) and Across the Great Divide (1976), Badalamenti remained largely unknown.
In 1986, Badalamenti was hired to compose the score for David Lynch's Blue Velvet; subsequently, they continued their partnership, Badalamenti composing scores for films such as Wild at Heart and The Straight Story. Arguably the most famous collaboration of theirs was the cult hit television series Twin Peaks, for which Badalamenti created one of the most distinctive and evocative theme songs in television history. The duo also wrote and produced a pair of records for ethereal chanteuse Julee Cruise: Floating Into the Night (1989), which contained some songs from Twin Peaks, and The Voice of Love (1993). They also staged an avant-garde musical theater piece titled Industrial Symphony No. 1, which was shown onstage twice in 1989.
In 1996 collaborated with James vocalist Tim Booth, the fruits of their labors being the LP Booth and the Bad Angel. In 2005, Badalamenti composed part of the score for the video game Fahrenheit (known in North America as Indigo Prophecy), bringing his atmospheric ambience to a new medium.
On December 11, 2022, Badalamenti died at his home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, aged 85.
Love Letters
Angelo Badalamenti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep us so near while apart
I'm not alone in the night
When I can have all the love you write
I memorize every line
And I kiss the name that you sign
And, darling, then I read again right from the start
I memorize every line
And I kiss the name that you sign
And, darlin', then I read again right from the start
Love letters straight from your heart
The song Love Letters by Angelo Badalamenti speaks about the power of love letters to keep a relationship alive even when the lovers are physically apart. The opening lines suggest that the love letters are a bridge that keeps the couple close even when they are apart. The writer is comforted by the letters in the night and can feel the love and affection of the sender through the beautiful words they write. The lyrics suggest that the physical distance between lovers can be filled by the emotional connection they share through written words.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of the love letters, which the singer of the song has memorized every line of. He kisses the name of the sender and reads the letter from the beginning with fondness. The lyrics convey the deep emotional significance that love letters can have for a person, serving as a source of comfort and reaffirmation of love. The final line of the chorus, 'Love letters straight from your heart', is repeated twice for emphasis and to underscore the emotional impact of the letters.
Line by Line Meaning
Love letters straight from your heart
Your love letters are the only way we can stay emotionally connected when we are apart.
Keep us so near while apart
Even though we can't physically be together, your love letters make me feel as if you are right beside me.
I'm not alone in the night
Your love letters provide me comfort and companionship during the lonely, dark nights.
When I can have all the love you write
Through your love letters, I can experience and possess all of the love that you express.
I memorize every line
I cherish your words and hold them in my heart and mind so that I can revisit them whenever I need to feel your love.
And I kiss the name that you sign
I show my love and appreciation for you by kissing your name at the end of your letters, knowing that it is a symbol of your love.
And, darling, then I read again right from the start
I never tire of reading and rereading your love letters, as each time it feels like reading a love letter for the first time.
Love letters straight from your heart
Your love letters are precious to me and hold the key to our emotional connection and love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Victor Young, Edward Heyman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind