Last week at the 2023 National Safety Council’s Safety Congress and Expo in New Orleans, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration unveiled its top 10 most-cited standards for the year, and for the 13th straight time, fall protection was in the top spot. To that end, the EHSDA Song of the Week is Julee Cruise’s ethereal ballad “Falling,” better known as the theme from the TV show Twin Peaks.
The haunting song was featured on Cruise’s 1989 album Floating Into the Night and features music composed by Angelo Badalamenti and lyrics by director David Lynch, who co-created Twin Peaks. An instrumental version of the song was used as the theme of Twin Peaks, which immediately became a cult favorite when it first aired in April 1990. Cruise appeared in the show singing “Falling” in a bar.
Cruise’s version charted in 15 countries between 1990 and 1992, including Australia, where it hit #1. The song stood out because it was so different than anything else popular at the time, with Cruise’s dreamlike vocals and Badalamenti’s sparse instrumentation creating an otherworldly mood.
The song received renewed attention in 2017 when Twin Peaks returned for a third season on Showtime. Sadly, both Cruise and Badalamenti passed away in 2022.