Why Did the Icelanders Sing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall?”

After the Norwegians left en masse from the town of Twin Peaks, a delegation of Icelanders, led by businessman Einer Thorson, were ready to invest in Ben Horne’s Ghostwood project. Throughout their appearances in the first season, they were heard singing Icelandic songs at all hours of the day. During a recent trip to the “fertile, treeless tundra of Iceland,” I may have discovered why they sang “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” in Twin Peaks episode 1.006.

“99 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL” IN TWIN PEAKS EPISODE 1.006

During a gathering in Ben Horne’s office in Twin Peaks episode 1.006, Ben Horne is seen eating ice cream while Jerry Horne and the Icelandic delegation are holding beer steins and singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” in Icelandic. The script, written by Harley Peyton, makes no mention of this specific song. Peyton wrote the first draft on Nov. 3, 1989 with additional revisions printed on blue pages on Nov. 8.

INT. BEN HORNE’S OFFICE – NIGHT
Ben sits at his desk, eats ice cream out of the carton, endures another round of drinking songs from the hall. Jerry paces about the office, pumped in mid-tale.

At some point, their singing moved from the hallway to Ben’s office with the Icelanders performing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” This would have been a relatively new song for them to learn since, prior to Mar. 1, 1989, beer was prohibited on the volcanic island near the Arctic.

PROHIBITION ON BEER IN ICELAND

On March 1, 1989, Icelanders raised glasses of beer for the first time in 74 years as a prohibition on suds ended. Total prohibition on beer went into effect in 1915. A few years later, wine was legalized in 1922 and other spirits, like Vodka, in 1935.

Beer, however, remained prohibited due to “an administrative blunder” that stated beer with alcoholic content above 2.25 percent couldn’t be sold. Although people couldn’t buy beer in Iceland, they could bring beer into the country from their travels around the world.

In May 1988, the Icelandic Parliament voted in favor of legalizing beer during a heated debate broadcast on national television. There was a “breathing space” provision that gave state and alcohol stores time to stock up on beer. Stores anticipated selling 1.1 million gallons to the 240,000 residents of Iceland during the first year.

Action in Episode 1.006 starts on the night of Wednesday, Mar. 1, but most of the episode takes place on Thursday, Mar. 2. This could account for why the Icelanders were so joyous singing about beer. Bjórdagurinn, or Beer Day, is still celebrated annually on Mar. 1.

Iceland is a beautiful country and I highly recommend a visit. Here, I’m standing by Sólheimajökull along the Southern Coast with Scott Ryan’s book, “Always Music in the Air: The Sounds of Twin Peaks.” Despite Pete Martell’s dialogue that Iceland is above the timberline, I did see many trees in the south. Trees are more scarce as you head to Northern Iceland.