Following a last minute performance by Julee Cruise on Saturday Night Live, folks were clamoring for her vocal rendition of the theme to David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks titled “Falling.” For weeks leading up to Cruise’s performance, viewers had heard the instrumental track with each new episode. Her live performance on the late night NBC show skyrocketed the song’s popularity and had radio listeners demanding the tune.
JULEE CRUISE ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, MAY 12, 1990
The episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) on May 12, 1990 was hosted by controversial comic Andrew Dice Clay. This prompted by SNL actor Nora Dunn and singer Sinead O’Connor to back out of the show in protest only a few days before the broadcast. Upon O’Connor dropping out on Wednesday, May 9, Julee immediately contacted a Warner Bros. executive in the middle of the night begging to appear.
Cruise realized the opportunity to perform to a captured audience of millions of viewers.
“But believe me, honey, 20-million viewers was all I cared about,” she told Barry Walters in a San Francisco Examiner article from June 15, 1990.
Her intuition paid off as the controversy around Andrew Dice Clay’s hosting drove SNL to the “highest overnight ratings” for season 15. According to an Associated Press report published in the Enterprise Journal on May 16, 1990, the episode received marks the 24-city overnight Nielsen raitings.
“The show … averaged a rating of 11.6 and got a 31 perfect share of the audience …. That was 8 perfect greater than the previous record-holder” when Fred Savage from the then wildly popular The Wonder Years on ABC hosted on Feb. 24.
“The highest overnight rating for Saturday’s broadcast was in Chicago, where it had a 17.8 rating and a 37 percent share of the audience in its time period,” stated a report in the “Victoria Advocate” on May 17. “In New York, the nation’s largest television market, it averaged a 15.2 rating and a 33 percent audience share.”
High viewership meant that people everywhere heard Cruise’s song.
In the weeks that followed the broadcast, newspapers across the nation were contacted by people wanting to know when the Twin Peaks soundtrack would be released, and in particular, where they could find “Falling.” This prompted papers to publish articles like this one from the “Citizens Voice” on May 25, 1990.
“Many people are asking if the ‘Twin Peaks’ soundtrack is available yet? All the letter writers who have inquired about that will be happy to know that some of the music is already available on an album. And there’s more to come.
The series’ opening theme is an instrumental version of a song called ‘Falling’ (written by Angelo Badalamenti and producer David Lynch). The vocal version of ‘Falling’ is available on a Badalamenti-Lynch-produced album by Julee Cruise titled ‘Floating Into the Night.’ Two other versions of songs from ‘Twin Peaks’ are also on that album.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Records may be releasing a single (negotiations are under way) that features vocal and instrumental versions of the ‘Twin Peaks’ theme this month. A ‘Twin Peaks’ album is in the works as well and, like the single and Cruise album, also is from Warners Bros. Actress-singer Cruise (who also was heard in Lynch’s ‘Blue Velvet’) was the singer in the Roadhouse bar scene in the ‘Twin Peaks’ pilot.”
The single version of “Falling” would be released only a few weeks later on Tuesday, June 12, 1990.
“FALLING” ADVERTISEMENT IN THE GAVIN REPORT FROM MAY 25, 1990
Around this time, Warner Bros. Records placed an advertisement in the radio industry trade magazine titled ‘The Gavin Report.” This San Francisco-based publication founded by Bill Gavin in 1958 provided insights into music trends that shaped Top 40 radio. I’m grateful that World Radio History saved digital copies of this magazine!
On page 43 of the May 25, 1990 issue, Warner Bros. took out a full-page advertisement for Cruise’s “Falling.” It contained testimonials from station managers about their successes from playing this dreamy tune.
The advertisement contains an image of Julee Cruise taken by David Lynch. It states the song “Falling” could be found on her 1989 album, “Floating Into The Night” which was written and produced by David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti.
At the bottom of the page, the ad states Cruise voice will change the face of radio:
“From coast to coast, to the Double R Diner and back, ‘Twin Peaks’ is changing the face of television. Now, the voice of ‘Twin Peaks’ emerges to change the face of radio, too.”
The right column has three comments from managers in San Diego, California; Boston, Massachusetts; and New York, New York:
Look who’s already fallen for Julee Cruise!
Mike Halloran/91X San Diego
“This record completely blew the pants off everybody at this radio station. We wondered if it was too slow, but when we put it on the air and asked for listener opinions, we were blown away! It came in with a 60-to-i positive reaction. That night, it came in with the most votes ever for People’s Choice! This record can last as long – or longer – than ‘Twin Peaks.’ Just give it a test and call me…”
Bruce McDonald/WFNX Boston
“We had our doubts at first, and it’s a record we’ve considered for months. Due to the buzz around the ‘Twin Peaks’ TV series, we gave it a shot. We’ve got it in heavy rotation showing Top 5 phones, and the response has been instantaneous and completely overwhelming. This song totally stands out on the air, and that’s an asset in our book”
Denis McNamara/WDRE New York
‘Twin Peaks’ fever reigns! Every time we play ‘Falling’ by Julee Cruise, the phones go crazy! It came in No. 1 most requested and it’s ‘Shriek Of The Week'”
[Ed. note – “Falling” was featured as the Shriek of the Week on May 2, 1990]
The ad closes with a call to action, informing station managers that “Falling” would make their radio station sound unique:
“It could be the most unique sounding song on your radio station too. Available Now on Warner Bros. Cassettes, Compact Discs and Records.”
Spring 1990 was truly a special time for all things Twin Peaks and the voice of love, Julee Cruise.
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