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Floating into the Night

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Floating into the Night
A porcelain doll floating against a black background. Pink block text with wide kerning below reads "Julee Cruise"; grey block text placed below reads "Floating", followed by gold block text reading "into the Night".
Studio albumby
Julee Cruise
ReleasedSeptember 12, 1989(1989-09-12)
StudioExcalibur Sound (New York City)
Genre
Length47:56
LabelWarner Bros.
Producer
Julee Cruisechronology
Floating into the Night
(1989) 		The Voice of Love
(1993)
SinglesfromFloating into the Night
  1. "Falling"
    Released: October 22, 1990
  2. "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart"
    Released: March 18, 1991

Floating into the Nightis the debut studio album by American singerJulee Cruise.It was released on September 12, 1989, byWarner Bros. Records,and features compositions and production byAngelo Badalamentiand film directorDavid Lynch.Songs from the album were featured in Lynch's projectsBlue Velvet(1986),Industrial Symphony No. 1(1990), andTwin Peaks(1990–1991).

The album peaked at number 74 on the USBillboard200following the success of theTwin PeaksTV series in 1990. Lead single "Falling"reached the top 10 of theUK Singles Chart,peaking at number seven and spending 12 weeks in total on the chart.

Background

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FilmmakerDavid Lynchand composerAngelo Badalamenti's collaboration with Cruise first came about during the scoring for Lynch's 1986 filmBlue Velvet,in which a key scene was intended to featureThis Mortal Coil's version of "Song to the Siren"byTim Buckley.With the rights to the song proving prohibitively expensive, it was suggested that Badalamenti compose apopsong in the same style and recruit a vocalist with a haunting, ethereal voice. Badalamenti recommended Cruise, who had sung in aNew Yorktheater workshop Badalamenti had produced. The result was the track "Mysteries of Love". Lynch and Badalamenti were impressed with the results, and elected to record subsequent tracks with Cruise.[1]

Composition

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Floating into the Nightwas produced and written by Badalamenti and Lynch; Badalamenti composed the music and Lynch wrote the lyrics.[2]Cruise initially regarded herself as "aBroadwaybelter"and had a reputation for letting" angry and aggressive emotions power her work, "but Lynch" felt that Cruise had a 'soft, sad side'"and encouraged her to sing in a softertoneand in a higherregister;Cruise's vocal style onFloating into the Nighthas been often regarded as "ethereal"[3]and drawn comparisons toElizabeth Fraseron the earlier releases by theCocteau Twins.[1][4]Cruise's vocals onFloating into the Nightfeature heavy use ofdigitalreverb.[5]Early recording sessions were difficult until Cruise heard her vocals treated with effects, upon which she recognized that Badalamenti was creating "mood pieces",and also took to Lynch's lyrics.[1]Nonetheless, she expressed concern about the album's sound, stating that:

I wasn't quite sure how the hell we were going to pull it off. One night I played some demos for my husband's friend and his wife, and she said, "white wineMuzak."Aaaahh! I took it home for Christmas — and everyone in my family hated it. They were like," What are you singing about? "One of my lawyers at the time said," This is a novelty. "I said," LikeTiny Tim?"

According to Lynch, 40 songs were written for the album in total, with the final track listing including 10 tracks.[6]Badalamenti noted that "when [the album] came out, radio stations said they had no slots for it. Is it pop? Not really. Is itR&B?Certainly not. What is it? Even the moreavant-gardestations found it unusual, so it was difficult getting airplay. "[1]Floating into the Nighthas been characterized as adream popalbum,[1][7][8]with heavy elements ofjazzandtraditional jazzinstrumentation;[9][10]Rolling StoneconsideredFloating into the Nightas a definitive development of the dream pop sound, describing how the album "added depth to [the genre]" and "gave the genre itssynthysheen ", particularly on the track" Mysteries of Love ".[1]In the 1998 bookMusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide,writer Jack Jackson wrote "The tunes...fill a 'trip-lounge' void between traditional and non-traditional genres. "[11]

Release

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Floating into the Nightwas released on September 12, 1989 onWarner Bros. Records,[7]although the album was originally set for release in late April.[9]It was originally issued onCD,LPandcassette.[12]Twosingleswere released from the album: "Falling"and"Rockin' Back Inside My Heart".[13]Floating into the Nighthas since been reissued on several occasions. The album received a CD reissue in Europe in October 1998,[14]a 180-gram LP repressing by Plain Recordings in the United States in October 2014 and a separate 180-gram LP repressing by Music on Vinyl in Europe in February 2015.[15][16]

Tracks fromFloating into the Nightwere used in other projects by Lynch. "Mysteries of Love" had been previously featured inBlue Velvet.[17]"Rockin' Back Inside My Heart", "Into the Night", "I Float Alone" and "The World Spins" were performed in the 1990 Lynch productionIndustrial Symphony No. 1.[18]"Falling", "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart", "Into the Night", "The Nightingale" and "The World Spins" appeared inTwin Peaks,a television series co-created by Lynch. Lynch's lyrics on the album have been the subject of analysis from fans and academic studies of the series. InThe Cinema of David Lynch: American Dreams, Nightmare Visions,academic John Richardson said that Cruise's considerable use of reverb makes her sound as if she sings "from a distance that clearly parallels the distance between the other world that [Twin Peakscharacter]Laura Palmerhasfalleninto and the primary diegetic world of the other characters "; he considered the lyrics to" Falling "—an instrumental version of which was used as thetheme songto the series—as "reinforc[ing] this impression since they can easily be understood as representing Laura's point of view".[5]Cruise, however, considers Lynch's lyrics to have been written about his then-partner, Italian actress and modelIsabella Rossellini.[3]

"The World Spins" was featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 filmThe Company.[19]

Reception

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Critical response

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Boston Phoenix[20]
Chicago Sun-Times[21]
NME8/10[22]
Orlando Sentinel[23]
Pitchfork9.0/10[24]
Q[25]
Record Mirror5/5[26]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[27]
The Village VoiceB−[28]

Floating into the Nighthas received widespread critical acclaim.[29]Stuart Bailie ofNMEpraised it as "an immense study of wonderment and near-perfection."[22]In a short feature article inSpin,Scott Cohen likened the album to "a dark movie with no film footage, just a haunting voice, bizarre dialogue and vivid atmospherics", and described Cruise's vocals as "scary and beautiful".[30]QincludedFloating into the Nightin its year-end list of the "50 Best Albums of 1990".[31]However, the album garnered a mixed review fromThe Village VoiceeditorRobert Christgau,who said that "when admirers claim [Cruise] sounds best in a dark room at three in the morning, I wonder whether she puts them to sleep too."[28]In the 1992Rolling Stone Album Guide,J. D. Considinewrote that "Cruise comes across as a sort ofpost-modernClaudine Longet—an amusing concept, to be sure, but hardly worth an entire album. "[27]

Writing a retrospective review forAllMusic,Ned Raggett referred toFloating into the Nightas "more or less [the] unofficial soundtrack [to]Twin Peaks"and added that" the combination of Cruise's sweet, light tones, Lynch's surprisingly affecting lyrics… and Angelo Badalamenti's combination ofretrostyles and modernambience,is a winner throughout. The feeling is one of a 50sjukeboxsuddenly plunged into atime warp,dressed with extra sparkle and with a just-sleepy-enough,narcoticfeeling. "[7]Pitchforkcritic Sam Sodomsky called the album "one of dream pop's chief benchmarks", while also noting that it "captured something important about dreams that plenty of other artists in the genre have ignored... Cruise and her collaborators also had the ability to shake you awake, to twist an image that should be pretty into something broken and grotesque. "[24]In 2010Pitchforkincluded "Falling" at number 146 on its staff list of "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s"; Tom Ewing said that "[the song] catches you with its dreamy, echo-drenched gentility—likeLes Paul and Mary Fordinventingshoegazein 1961—and inside is one of the decade's simplest and warmest love songs. "[32]Floating into the Nightwas ranked at number 24 onFact's 2013 list of "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s",[33]and at number 67 onPitchfork's 2018 list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s".[8]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Following the breakout success ofTwin Peaks,Floating into the Nightpeaked at number 74 on the USBillboard200on June 30, 1990,[34]nine months after its release. In Canada, the album peaked at number 27 for two weeks in August 1990, and returned four weeks later for two weeks at number 29. In total, it was on the Canadian charts for 30 weeks.[35]In 1991 the album placed on several international album charts, peaking at number 21 on theAustralian Albums Chart[36]number 11 on theNew Zealand Albums Chartand number 36 on theSwedish Albums Chart.[37][38]

Despite not placing on theUK Albums Chart,Floating into the Night's lead single "Falling" reached the top 10 of theUK Singles Chart,peaking at number seven and spending 12 weeks in total on the chart;[39]"Falling" was also a moderate commercial success in several international territories, peaking in the top 10 of singles charts in Ireland,[40]Norway and Sweden, and reaching the number one spot in Australia.[41]In February 2012,Floating into the Nightwas certified Silver by theBritish Phonographic Industry(BPI), denoting shipments in excess of 60,000 units in the United Kingdom.[42]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written byDavid Lynch;all music is composed byAngelo Badalamenti

No.TitleLength
1."Floating"4:51
2."Falling"5:25
3."I Remember"4:11
4."Rockin' Back Inside My Heart"5:45
5."Mysteries of Love"4:27
6."Into the Night"4:42
7."I Float Alone"4:33
8."The Nightingale"4:54
9."The Swan"2:28
10."The World Spins"6:38
Total length:47:56

Personnel

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All personnel credits adapted fromFloating into the Night's album notes.[2]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance forFloating into the Night
Chart (1990–1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[36] 21
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[43] 27
Finland (Suomen virallinen albumlista)[44] 30
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37] 11
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 36
USBillboard200[34] 74

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications forFloating into the Night
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Silver 60,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefGrow, Kory (July 25, 2014)."Dream Team: The Semi-Mysterious Story Behind the Music of 'Twin Peaks'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedAugust 6,2016.
  2. ^abFloating into the Night(Album notes).Julee Cruise.Warner Bros. Records.1989. 925 859-1.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^abOlson, Greg (2008).David Lynch: Beautiful Dark.Plymouth:Scarecrow Press.p. 586.ISBN978-0-8108-5917-3.
  4. ^McKenna, Kristine(August 20, 1989)."A Real Multi-Media Kind of Guy: David Lynch, artist in many forms, tells his tales of Hollywood after 'Blue Velvet'".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedAugust 6,2016.
  5. ^abRichardson, John (2004). "Laura and Twin Peaks: Postmodern Paraody and the Musical Reconstruction of the Absent Femme Fatale". In Sheen, Erica; Davison, Annette (eds.).The Cinema of David Lynch: American Dreams, Nightmare Visions.London:Wallflower Press.pp. 88–89.ISBN978-1-9033-6485-7.
  6. ^Barney, Richard A.;Lynch, David(2009).David Lynch: Interviews.Jackson:University Press of Mississippi.p. 122.ISBN978-1-6047-3236-8.
  7. ^abcdRaggett, Ned."Floating into the Night– Julee Cruise ".AllMusic.RetrievedAugust 11,2023.
  8. ^abPitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018)."The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s".Pitchfork.p. 7.RetrievedApril 25,2023.It served as a foundation for the misty dream pop of Cruise's debut album...
  9. ^abStaff writer(s) (April 1989)."Talking All That Jazz".Spin.Vol. 5, no. 1. p. 24.RetrievedMay 28,2022.
  10. ^Robins, Ira A., ed. (1991).TheTrouser PressAlbum Guide(4th ed.). Ann Arbor:University of Michigan Press.p. 160.ISBN978-0-0203-6361-3.
  11. ^Jackson, Jack (January 1, 1998). "Julee Cruise". In Knopper, Steve (ed.).MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide.Detroit:Visible Ink Press.p. 117.
  12. ^"Floating into the Night– Julee Cruise | Releases ".AllMusic.RetrievedAugust 6,2016.
  13. ^"Julee Cruise | Discography".AllMusic.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  14. ^Floating into the Night(Album notes).Julee Cruise.Warner Bros. Records.1998. 7599-25859-2.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^Staff writer(s) (November 10, 2014)."Julee Cruise's Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch-producedFloating Into The Nightreissued on vinyl ".Fact.RetrievedAugust 6,2016.
  16. ^"Julee Cruise –Floating Into The Night".Music on Vinyl.RetrievedAugust 6,2016.
  17. ^Lynch, David;Rodley, Chris (2005).Lynch on Lynch(Revised ed.). New York:Faber and Faber.p. 132.ISBN978-0-5712-2018-2.
  18. ^Badalamenti, Angelo;Lynch, David(1990).Industrial Symphony No. 1(VHS).Warner Reprise Video.38179-3.
  19. ^"The Company[Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] – Original Soundtrack ".AllMusic.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  20. ^Guterman, Jimmy (November 17–23, 1989)."Off the Record".The Boston Phoenix.Vol. 18, no. 46. sec. 3, p. 34.RetrievedMay 28,2022.
  21. ^McLeese, Don (September 25, 1989)."Julee Cruise, 'Floating into the Night' (Warner Bros.)".Chicago Sun-Times.RetrievedMarch 11,2017.
  22. ^abBailie, Stuart (February 3, 1990). "Shipping Gold".NME.p. 35.
  23. ^Henderson, Bill (October 5, 1990)."Angelo Badalamenti, Julee Cruise".Orlando Sentinel.RetrievedJanuary 20,2018.
  24. ^abSodomsky, Sam (August 9, 2023)."Julee Cruise:Floating Into the Night".Pitchfork.RetrievedAugust 9,2023.
  25. ^Snow, Mat(March 1990). "Julee Cruise:Floating into the Night".Q.No. 42.
  26. ^Dee, Johnny (February 3, 1990). "Julee Cruise:Floating into the Night".Record Mirror.p. 15.
  27. ^abConsidine, J. D.(1992). "Julee Cruise". InDeCurtis, Anthony;Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.).The Rolling Stone Album Guide(3rd ed.).Random House.p. 171.ISBN0-679-73729-4.
  28. ^abChristgau, Robert(November 28, 1989)."Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot".The Village Voice.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  29. ^Jones, Dylan(2012).The Biographical Dictionary of Popular Music: From Adele to Ziggy, the Real A to Z of Rock and Roll.London: Bedford Square Books. p. 202.ISBN978-1-4804-4872-8.
  30. ^Cohen, Scott (November 1989)."A Stranger Calling".Spin.Vol. 5, no. 8. p. 16.RetrievedMay 28,2022.
  31. ^Staff writer(s) (January 1991). "The 50 Best Albums of 1990".Q.No. 52.
  32. ^Ewing, Tom; et al. (August 31, 2010)."The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 150–101".Pitchfork.p. 1.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  33. ^Lea, Tom; Morpurgo, Joseph; Kelly, Chris; et al. (June 24, 2013)."The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s".Fact.p. 78.RetrievedDecember 12,2014.
  34. ^ab"Julee Cruise Chart History (Billboard 200)".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon March 18, 2015.RetrievedMarch 22,2020.
  35. ^"RPM Top 100 Albums - March 2, 1991"(PDF).
  36. ^ab"Australiancharts – Julee Cruise – Floating into the Night".Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  37. ^ab"Charts.nz – Julee Cruise – Floating into the Night".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  38. ^ab"Swedishcharts – Julee Cruise – Floating into the Night".Hung Medien. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  39. ^"Julee Cruise | full Official Chart History".Official Charts Company.RetrievedAugust 6,2016.
  40. ^"Search the charts".The Irish Charts.RetrievedJune 14,2022.
  41. ^"Julee Cruise – Falling (Theme from Twin Peaks)".Hitparade(in German). Hung Medien.RetrievedAugust 6,2016.
  42. ^ab"British album certifications – Julee Cruise – Floating into the Night".British Phonographic Industry.February 17, 2012.RetrievedJune 14,2022.
  43. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 1313".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  44. ^Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Julee Cruise".Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021(PDF)(in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 54.RetrievedSeptember 5,2022.
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