In celebration of the late David Lynch’s life and career, many fans are looking to his history of film and television work. There’s a treasure trove of surrealist work worth discovering in that particular part of Lynch’s career as a director. However, it’s also worth noting that David Lynch was a musician as well; and music played a big part in his most beloved films, from Blue Velvet to Eraserhead.
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One legendary use of music in David Lynch’s filmography has to be the inclusion of the song “In Heaven” in Eraserhead, 1977. The film was Lynch’s debut feature and is still a deeply loved and revered piece of surreal cinema today.
“In Heaven”, too, is quite memorable. One can’t help but wonder who put the easily recognizable song together. The truth is, Lynch himself had a big role in the development of the song. Another musician had a big role in the song as well: Musician and TV personality Peter Ivers.
How David Lynch and Peter Ivers Developed “In Heaven” for Use in ‘Eraserhead’
Peter Ivers was best known for his work in the punk scene (with bands like Circle Jerks and Dead Kennedys) as well as for sharing the stage with big acts like Fleetwood Mac and The New York Dolls. Naturally, new wave artist Ivers was the perfect pick to score the film Eraserhead.
When it came to penning the famous “Lady in the Radiator” song, Lynch provided all of the lyrics. However, Ivers composed the whole of the musical vignette, and he also contributed the unsettlingly beautiful vocals. No, the woman with notable tumors on her cheeks is not the recorded vocalist in the song.
The pair was a match made in heaven (pun intended). Both Ivers and Lynch were eccentric artists, and they worked together beautifully.
“In Heaven” has since been covered by a laundry list of musicians, from Devo to Bauhaus to Modest Mouse to even The Weeknd. Pantera famously used the song as their opener before performing live.
David Lynch passed away in January 2025 from complications related to emphysema. Peter Ivers quite famously passed away in 1983 under very mysterious circumstances. Their partnership as creatives and legendary weirdos lives on with this memorable song.
Everything is fine in Heaven.
Photo by George Rose/Getty Images
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