Who is Danny Elfman
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The Man Behind a Million Songs
For those who don't remember Dead Man's Party or Weird Science, Danny Elfman will be a surprise and a treat. Not only did he head an iconic 80's New Wave group, Oingo Boingo, but he composes music for some of the best - and the strangest - that Hollywood has to offer.
Mr. Elfman wrote the theme songs for The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives and scored Darkman, Batman, and performed both music and singing for much of Tim Burton's work, including the up-coming Alice. He's even written the music for a ballet, Twyla Tharp's Rabbit and Rogue
Danny Elfman's orchestral work is deep and dark. You can hear some snippets of his Carnegie Hall-debuted Serenada Schizophrana on the official web site, for a taste of his wildly varied style. His music has backed and added ambience to some surprising movies and television shows. He also has a sharp wit and a well-developed sense of the macabre that tinges his work with a self-styled sarcasm.
Visit the Oingo Boingo Video Vault and read below to learn more...
Find His Music at Amazon
So Lo
If you missed this one in mid-Boingo popularity, you'll kick yourself for wasting a couple of decades without it. The best song on it, Gratitude, was also in Beverly Hills Cop.
Amazon Price: $6.98 (as of 07/14/2009) 
Boingo Alive: Celebration of a Decade 1979-1988
Get a piece of all of their best work, live. Sample the energy and sense of wicked fun these guys brought to their live shows.
Amazon Price: $13.97 (as of 07/14/2009)
The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Sample the beautiful music and distinctive voice showcased in this fantastic movie.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/14/2009)
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
How much wierdness and range can you fit into one movie score? If The Nightmare Before Christmas wasn't enough then this one is surely definitive.
Amazon Price: $13.98 (as of 07/14/2009)
Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 2: Film & Television Music
Volume Two offers more samples of the depth and breadth of Danny Elfman's creativity. You're likely to recognize several of these pieces, if not all of them.
Amazon Price: $24.98 (as of 07/14/2009)
Three Reasons to Love Danny Elfman
Or: What You May Not Realize about Him
2. His voice. The man can range all over the musical scale and does fun, quirky trills and yodels that many folks would never imagine, much less use, in music created for the masses. It makes sing-a-longs much more interesting!
3. His talent for composing. While you can identify his pieces, they are infinitely varied. The songs are creative, filled with emotion and mood. Like his voice, his emotional range is enormous. He does not limit himself to stop-motion films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride. See below for a partial list of the dozens of movies for which Danny Elfman has composed the scores. They range from dramas to comedies to action films. You may well be surprised at some of the titles listed.
A Formal Biography of Danny Elfman
His Life and His Music.
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is a Grammy Award-winning American musician, best known for composing music for television and movies, and leading the rock band Oingo Boingo as singer/songwriter from 1976 until its breakup in 1995. He is a frequent collaborator with long-time friend Tim Burton, and has scored all but two of his films. He was nominated for four Academy Awards and won a Grammy Award for Tim Burton's Batman and an Emmy Award for his Desperate Housewives theme. Elfman also wrote the theme for the video game Fable. He is also famous for creating The Simpsons main title theme, and his role as Jack Skellington's singing voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas. He is the Uncle in-law to actress Jenna Elfman.
Quick, what do you think of Danny Elfman?
Where Else Can I Hear Him?
At the Movies and on TV!
If you've got a healthy sense of the macabre, you'll find Danny Elfman's music winding its way through many of your favorite shows and movies. You may also be surprised at the more mainstream projects in which he's been involved. Most recently, he's written the score for Tim Burton's new movie, Alice (as in Alice in Wonderland). The film isn't slated for release until March 5, 2010, but I can hardly wait to hear (and see) it.With a whopping ten Grammy nominations for Danny Elfman's work on these films (and a win for Batman), I've only included a partial list, to save space. Try this page for a full list of the nominations and wins he's racked up for his various compositions.
Movies:
- Big Fish (for which he was also nominated for an Oscar)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (for which he also provided the vocals to the Oompa Loompa songs
- Edward Scissorhands
- Spiderman (1, 2, and 3)
- The Corpse Bride
- The Kingdom
- Charlotte's Web
- Sleepy Hollow
- Men in Black (1 and 2, with an Oscar nomination for the first one)
- The Family Man
- Batman Returns
- Meet the Robinsons
- Scream 2
- Beetlejuice
- Milk (which earned Mr. Elfman another Oscar nomination
- Mission: Impossible
- Dick Tracy
- Dead Presidents
- Nacho Libre
- Proof of Life
- Good Will Hunting (garnering another Oscar nomination)
- Scrooged
- Desperate Housewives (for which he won an Emmy)
- Point Pleasant
- The Simpsons
- Amazing Stories
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Jar
- Tales from the Crypt
- The Flash
Sample Danny Elfman's Music
Preview mp3s from his solo and Oingo Boingo Albums
Find the Lyrics
I'm working on lenses with lyrics and videos for Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman songs. If you have one, please let me know and I'll add it. These are the ones I've so far finished.-
Oingo Boingo: We Close Our Eyes Lyrics
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We close our eyes We close our eyes and dream And the world has turned around again When everybody is running in the big race And having a good time Who am I to cast a shadow? Who am I? I looked death in the face last night I saw him in a mirror And...
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Oingo Boingo: Weird Science Lyrics
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(She's alive...Alive!) Weird science Weird....ooo! Weird science Plastic tubes and pots and pans Bits and pieces and Magic from the hand We're makin' Weird science Things I've never seen before Behind bolted doors Talent and imagination Weird scienc...
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Oingo Boingo: Stay Lyrics
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This is not the first time you tried to get away This is not a party where people know your name This is not a classroom with teacher at the board This is not a cat show with prizes at the door Go! Don't you go Won't you stay with me one more day If...
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Oingo Boingo: Try to Believe Lyrics
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Well I wish real hard when I close my eyes If I could change the world--would I even try (Try to believe) If I found a reason to regain my pride Oh if I try to believe--try to believe CHORUS It's so hard to find an answer It's so hard to stand alone...
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Oingo Boingo: No Spill Blood Lyrics
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Originally released on Oingo Boingo's too-little-heard 1983 album, "Good for Your Soul", No Spill Blood combines a bit of social commentary with the strong imagery of HG Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau to make a powerful song. The song includes the...
Danny Elfman Videos
Movie Soundtracks Featuring Danny Elfman
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Are you in the Danny Elfman Fan Club?
Share your stories, sightings, thoughts, rants, raves...
CleanerLife wrote...
Danny's great! Halloween isn't Halloween if I don't hear Dead Man's Party at least once during the season, and it's been that way for me since the song first came out! Great tribute to a truly great musician!
Posted November 05, 2008
paperfacets wrote...
Your lens on Elfman is fun. I listened to songs I had not heard for awhile from Oingo Boingo. I always have admired his talents. 5*
Posted November 03, 2008
beempa wrote...
Love Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo! A trip down memory lane and that Gong Show video is hysterical!
Posted October 03, 2008
legbamel wrote...
I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum--having been a fan for so long, I have trouble imagining him "settling down" enough to direct an orchestra. Thanks for stopping by!
Posted March 22, 2008
janet wrote
who knew! I have always loved his great theme music and picture a man in his fifties (oh, wait. I'm in my 50's) wearing a suit, leading a big band of like fellows. Which was totally lovely. Now i am perplexed, which is still perfectly lovely, haveing viewed gong show and some of his amazing singing, and good looks. I probably won't check back here but will contine to learn all i can here from you woderful site. Don't I love musical brilliance!
Posted March 20, 2008
legbamel wrote...
I'm more than happy to remind people of Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman's solo career. I think they have both been under-appreciated for years. Thanks for stopping by!
Posted December 02, 2007
dougeby wrote...
I had completely forgoten about him. Thanks for submitting him to Home of Classic Rock.
Doug
Posted October 26, 2007
rms wrote...
Great lens. I love the song Dead Man's Party! Thank you for joining the 80's New Wave Alternative Music group!
Posted October 10, 2007
ForeignFilmFanatic wrote...
I'm one of the biggest Danny Elfman fans out there! This is a great idea for a lens. 5 *'s! Of your three reasons to love Danny Elfman, I think my favorites are two and three. I'm a huge "The Nightmare Before Christmas" fan, and he does a bunch of completely different voices in that movie.
Posted September 08, 2007
Danny Elfman on Flickr
Invader
Stencil Wall: 2 May...
The Nightmare Before...
Dead mans party.
Leave me alone I am...
Happy Steve
Make-up
Rick 1987
The apartment
Make-up again
Rick 1988
Arden Fair Cinema
zones #3
Flower a la Tim Burt...
oingo boingo
