Oingo Boingo: Dead Man's Party
[purchase]
A heady Danny Elfman composition first encountered via Rodney Dangerfield vehicle Back To School. Quintessentially eighties, and perfect for a halloween mixtape or a bop around the haunted house.
Because sometimes, the undead just want to hang out a bit. Leave your body at the door...
Oingo Boingo: Insects
[purchase]
As I mentioned here once before, Oingo Boingo was a big part of my initiation into the world of choosing my own music without regard to the tastes of my parents. In fact, the first cassette tape I ever purchased was Only A Lad, Oingo Boingo's debut release.
So, naturally I thought of this creeping, crawling, buzzing tune when this week's theme was announced. In fact, if you can find a buggier more jittery song than this one, I'd like to hear it. You'll start scratching, swatting, and possibly dancing, just listening to it.
Oingo Boingo: Weird Science
[purchase]
Oingo Boingo was a band that had a short string of hits in the 1980s. Their success was great enough that the powers that be in Hollywood thought of them when they needed someone to write the theme for the movie Weird Science. The film was one of those teen sex comedies which proliferated during the 80s, this one with a science fiction twist. I still have a fondness for many of these films today, at age 48, even though I was technically too old for them even then. I don’t think that this type of film has been done as well since then.
Danny Elfman: Sally‘s Song
[purchase]
The band Oingo Boingo did not last much beyond the 80s. Their leader, Danny Elfman, might have been expected to form another band at this point, or start a solo career, but that’s not what happened. Somewhere in there, Elfman met director Tim Burton, and Burton started using Elfman to compose the music for his films. And Elfman turns out to have a real gift for it.
Although Tim Burton has sometimes used other composers, and Elfman has worked with other directors, there was no question who would do the music for The Nightmare Before Christmas. Elfman’s music showed a full command of the orchestra, and even the influence of Kurt Weill, best known for his music for The Threepenny Opera. And Danny Elfman returned to the microphone to sing the lead part of Jack Skelington. But I have chosen to present here a song Elfman wrote for Catherine O’Hara’s character, Sally. Sally’s Song highlights a side of Elfman’s songwriting that is not often heard. It is a tender ballad, not overwritten or oversung, which shows off what a beautiful and subtle songwriter Danny Elfman can be.
Danny Elfman: Remains of the Day
[purchase]
Corpse Bride was Tim Burton’s return to animation, and once again, Danny Elfman was on board to handle the music. Remains of the Day shows Elfman’s love for a certain kind of jazz music. Think Minnie the Moocher. And Elfman never loses sight of the most important part of composing music for films; the song fits the scene perfectly
Oingo Boingo: On The Outside
[purchase]
By the time I purchased my first Walkman, I had left behind the 70's rock of my youth and had embraced the post-punk new-music scene (complete with sleeveless DEVO turtleneck which I actually wore to school several times. I was never exactly a magnet with the ladies). You know how there are some songs that made such an impression on you that you remember exactly where you were when you first heard them? This track is like that for me. I was 14 years old, in the corridor of my junior high school, when a friend put his headphones over my ears and let me hear a brand new band, Oingo Boingo. The song was On The Outside. I bought the album, Only A Lad, that very day; the first cassette I ever purchased.
This post was submitted by SMM reader Berrett. Thanks for the posts Berrett!
