Danny Elfman By Tabitha Finlinson

Danny ElfmanBy Tabitha Finlinson

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Danny Elfman Most commonly known as the lead singer of Oingo

Boingo, although he wrote almost every song and lyric for the group

Composer for many musical scores for both TV and movies

Wrote a symphony

Excellent use of timbre in his music with the use of unique and uncommon percussion sounds

Quoted best by BMI, “Danny Elfman is one of few who has managed to make the transition from rock musician to orchestral score composer.”

B I O

• Daniel Richard Elfman was born May 29, 1953 in Amarillo, TX. He has one older brother, Richard.

• His father was a teacher and mother was a writer.

• Danny learned to read and write music on his own, and most of this instruments he can play were self-taught.

• His love for music came from spending a lot of time in a local movie theater where in fell in love with film composers.

Danny dropped out of high school and moved to France to work on becoming an actor. His brother, Richard, lived there and was working on becoming a director. Danny eventually got a gig in a musical theater group, but it was short lived.

After France, Danny toured Africa for about a year with only his violin. This experience influenced Danny greatly and can be heard in his music with his common usage of African percussion instruments, such as the balaphone and xylophone.

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After Africa, Danny returned to Los Angeles to again work with his brother. Richard was directing his first feature film, Forbidden Zone, and hired Danny to write the musical score and soundtrack. The group that performed the music was the band formed in 1972 by Danny called “The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo”. Eventually that name was shortened to become “Oingo Boingo”.

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O I n g o B o I n g o

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O I n g o B o I n g o


In 1981, Oingo Boingo released their debut album called Only a Lad. The group remained popular throughout the ‘80s releasing legendary hits such as “Dead Man’s Party” and “Weird Science”. The band eventually split in the mid ‘90s because Danny was beginning to experience hearing loss. He did not want to continue performing live for fear of worsening his condition.

Band discography includes:

(displayed in order of release)Only a

Lad

Nothing to Fear

Good for Your Soul

So-Lo

Dead Man’s Party

**Images from www.wikipedia.com

Dark at the End of the Tunnel

Boi-ngo Boin

go

In addition to leading and founding a popular rock band, Danny Elfman drew significant value to his name after becoming a successful writer for movie scores. His biggest opportunity came when he met Tim Burton.

Tim asked Danny to write the musical score for his first major movie, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. The movie and music were a hit and Danny continue to write the musical score for every major film by Burton (except for two).


Other famous TV and movie musical scores written by Danny Elfman:

**Images from www.imdb.com

Other accomplishments: In addition to writing the soundtracks,

Danny also sang vocals in two of Burton’s animated films, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride.

In 2005, Danny wrote a symphony titled Serenada Schizophrana, which was performed in Carnegie Hall.

Nominated for many awards; won a Grammy Award for “The Batman Theme” from Batman; won an Emmy Award for the theme from Desperate Housewives

**Image from www.zimbio.com

Danny Elfman is currently living in Malibu, CA with his wife Bridget Fonda. They have been married for almost ten years and have one son, Oliver. Danny also has two other daughters, Lola and Mali, from an earlier relationship.

Compositions by Danny Elfman

(followed by a listening guide for each song)

For the composition history for Danny Elfman, I selected a mix of songs that not only captured some of, what I think, are the best songs by Oingo Boingo, but also a few of the musical scores by Danny that demonstrate his unique and pleasant sounding melodies.

Song #1 - “Try to Believe” This song is 4:31 in length and is the

last track on the sixth studio album from Oingo Boingo, Dark at the End of the Tunnel, which was released on February 20, 1990. The album was labeled by MCA Records and was produced by Danny Elfman, Steve Bartek, and John Avila (all members of Oingo Boingo).

For anyone not familiar with Oingo Boingo or for anyone who assumes Elfman only writes gothic-type music, I think this song proves that wrong and demonstrates Elfman’s diversity. It is a very upbeat song with a strong jazz influence, and also has beautiful lyrics and vocals by Danny Elfman.

Listening guide for “Try to Believe”

0:00 - Strong introduction of guitars, drums, trumpets and a harpsichord.

0:46 - Verse One –“Well I wish real hard when I close my eyes If I could change the world--would I even try If I found a reason to regain my pride Oh if I try to believe--try to believe”

1:06 - Chorus“It's so hard to find an answer It's so hard to stand alone It's so hard to find a feeling That was buried long ago It's so hard to trust another When it's easier to hide It's so hard to believe Unless we try baby try “

1:26 - Verse Two–“If I had a dream and it got away If I found the words would I know what to say If I had a chance to be someone else Yeah if I try to believe, try to believe”


1:46 - ChorusThe chorus sung is the same lyrics as the first chorus break. The melody and instruments playing are also the same. 2:07 - Chorus add-on

“try to believe one more timeAnd I try baby try baby try”

The above lines are repeated three times to create of kind of extension of the chorus. Elfman sings along with first two rounds, and then only the background vocals sing the final round. There is also a strong user of the trumpets during this part of the melody.

2:37 - Verse three –“If I found a door that I've never been through Would I have the courage to go in without you And if time runs short would I recognize The things I couldn't see If I try to believe--try to believe”

2:57 – Chorus

3:18 - Chorus add-on


3:48 - Bridge “If we listen to the voices that were silent for so long If you thought they went away, well you couldn't be more wrong If I tell you there is something that we've lost but can retrieve If I tell you there is hope, if we try to believe Do you remember there's a dream that we long since put aside With the toys that we discarded And the tears we never cried We could have had it once again, if we try baby try”

This is my favorite part of the song. The beautiful bridge lyrics wrap up with song with perfect resolution. The melody during the bridge is also completely different. Its softer and slower with only a clarinet and keyboard playing the melody. You can hear the keyboard duplicating a piano sound, playing a set of three distinct ascending then descending notes, in an alternating pattern. Elfman voice also accentuates the mood when he sings each word more softly and in a higher pitch. It’s a beautiful, non-typical ending to a song as it doesn’t just fade out. Elfman’s final note closes out together with the clarinet.

Song #2 - “Flesh ‘N Blood” This song is 4:18 in length and is the

sixth track from the same album referenced above by Oingo Boingo, Dark at the End of the Tunnel.

I think it demonstrates well the unique sound of this band due to the heavy use of instruments such as the trumpet and xylophone.

There are actually a few different variations of this song. The best is the album version, and not the version of this song that was released on the Ghostbusters II soundtrack nor the version on the greatest hits album released by Oingo Boingo in 1991.

Listening guide for “Flesh ‘N Blood”

0:00 – A drum beat introduction, followed by a “crying” guitar, with a xylophone adding to the melody.

0:13 - Verse One –“Over time I've come to feel That everything must come apart it seems From the little child to the man of power From the beggar to the angel of my dreams From the thinnest thread we are sewn together From the finest string we dangle over time From the highest wire do we walk through fire Should our balance ever falter, Should our steps be unaligned Such a big storm yeah such a strong wind blowing Such a loud voice calling for me to cross the line”

0:56 - Chorus“But I'm not gonna give up the ghost No, not gonna give up the ghost I'm not gonna give up the ghost, no not gonna give it up 'Cause I haven't the strength to hold out too long If we both hold on together we can make each other strong


1:14 - Chorus add-on“After all we're flesh 'n' blood After all we're flesh 'n' blood After all we're flesh 'n' blood After all we're fleshAfter all we're flesh 'n' blood After all we're flesh 'n' blood After all we're flesh 'n' blood After all”

1:31 - Verse two “Drop the mask take away the house And forget about the income and the car We're all the same underneath our shell We've all been to hell and we know what it's like, and we've shared each other's sins We all know what it's like to give up the fight We've all been ashamed at one time or another We all have dreams and nightmares tooWhen it all comes down we'll look out for each other (no one else will) But when I hear the call when I feel the thirst When the catcher comes to take my soul He's gonna have to fight me first”


2:14 - ChorusThe same chorus lyrics from before are sung. The same instruments come in to add to the melody. A descending string of notes are played at the end as an entrance to the chorus add-on.

2:33 - Chorus add-on

The same add-on is sung again, exactly like the first. 2:50 - Verse three

“Every cloud has a silver lining And every soul is tender to the touch We are made of stone, we are made of steel And we're all the same when we return to dust But when I hear the call when I feel the thirst When the catcher comes to take my soul He's gonna have to fight me first”

3:16 - Chorus 3:34 – Bridge

3:51 - Chorus

Song #3 – Theme song from Beetlejuice This movie was directed by Tim Burton

and released on March 30, 1988. Danny Elfman wrote and arranged the musical score for this movie. The soundtrack was produced by Geffen Studios and released later in the year. The theme song is 2:27 in length and is played at the opening of the movie during the introductory credits.

I think it is a strong demonstration of the alluring yet slightly haunting sounds that Elfman is famous for. His style of timbre is also illustrated well in this piece with his various uses of instruments.

Listening guide for theme song from Beetlejuice

0:00 - A percussion instrument (I think it’s a balaphone) starts off a simple repeating melody with a very fast tempo. It carries the base beat of the beginning of this song by continuously playing in the background of the first 35 seconds.

0:05 - The soft sound of a chime is heard.

0:11 - A single loud drum beat is heard and you hear Elfman’s voice softly sing the words of the song “Day-O” by Harry Belafonte. This is a key reference to the movie as this song is used later in its entirety.

0:18 - A tuba enters playing its own very low melody.

0:28 - A soft drum sound plays adding tension, indicating an upcoming change in melody.

0:31 - A very unique organ sound enters.

0:36 - A harmonium starts, which replaces the earlier percussion instrument. Again, it is a simple repeating melody with a very fast tempo. It becomes the base of the song for the next, approx., 70 seconds.

0:51 - The French horn starts the main melody and becomes the dominant instrument.


0:58 - A violin enters with its own fast tempo and becomes dominant while the French horn fades out.

1:05 - The French horn comes back, repeating its previous melody and it is replaced again by the melody of the violin.

1:21 - A saxophone melody is played and again combined with a violin melody, similar to the French horn and violin duet played earlier.

1:34 - The saxophone fades out and is replaced by a clarinet. It plays its own melody and goes back and forth with the melody of the violin, again like a duet as previously done with the horn and saxophone.

1:47 - A dramatic change now occurs in the music. The harmonium stops and is replaced by a snare drum. Several brass instruments now play a melody in sync. A violin plays at opposite sounding times so it is also distinctly heard. You can also hear the triangle softly in the background. It starts to build up tension in the song and the resolution is the new repetition of the familiar melody with more intensity.


1:59 - The French horn starts again with the same original melody. It is played louder and stronger, in sync with more brass instruments in the background, and also joined by some cymbals and drums. There is a singing “aaaah” also added to the melody. The overall tone of the song is very intense at this point.

2:15 - A drum beat cuts in, putting an end to all the prior melodies playing. The harmonium comes back with its familiar melody and fast tempo, and a tuba is played in sync with the harmonium.

2:19 - A harp is played and when its played, the sound of the tuba and harmonium is put far in the background. The instruments go back and forth with the harp, as they fade in volume, ending the song, with the tuba playing the final note.

Song #4 – “The Piano Duet” “The Piano Duet” is from the movie Corpse

Bride. This is an animated movie directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson, and was released in the United States on September 23, 2005. Danny Elfman did the music score for the movie and also wrote the soundtrack with the help of John August. Elfman also sings vocals on a few of the songs from the movie. The soundtrack was released the same year, and although labeled by Warner Bros., it was produced by Danny Elfman. “The Piano Duet” was written and performed by Danny, and is 1:49 in length.

Listening guide for “The Piano Duet”

0:00 - The first piano starts with a simple conjunct melody in the major scale, triple meter with simple division. This part of the song is just single notes, no chords.

0:20 - The first piano is still playing but begins using chords.

0:51 - The second piano enters playing two octaves higher. It is also a conjunct melody in the major scale. Here’s where the duet actually starts. Each piano takes turns playing various lengths. On this round, the second piano plays only single notes.

0:56 - The first piano plays again, this time only 12 notes and using a few chords.

1:01 - The second piano plays 10 notes and begins playing chords.

1:05 - The first piano plays again, this time for 16 notes and using more chords.

1:14 - The second piano begins playing a more complex melody with an allegro tempo.

1:31 - Both pianos now play together in the beautiful allegro tempo, with the higher piano (the second one) playing more notes per measure than the lower octave piano (the first).

1:41 - The lower piano (the first) begins to climb the scales eventually ending the song in the octave that the other piano was playing in.

The End

Works Cited

Basile, Nancy. "Danny Elfman." About.com Animated TV. About.com. Web. 10 June 2013.

<http://animatedtv.about.com/od/musicandsongs/p/elfmanprofile.htm>

"Danny Elfman." Lyricsfreak.com. LyricsFreak, n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.

"Danny Elfman Bio." www.bmi.com. Broadcast Music, Inc., 15 May 2002. Web. 10 June 2013. <http://www.bmi.com/press/entry/534698>

"Danny Elfman- Biography." Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo! Inc. Web. 10 June 2013. <http://movies.yahoo.com/person/danny-elfman/biography.html>

"Danny Elfman Talks Tim Burton Scores, Bernard Herrmann's Influence and More."ARTISTdirect. Rogue Digital, LLC, 14 Dec. 2010. Web. 10 June 2013.

Leach, Ryan. "Orchestration in the Style of Danny Elfman." Composer Focus. Composer Focus, 2012. Web. 11 June 2013. <http://composerfocus.com/orchestration-in-the-style-of-danny-elfman/>

Lustig, Jessica. "An Interview with Composer Danny Elfman.” American Composers Orchestra, Feb. 2005. Web. 10 June 2013. <http://www.americancomposers.org/elfman_interview.htm>

Danny Elfman By Tabitha Finlinson

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