Born in Los Angeles, he entered the film industry in 1976, initially as an actor. He made his film scoring debut in 1980 for the film Forbidden Zone directed by his older brother Richard Elfman. He has since been nominated for four Academy Awards and won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for Tim Burton's Batman and an Emmy Award for his Desperate Housewives theme. Elfman was honored with the prestigious Richard Kirk award at the 2002 BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music.
He is the son of novelist Blossom Elfman and the brother of director Richard Elfman.
Elfman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Blossom Elfman (née Bernstein), a writer and teacher, and Milton Elfman, a community in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles. He spent much of his time in the local movie theatre, adoring the music of such film composers as Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman.
Stating that he hung out with the "band nerds" in high school, he started a ska band. After dropping out of high school, he followed his brother Richard to France, where he performed with Le Grand Magic Circus, an avant-garde musical theater group. Violin in tow, Elfman next journeyed to Africa where he traveled through Ghana, Mali, and Upper Volta, absorbing new musical styles, including the Ghanaian highlife genre which would eventually influence his own music. Elfman contracted malaria during his one-year stay and was often sick. Eventually he returned home to the United States, where he began to take Balinese music lessons at the CalArts. He was never officially a student at the institute, nonetheless, the instructor encouraged him to continue learning. Elfman stated, "He just laughed, and said, 'Sit. Play.' I continued to sit and play for a couple years." At this time, his brother was forming a new musical theater group, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. The group performed the music for Richard's debut feature film, Forbidden Zone. Danny Elfman composed his first score for the film and played the role of Satan. By the time the movie was completed, they had taken the name Oingo Boingo and begun recording and touring as a rock group.
In 1985, Tim Burton and Paul Reubens invited Elfman to write the score for their first feature film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Elfman was apprehensive at first because of his lack of formal training, but with orchestration assistance from Oingo Boingo guitarist and arranger Steve Bartek, he achieved his goal of emulating the mood of such composers as Nino Rota and Bernard Herrmann. In the booklet for the first volume of Music for a Darkened Theatre, Elfman described the first time he heard his music played by a full orchestra as one of the most thrilling experiences of his life.[citation needed] Elfman immediately developed a rapport with Burton and has gone on to score all but two of Burton's major studio releases: Ed Wood, scored by Howard Shore, which was under production while Elfman and Burton were having a fight, and Sweeney Todd, an adaptation of the 1979 Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical. He also, more recently, accompanied Tim Burton in the composition of music for "Almost Alice", the soundtrack for Alice in Wonderland.
Burton has said of his relationship with Elfman: "We don't even have to talk about the music. We don't even have to intellectualize – which is good for both of us, we're both similar that way. We're very lucky to connect" (Breskin, 1997).
In 2021 he released "Big Mess", his first non-soundtrack album since 1984's "So-Lo", which is often considered to rather be an Oingo Boingo album due to the presence of many other band members.
Elfman has three children: Lola, born in 1979; Mali, born in 1984; and Oliver, born in 2005. On November 29, 2003, Elfman married film actress Bridget Fonda. In 1997 he scored A Simple Plan – his only score for one of her films to date (although he did compose a cue for the film Army of Darkness, in which Fonda has a cameo). He is the uncle of actor Bodhi Elfman who is married to actress Jenna Elfman, known most notably in her role as Dharma in the TV series Dharma and Greg.
Black Suits Comin'
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Come on, come-come on-on
(MIB)
{The black suits comin'}
{The black suits comin'}
I'm comin', I'm comin', I'm comin', I'm comin'
I am the man in black
So can the flack, yo'
I'm dangerous, I've been trained to bust
When a stranger fuss, tryin' to endanger us
Praise me, y'all, don't nothin' phaze me, y'all
When they see me they gauge be all crazy y'all
They say I'm a myth, trust me if somebody rip
Out of the depths of your imagination appears Will Smith
Black suit, the black shades, the black shoes
Black tie with the black attitude
New style, black Raybans, I'm stunnin', man
New hotness, pitch black, 600, man
Don't you understand, what you thought I wouldn't come again
Leave you hangin' without bringin' you the fun again
Tanglin' with the alien scum again
Mind your manners or the black suits runnin' in
Nod ya head {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you nod ya head like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you (Nod ya head) like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you bop ya head, nod ya head, come on
(Nod ya head) {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you (Nod ya head) like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you nod ya head like this {The black suits comin'}
(Nod ya head...head...head...)
Check it, yo'
There's this chick right
Serleena makin' me sick, right
Earth is worthless to her, she be trippin' like
Threatenin' me and my mens, tryin' to get the light
Thinkin' she's superwomen, the black kryptonite
Finishin' whatever you start, son
The best looking crime fighter since myself in part one
Better act right, play nice and sing along
'Cause Kay is back and he hyped, what, bring it on
Uh, want to brawl with me, tryin' to brawl with me
Uh-uh, what-what
Yo' {Black suits comin'}
What-what
Let me see ya just, come on
Just come on and nod ya head like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you nod ya head {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you nod ya head like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you (Nod ya head, MIB)
Let me see you nod ya head {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you (Nod ya head), come on, come on
Let me see you (Nod ya head) like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you (Nod ya head...head...head...)
Check it, check it
Yo', case closed, erase my foes
Chase the wave out of black suits, shades, and clothes
We above the law, feds can't touch me y'all
Highly ranked, black blank I.D. cards
So disregard what you think you saw
Put that phone down now, who you think you callin', huh
One little flash then, goodnight dear
Just open your eyes, honey, look right here, thank you
Mission completed, I mean it, we won't be defeated
You seen it, we did it, even with weapons depleted
Galaxy defenders, don't act like you don't remember
Takin' contenders and provn' they only pretenders
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls
The men in black is back to protect the world
When the enemy is near, the elite is here
So have no fear
Just let me see you nod ya head {The black suits comin'}
Come on nod ya head like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you (Nod ya head) like this {The black suits comin'}
Let me see you (Nod ya head, MIB)
(Nod ya head) Woo (MIB)
(Nod ya head) Uh {The black suits comin'}
(Nod ya head) Yo' (MIB)
Yo', yo' (Nod ya head...head...head...)
If you want to rock then say (Hey, oh)
Tell me if you want to rock then say (Hey, oh)
If you want to rock then say (Hey, oh)
Come on, if you want to rock then say (Hey, oh)
Yo', if you want to rock then say (Hey, oh)
Tell me if you want to rock then say (Hey, oh)
If you want to rock then say (Hey, oh)
Tell me if you want to rock then say (Hey, oh), huh
(Nod ya head...head...head...)
The song titled Black Suits Comin’ is an original soundtrack from the movie Men in Black 2 that premiered in 2002 with Will Smith playing the lead character of Agent J. The song was written by Will Smith himself and features the vocals of Danny Elfman. The song talks about the iconic black suits, black shades, black tie and black attitude which the agents don in the movie. The lyrics refer to the Men in Black agents as the galaxy defenders who are ready to protect the world from alien threats.
In the first verse, the lyrics talk about how the man in black is back to break the back of the random attacker. They also mention that he has been trained to bust and is dangerous to those who try to endanger them. The chorus encourages the listeners to nod their head and say that the black suits are coming. The second verse talks about the villain in the movie, Serleena, who is trying to get the light and is considered the black kryptonite. The lyrics depict how the agent Kay is ready to fight and that they must act right and play nice.
Overall, the song conveys the message of bravery, confidence and an unwavering commitment to protect the world from evil forces.
Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Written by: LAMAR BENNETT, LAMAR ERROL BENNETT, LANCE BENNETT, LANCE NATHAN BENNETT, LENNIE BENNETT, LENNIE DE JUAN BENNETT, MARK SPARKS, RON FEEMSTER, WILLARD SMITH, Lance Bennet, Lemar Bennet, Lennie Bennet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Guadalupe Cano López
0:24
2:06
2:15
Marco
Charlie
Mike Teave
Augusto
Alvin
Simon
Teodoro
Ginger El Gato
Dania
Violeta
Veruca
Brittany
Jeanette
Eleanor
Rosie La Gata
6 Gatitos
Estelita
Gabriel
Saruca
Panchis
Abejita
Zuri
Tía Alma
Tio Ao
Claire Wilson
Jeebs
Beto
Abuela Belén
Abuela Carmen
Lula
Bola de Nieve
Machitas
Vecina
Vecino
Manny
Africa
8 Cachorritos
Alienígenas y Agentes
Pablo
Winston
Stanley
Bob
Jenny
Junior
Cristian Cascianelli
Masterpiece
Perry The DRIPlatypus
1:54 this part slaps!
William Carlier
A fucking great song ! :')
Fernando Fernando
The best of the best, bravo Will Smith...!
Scotty Master1998
Man i miss the early 00s
Dennis Tamayo
Me too.
Bob Dorsey
makes you wanna dance even if you can't
KIUGA 685
if i was a boxer ill come in with this song, knocking everyone out
Vintron
shit slaps harder than the Oscars 🥱
Vlp3rKing
14 years... when did they pass??, how ?? omg ...