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.
Finale/Reprise
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La, la, la, (etc.)
Jack's OK, and he's back, OK
CHILD CORPSE AND CHORUS
He's all right
MAYOR AND CHORUS
Scream it out, wheee
CHORUS
Jack is back now, everyone sing
In our town of Halloween
CHILD CORPSE
What's this?
CYCLOPS
What's this?
HARLEQUIN DEMON
I haven't got a clue
MR. HYDE
What's this?
CLOWN
Why it's completely new
OFF-SCREEN VOICE
What's this?
WOLFMAN
Must be a Christmas thing
OFF-SCREEN VOICE
What's this?
MAYOR
It's really very strange
CHORUS
This is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
What's this?
What's this?
(Repeat)
JACK
My dearest friend, if you don't mind
I'd like to join you by your side
Where we can gaze into the stars
JACK AND SALLY
And sit together, now and forever
For it is plain as anyone can see
We're simply meant to be
The lyrics of Danny Elfman and Catherine O'Hara's song "Finale/Reprise" from the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is about the inhabitants of Halloween Town being excited about the return of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. The chorus repeats the line “Jack’s OK, and he’s back, OK,” and everyone is shouting and making a fuss because Jack has returned safely. The child corpse confirms that Jack is alright, and the Mayor and chorus encourage everyone to sing and celebrate Jack's return in their own town of Halloween.
The latter part of the chorus changes to “This is Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!” and leads into the song’s finale. During the finale, Jack and Sally sing together about wanting to be together forever, under the stars, as it is clear that they are meant to be together. The song is full of the energetic and playful tone of the movie, and shows the characters' jubilant and freaky sides.
Line by Line Meaning
La, la, la, (etc.)
The chorus is singing, with no particular words, just to make noise.
Jack's OK, and he's back, OK
The chorus is declaring that Jack is unharmed and back among them.
He's all right
The child corpse agrees with the chorus that Jack is fine.
Let's shout, make a fuss
The mayor and chorus are encouraging everyone to celebrate and make noise.
Scream it out, wheee
The mayor and chorus are suggesting that people express their joy loudly and with great enthusiasm.
Jack is back now, everyone sing
The chorus is reminding everyone that Jack has returned and suggesting they sing about it.
In our town of Halloween
The chorus is emphasizing that they are in a special place for Halloween.
What's this?
Various characters are expressing confusion and curiosity about something new and unexpected.
I haven't got a clue
The harlequin demon is admitting that they don't know what's going on either.
Why it's completely new
The clown is explaining that this strange thing is unlike anything they've seen before.
Must be a Christmas thing
The Wolfman is speculating that this strange thing might be related to Christmas, which they are less familiar with than Halloween.
It's really very strange
The mayor is acknowledging that the strange thing is indeed very odd.
This is Halloween
The chorus is declaring that this strange and wondrous time is Halloween.
My dearest friend, if you don't mind
Jack is asking Sally for permission to join her.
I'd like to join you by your side
Jack is expressing a desire to be close to Sally.
Where we can gaze into the stars
Jack is suggesting that they spend time together looking at the stars and enjoying each other's company.
And sit together, now and forever
Jack and Sally are expressing a desire to be together always.
For it is plain as anyone can see
Jack and Sally are stating that their love is obvious to anyone who knows them.
We're simply meant to be
Jack and Sally are affirming that they are destined to be together.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SuperTim2023
@Vincent Alvarado Here’s My Version
Violet Parr: “ Merry Christmas Tim ”
Me: “ Merry Christmas Violet ”
Music
Me:
🎶 My dearest friend if you don’t mind, I’d like to join you by your side. Where we can gaze into the stars ✨🎶
Violet Parr and I:
🎶 And sit together now and forever for it is plain as anyone can see, We're simply meant to be 🎶
ZombehhLove
The part with Jack and Sally is so beautiful I keep repeating that part!! <3 watched it last night too couldn't get over it
Josh Rabatin
Favorite part.
Roo One
Thought I was the only
Astrella X
This ending always makes me teary-eyed. It's so pure and beautiful.
inky598
Honestly? This is a perfect song leading up to the first dance at a wedding.
TopShelfCyborg
I agree but from 1:23
Jonescalypso
Aww <:D What a sweet idea <3
Ethan Fredericks
Ahhh, the duet between Jack and Sally was always my favorite part of the movie. It gets me every time. It's just so romantic! I wish that I could sing a duet with the woman I love. But, she moved to Mexico. T~T
Come Get Ur Apple Sauce
Ethan Fredericks what happened next
Smauzer X
Ethan Fredericks don't leave us hanging like that. What happened next?