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.
Five O'Clock World
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Up!)
Up every morning just to keep a job (up!)
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob (up!)
Sounds of the city pounding in my brain (up!)
While another day goes down the drain (up!)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) but it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows
No-one owns a piece of my time
Thinking that the world looks fine, yeah
A-da-lay-ee-ee (up, up, up!)
Trading my time for the pay I get (up!)
Living on money that I ain't made yet (up!)
Gotta keep goin' gotta make my way (up!)
But I live for the end of the day (up!)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) 'cause it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows
No-one owns a piece of my time
And there's a long-haired girl who waits, I know
To ease my troubled mind, yeah!
A-da-lay-ee-ee (up, up, up!)
In the shelter of her arms everything's okay (yeah-yeah) (up!)
She talks and the world goes slipping away (it slips away) (up!)
And I know the reason I can still go on
When every other reason is gone
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) in my five o'clock world she waits for me
Nothing else matters at all
'Cause every time my baby smiles at me
I know that it's all worthwhile, yeah
A-da-lay-ee-ee (up, up, up!)
A-da-lay-ee-ee (up, up, up!)
Five O'Clock World is a song by Danny Elfman that explores the daily struggles of a man living in the city with a monotonous job. The introductory lines depict the main character waking up early and challenging his way through the bustling crowd on his way to work. The sounds of the city, which can be deafening, are constantly pounding in his mind while he watches yet another day go by. However, when the whistle blows at five o'clock, he's free from the daily grind and owns his time. He's got his "five o'clock me" inside his clothes, feeling like the world looks fine once again.
Trading time for money is a theme of the next verse, where the man talks about living on money he hasn't made yet but must continue to work tirelessly towards his goals. He lives for the end of the day, dreaming of the comfort and shelter of his long-haired girl. In her arms, he finds solace, and everything is okay. They talk, and the rest of the world seems to slip away. The girl is the reason the man is able to soldier on, and he knows that every time she smiles at him, it's all worth it.
The chorus emphasizes the idea that no one owns his time when the whistle blows, and he is free to do as he pleases. His only concern is getting home to his long-haired girl who waits for him, easing his troubled mind. The song ends on a positive note, with the "a-da-lay-ee-ee" refrain ringing out.
Line by Line Meaning
Up every morning just to keep a job (up!)
I wake up early every day just to maintain employment.
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob (up!)
I struggle to make my way through the crowds of people.
Sounds of the city pounding in my brain (up!)
The noise of the city is so loud that it's overwhelming.
While another day goes down the drain (up!)
Another day passes by with little to show for it.
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) but it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows
However, when work is done at 5 pm, life feels different.
No-one owns a piece of my time
At this time, no one can control or claim ownership over my time.
And there's a five o'clock me inside my clothes
I have a feeling of freedom and detachment from work once I leave the office.
Thinking that the world looks fine, yeah
I believe that the world is good and beautiful at 5 pm.
Trading my time for the pay I get (up!)
I am exchanging my time for the money that I earn from work.
Living on money that I ain't made yet (up!)
I am surviving on the money I will earn in the future.
Gotta keep goin' gotta make my way (up!)
I must keep going and find a path to follow.
But I live for the end of the day (up!)
Despite the difficulties, I look forward to the end of the day.
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) 'cause it's a five o'clock world when the whistle blows
Again, the end of the workday is a time of liberation.
No-one owns a piece of my time
The time after work belongs to me only.
And there's a long-haired girl who waits, I know
There is someone special for me who is waiting.
To ease my troubled mind, yeah!
This person is here to help me deal with my stresses.
In the shelter of her arms everything's okay (yeah-yeah) (up!)
Being with this person makes everything feel right.
She talks and the world goes slipping away (it slips away) (up!)
This person has a powerful influence on my world view.
And I know the reason I can still go on
This person is a source of motivation for me to continue living.
(Yeah, yeah, yeah) in my five o'clock world she waits for me
Again, this person is waiting for me after work.
Nothing else matters at all
When I am with this person, nothing else seems to be important.
'Cause every time my baby smiles at me
This person's smile has a powerful effect on me.
I know that it's all worthwhile, yeah
Being with this person makes all of life's hardships worth it.
A-da-lay-ee-ee (up, up, up!)
These are just sounds used in the song and do not have a meaning.
A-da-lay-ee-ee (up, up, up!)
These are just sounds used in the song and do not have a meaning.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALLEN REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike's Organic Videos
This is the original version of "Five O'Clock World" by the Vogues. Danny Elfman composed the movie score.
Chambered Nautilus
danny elfman did not compose this song...
ramairgto72
This sounds different?