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.
Forbidden Zone
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Things get rough
Living in the sixth dimension
Can be tough
It's so hard when your on your own
When your on your own
Moving in the wrong direction
Living without protection
Really sucks
It's so hard when your on your own
You might fall into the Forbidden Zone
Going down, down, down
How far can you go?
You might fall into the Forbidden Zone
Going down, down, down
'Cross the border line
The guards look scary but the girls are pretty fine
I'm going down
I'm going down
I'm going down I go
Turning me around
Turning me around
Turning me around I know
Living in the sixth dimension
Moving in the wrong direction
Living in the sixth dimension
Moving in the wrong direction
Living in the sixth dimension
Moving in the wrong direction
It's so hard when you're on your own
When your on your own
The Forbidden Zone
Going down, down, down
How far can you go
You might fall into the Forbidden Zone
Going down, down, down
'Cross the border line
The guards look scary but the girls are pretty fine
Going round, round, round
Driving me insane
Everything looks different
But nothing has changed.
The song "Forbidden Zone" by Danny Elfman is a narrative about living in the sixth dimension - a world where everything is different and notions of reality and safety are challenged. Elfman sings about the hardships of living in a world where one is left to fend for themselves, and where moving in the wrong direction can result in bad luck and failure. However, the song is not entirely bleak, as it acknowledges that there is still some beauty to be found in this new world. Elfman sings of girls who are "pretty fine," suggesting that there is still some hope and promise of happiness in a world where everything is uncertain.
The chorus of the song speaks to the dangers of venturing into the Forbidden Zone, a place where all is unknown and where one risks falling into the abyss. There is a palpable sense of anxiety and fear in the lyrics, suggesting that the Forbidden Zone is a place that should be avoided at all costs. Despite this, Elfman seems intrigued by this otherworldly dimension, and can't seem to resist the allure of it. The song's driving melody and Elfman's soaring vocals reinforce this sense of irresistible danger and temptation, making for a captivating and eerie listening experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Living in the sixth dimension
Life is not as easy as it seems
Things get rough
Difficulties are inevitable
Living in the sixth dimension
Life is not as easy as it seems
Can be tough
It can be hard to manage oneself in such situations
It's so hard when your on your own
The journey may seem lonely and isolated
When your on your own
Without any support
Moving in the wrong direction
Making wrong choices
Brings bad luck
Results in negative consequences
Living without protection
Being vulnerable
Really sucks
Is really unpleasant
You might fall into the Forbidden Zone
There is a danger of getting lost in the unknown
Going down, down, down
Descending into a mysterious place
How far can you go?
How much are you willing to sacrifice?
Cross the border line
Challenge the norm or the limits
The guards look scary but the girls are pretty fine
Chances are high that you'll encounter unexpected pleasures
I'm going down I'm going down I'm going down I go
It's too late to turn back, I am already committed
Turning me around Turning me around Turning me around I know
I'm losing control
Going round, round, round
Engulfed by chaos
Driving me insane
Losing my mind
Everything looks different
Nothing is what it seems
But nothing has changed
Except my perspective
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANNY ELFMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexm2622
Danny really deserves/deserved more physical acting roles. His talent is amazing in voice acting of course, but this is an excellent example of why he should be casted in a movie as a cheeky, quirky villain.
@nuclearcatbaby1131
He said in a recent interview that he was once cast as a hillbilly but that his acting sucked and he had trouble with the accent and so his part was cut.
@bustedkeaton
Im not sure he really wanted to act, composing is clearly what he really likes to do
@alexm2622
@N Kemp Very true, he is amazing in all ways!
@kissingthegoat
Danny’s footwork and dancing with his voice is to die for
@jamlym4974
When you realize that Danny Elfman has been Danny Elfman since the 70s.
@capyle1981
This movie is one of the rare films that benefits from transitioning to color. Also, it always made me laugh that Danny Elfman is playing Satan.
@Jakerocksteady
That was a truly wonderful musical/cinematic lead in to Minnie the Moocher.
@djintrospekt5715
Elfman really tapped into this number when he wrote the music for Oogie Boogie on Nightmare Before Christmas.
@LuneyTune72
They’re both a tribute on the Cab Calloway song “Minnie the Moocher.” This version is a direct rip off.