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.
It's Not Unusual
Danny Elfman Lyrics
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It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
It's not unusual to see me cry
Oh I wanna' die
It's not unusual to go out at any time
But when I see you out and about it's such a crime
It's not unusual
It happens every day
No matter what you say
You find it happens all the time
Love will never do what you want it to
Why can't this crazy love be mine
It's not unusual, to be mad with anyone
It's not unusual, to be sad with anyone
But if I ever find that you've changed at anytime
It's not unusual to find out that I'm in love with you
Whoa oh oh oh oh
The lyrics of Danny Elfman's song "It's Not Unusual" touch upon the universal emotions of love, jealousy, and the unpredictability of romance. The singer starts by saying that it's natural for anyone to be loved and have fun with anyone else, but they cannot help but feel hurt and sad when they see the person they love hanging out with someone else. The singer expresses an intense emotion, saying that they want to die, underlining their desperation and vulnerability.
The singer then goes on to say that going out and having fun is not unusual, but seeing the one they love going out with someone else feels like a crime. Even though the singer knows that it's natural for anyone to be loved, they can't help feeling jealous and possessive of the person they love. The singer then confesses that they are in love with the person and hopes that the person will eventually reciprocate their feelings.
The theme of love, rejection, and jealousy runs deep in this song. The lyrics touch upon the emotional turmoil one faces when in love with someone, the unpredictable nature of love, and how one cannot control what the heart desires. The song became an instant classic, resonating with people of all ages, and is still considered a timeless piece of music today.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not unusual to be loved by anyone
It's commonplace for people to love anyone.
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
It's ordinary to enjoy oneself with anyone.
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
However, when I observe you spending time with anyone.
It's not unusual to see me cry
It's unsurprising that I'm moved to tears.
Oh I wanna' die
My emotions are so intense that I feel like dying.
It's not unusual to go out at any time
It's not uncommon to go out at any hour.
But when I see you out and about it's such a crime
However, it's distressing to witness you socializing.
If you should ever want to be loved by anyone
In case you desire to be loved by a person.
It's not unusual
It's normal and expected.
It happens every day
Such situations occur often.
No matter what you say
Irrespective of what you claim.
You find it happens all the time
You see it happening frequently.
Love will never do what you want it to
Love is unpredictable and does not comply with your expectations.
Why can't this crazy love be mine
I wish this irrational love could be reciprocated.
It's not unusual, to be mad with anyone
It's ordinary to be annoyed with anyone.
It's not unusual, to be sad with anyone
It's usual to feel unhappy with anyone.
But if I ever find that you've changed at anytime
However, if I come across any alterations in you.
It's not unusual to find out that I'm in love with you
It's common to realize that I have fallen in love with you.
Whoa oh oh oh oh
Expressing strong emotions.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: GORDON MILLS, LES (GB) REED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind