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.
Jacks Lament
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For my talents are renowned far and wide
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night
I excel without ever even trying
With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms
I have seen grown men give out a shriek
With the wave of my hand and a well placed moan
I have swept the very bravest off their feet
Yet year after year, it's the same routine
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams
And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King
Have grown so tired of the same old thing
Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones
An emptiness began to grow
There's something out there, far from my home
A longing that I've never known
I'm the master of fright, and a demon of light
And I'll scare you right out of your pants
To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky
And I'm known throughout England and France
And since I am dead, I can take off my head
To recite Shakespearean quotations
No animal nor man can scream like I can
With the fury of my recitations
But who here would ever understand
That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin
Would tire of his crown, if they only understood
He'd give it all up if he only could
Oh, there's an empty place in my bones
That calls out for something unknown
The fame and praise come year after year
Does nothing for these empty tears
The lyrics to Danny Elfman's song Jack's Lament speak to the exhaustion and emptiness that can come from being the best at something, only to have that excellence celebrated in a repetitive and unfulfilling way. The singer, Jack, is the Pumpkin King, known and feared for his ability to frighten people with little effort. He has grown tired of the same-old routine and the sound of screams, and begins to feel a yearning for something unknown. He describes himself as a master of fright and demon of light, and is known and celebrated throughout England and France. He can recite Shakespearean quotations and screams in a way that no one else can. Despite all of this, there is an emptiness growing inside of him, a longing he cannot understand or put into words. He knows that others might not understand his desire to give up his crown if they only knew how he felt.
The song captures the feeling of being trapped in a cycle, of performing the same thing over and over again, and feeling like there must be something more. It's a common feeling that many people experience, especially those who are successful in their work or creative pursuits. The song's eerie, haunting melody echoes the themes of emptiness and longing that Jack is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best
It is universally acknowledged that I am the best in doing what I do
For my talents are renowned far and wide
My talents are recognized everywhere
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night
Specializing in surprises in the moonlit night
I excel without ever even trying
I am naturally good at what I do
With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms
With the slightest of efforts, I can use my ghostly powers to make an impact
I have seen grown men give out a shriek
The power of my abilities is such that I have made grown men scream with fear
With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan
With just a wave of my hand and a well-placed moan, I can create a scary atmosphere
I have swept the very bravest off their feet
Even the bravest have succumbed to my ability to scare them
Yet year after year, it's the same routine
Despite all the fame and praise, every year, it is the same old routine
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams
I have grown tired of the screams that once excited me
And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King
I am Jack, the King of Pumpkins
Have grown so tired of the same old thing
I am so fed up of the same routine
Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones
There is something that has been gnawing deep inside of me
An emptiness began to grow
It is an emptiness that started growing inside of me
There's something out there, far from my home
There is something out there that I haven't experienced that I am longing for
A longing that I've never known
A feeling of longing that I have never experienced before
I'm a master of fright, and a demon of light
I am an expert in making people scared and also masterfully cunning
And I'll scare you right out of your pants
My ability to terrify is such that I can scare you out of your wits
To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky
To someone in Kentucky, I am known as a bringer of bad luck
And I'm known throughout England and France
My fame extends across England and France
And since I am dead, I can take off my head
Given that I am no longer alive, I can remove my head
To recite Shakespearean quotations
I can even recite quotes from Shakespeare without my head being attached
No animal nor man can scream like I can
I hold the record for the most terrifying scream whether among humans or animals
With the fury of my recitations
My recitations come with such fury that they create an eerie and spooky atmosphere
But who here would ever understand
No one seems to be able to understand my true feelings
That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin
What they don't know is that despite being the Pumpkin King with a skeleton-like smile
Would tire of his crown, if they only understood
I am tired of being the Pumpkin King if only others could understand
He'd give it all up if he only could
If I had the chance, I would give it all up
Oh, there's an empty place in my bones
There is an emptiness deep inside me
That calls out for something unknown
Something that I can't describe is calling out to me
The fame and praise come year after year
Despite being showered with fame and praise year after year
Does nothing for these empty tears
It does not fill the emptiness inside me that makes me shed these tears
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Danny Elfman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind