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.
Let's Work Together
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Divided we'll fall
Come on now people
Let's get on the ball
And work together
Come on, come on
Let's work together
(Now now people)
Every boy, every girl and man
People, when things go wrong
As they sometimes will
And the road you travel
It stays all uphill
Let's work together
Come on, come on
Let's work together
You know together we will stand
Every boy, girl, woman and man
Oh well now, two or three minutes
Two or three hours
What does it matter now
In this life of ours
Let's work together
Come on, come on
Let's work together
(Now now people)
Because together we will stand
Every boy, every woman and man
Ahhh, come on now
Ahhh, come on, let's work together
Well now, make someone happy
Make someone smile
Let's all work together
And make life worthwhile
Let's work together
Come on, come on
Let's work together
(Now now people)
Because together we will stand
Every boy, girl, woman and man
Oh well now, come on you people
Walk hand in hand
Let's make this world of ours
A good place to stand
And work together
Come on, come on
Let's work together
(Now now people)
Because together we will stand
Every boy, girl, woman and man
Well now together we will stand
Every boy, girl, woman and man
The lyrics to Danny Elfman's song Let's Work Together are a call for unity and collaboration. The first two lines, "Together we'll stand, divided we'll fall," are a common phrase that speaks to the idea that strength comes from working together. The next few lines urge people to come together and get to work. The repetition of "let's work together" emphasizes the importance of collaboration and unity.
The third verse speaks to the challenges that people face. Life can be difficult, and sometimes the road is all uphill. However, by working together, we can overcome those challenges. The final verse is a call to action, urging people to spread happiness and make life worthwhile. The phrase "make life worthwhile" speaks to the idea that our lives have value and purpose, and that we can make a difference by working together.
Overall, the lyrics of Let's Work Together are a powerful reminder of the importance of unity and collaboration.
Line by Line Meaning
Together we'll stand
If we unite, we can face any challenge and come out victorious.
Divided we'll fall
If we remain divided and refuse to work together, we will fail and suffer the consequences.
Come on now people
This is a call to action, asking everyone to contribute their efforts towards a common goal.
Let's get on the ball
It's time to start taking action and getting things done.
And work together
The key to success is collaboration and cooperation.
Come on, come on
Urging people to not waste any more time and to get started right away.
Because together we will stand
Reiterating the importance of unity and how it can lead to success.
Every boy, every girl and man
Regardless of gender or age, everyone has a part to play in achieving the common goal.
People, when things go wrong
When things don't go as planned, this is a reminder to not give up and to keep pushing forward.
As they sometimes will
Acknowledging that setbacks and failures are inevitable.
And the road you travel
Referring to the path that one takes towards their goals.
It stays all uphill
Many of the challenges that we face are difficult and require hard work and persistence.
You know together we will stand
Confidently asserting the power of unity and how it can help us overcome obstacles.
Oh well now, two or three minutes
The amount of time that it takes to achieve something is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Two or three hours
No matter how long it takes to achieve our goals, we should remain committed to making it happen.
What does it matter now
The time that it takes to accomplish something is not important in comparison to the end result.
In this life of ours
Referring to the journey that we take in our lifetimes and the many challenges that we face.
Ahhh, come on now
Encouraging people to stay motivated and to not give up.
Make someone happy
Encouraging people to do good things for others and bring happiness into their lives.
Make someone smile
Encouraging people to do good things that bring joy to others.
Let's all work together
As a group, we can make a much bigger impact than if we work alone.
And make life worthwhile
By working together and doing good things for others, we can make our lives and the lives of others more fulfilling.
Come on you people
A call to action, urging everyone to get involved and do their part.
Walk hand in hand
Working together and supporting each other towards the common goal.
Let's make this world of ours
Acknowledging that we are all inhabitants of the same planet and we all have a responsibility to make it a better place.
A good place to stand
By working together and doing good things for others, we can make our lives and the lives of others more fulfilling.
Well now together we will stand
Reiterating the power of unity and how it can help us achieve our goals.
Every boy, girl, woman and man
Emphasizing that everyone has a role to play in making the world a better place.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILBERT HARRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danskyl7
This is a thief national theme when they robbing a bank.
Bimmer Brax
Canned Heat ;)
Nitros64
Compposer danny elfman??? lol