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 (nรฉe 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 โ 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 โ 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.
Remains of the Day
Danny Elfman Lyrics
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At least those of you who still got an ear
I'll tell you a story that'll make a skeleton cry
Of our own jubiliciously lovely corpse bride
Die, die we all pass away
But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay
And you might try and hide
But we all end up the remains of the day
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah (that's right)
Yeah yeah yeah
Well our girl is a beauty known for miles around
When a mysterious stranger came into town
He's plenty good-looking, but down on his cash
And our poor little baby, she fell hard and fast
When her daddy said no, she just couldn't cope
So our lovers came up with a plan to elope
Die, die we all pass away
But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay
And you might try and hide
And you might try and pray
But we all end up the remains of the day
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Oh, that's right.
Okay. Oh, yeah.
Come on, boys, pick it up
Yeah. Like it.
Okay, Chancy, take it.
Yeah. Yeah! That's nice
Yeah!
So they conjured up a plan to meet late at night
They told not a soul, kept the whole thing tight
Now, her mother's wedding dress fit like a glove
You don't need much when you're really in love
Except for a few things, or some told
Like the family jewels and a satchel of gold
Then next to the graveyard by the old oak tree
On a dark foggy night at a quarter to three
She was ready to go, but where was he?
And then?
She waited
And then?
There in the shadows, was it her man?
And then?
Her little heart beat so loud
And then?
And then baby, everything went black
Now when she opened her eyes she was dead as dust
Her jewels were missing and her heart was bust
So she made a vow lying under that tree
That she'd wait for her true love to come set her free
Always waiting for someone to ask for her hand
When out of the blue comes this groovy young man
Who vows forever to be by her side
And that's the story of our own corpse bride
Die, die we all pass away
But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay
And you might try and hide
And you might try and pray
But we all end up the remains of the day
Danny Elfman's song "Remains of the Day" is a poignant and expressive tune that narrates the story of a woman named Corpse Bride. The song begins with the singer addressing the "corpses of cheer," inviting those who "still got an ear" to listen to a story that will move even a skeleton to tears. The audience is introduced to the Corpse Bride, who is described as a beautiful woman known for miles around. She falls head-over-heels for a mysterious stranger who comes to town, but her father disapproves of the match, and they decide to elope.
The song then takes on a more ominous tone as it is revealed that the Corpse Bride is dead. She waits for her true love to come and set her free, always waiting for someone to ask for her hand. Finally, a young man comes along and vows to be by her side forever. The song ends with the poignant reminder that we all pass away, but it's okay, and we all end up as the remains of the day.
The poignant and emotive lyrics of "Remains of the Day" capture the essence of the Corpse Bride's story, and Elfman's evocative music adds layers of depth and feeling to the narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey! Give me a listen you corpses of cheer
I urge you to hear me out, even if you are dead inside
At least those of you who still got an ear
I speak to those who are still capable of hearing
I'll tell you a story that'll make a skeleton cry
I have a touching tale to share with you
Of our own jubiliciously lovely corpse bride
It's about a beautiful bride who met a tragic end
Die, die we all pass away
We will all meet our inevitable deaths
But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay
But it's not something we should be sad about
And you might try and hide
You might try to avoid thinking about it
And you might try and pray
Or you might try to find comfort in religion
But we all end up the remains of the day
But in the end, we all become part of the cycle of life and death
Well our girl is a beauty known for miles around
The bride was known for her exceptional beauty
When a mysterious stranger came into town
A stranger arrived in town, adding intrigue to the story
He's plenty good-looking, but down on his cash
He was attractive, but lacked financial stability
And our poor little baby, she fell hard and fast
The bride fell in love with him quickly
When her daddy said no, she just couldn't cope
But her father did not approve of the marriage
So our lovers came up with a plan to elope
So they made a secret plan to run away together
Oh, that's right.
Correct
Okay. Oh, yeah.
Alright. Oh, yes.
Come on, boys, pick it up
Come on, let's move forward
So they conjured up a plan to meet late at night
They devised a plan to secretly meet at night
They told not a soul, kept the whole thing tight
They did not tell anyone, keeping everything secret
Now, her mother's wedding dress fit like a glove
She wore her mother's wedding dress that fit her perfectly
You don't need much when you're really in love
Love is all you need
Except for a few things, or some told
Unless some people say otherwise
Like the family jewels and a satchel of gold
Like the family heirlooms and a bag of money
Then next to the graveyard by the old oak tree
They met by the graveyard, next to an old oak tree
On a dark foggy night at a quarter to three
It was a dark, misty night, almost three in the morning
She was ready to go, but where was he?
The bride was ready to leave, but her groom was missing
And then?
What happened next?
She waited
The bride waited for him
And then?
What came after?
There in the shadows, was it her man?
She saw a figure in the shadows and wondered if it was him
And then?
What happened next?
Her little heart beat so loud
Her heart began to race
And then baby, everything went black
And then suddenly, everything went dark
Now when she opened her eyes she was dead as dust
When she woke up, she was already dead
Her jewels were missing and her heart was bust
Her jewelry was gone, and her heart was broken
So she made a vow lying under that tree
She promised to wait for him even in death
That she'd wait for her true love to come set her free
She would wait for her true love to come and free her from the afterlife
Always waiting for someone to ask for her hand
Continuing to wait for someone to propose to her
When out of the blue comes this groovy young man
When suddenly, a young man appears
Who vows forever to be by her side
He promises to stay with her forever
And that's the story of our own corpse bride
And that's how she became the legendary corpse bride
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN MEISE AUGUST, DANNY ELFMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind