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 (nΓ©e 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 β 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 β 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.
This is Halloween
Danny Elfman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wouldn't you like to see something strange
Come with us and you will see,
This our town of Halloween
This is Halloween, this is Halloween,
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene,
Trick or treat till the neighbours come and die of fright
In this town of Halloween
I am the one hiding under your bed,
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red
I am the one hiding under your stairs,
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
In this town we call home,
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
In this town, don't we love it now,
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise
Round that corner, then,
Hiding in the trash cans,
Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll..
Scream, this is Halloween,
Red and black and slimy green,
Aren't you scared?
Well, that's just fine,
Say it once, say it twice,
Take a chance and roll the dice,
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
Everybody scream, everybody scream,
In our town or Halloween
I am the clown with the tear-away face,
Here in a flash and gone without a trace
I am the who when you call "Who's there?",
I am the wind blowing through your hair
I am the shadow on the moon at night,
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
Tender lumplings everywhere,
Life's no fun without a good scare,
That's our job but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween
In this town, don't we love it now,
Everyone's waiting for the next surprise
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee,
Make you jump out of your skin!
This is Halloween, everybody scream,
Won't you please make way for a very special guy
Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch,
Everyone hail to the pumpkin king
Now, this is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
In this town we call home everyone hail to the pumpkin song
La la la la la, etc, etc...
The song "This is Halloween" from the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas" by Danny Elfman revolves around the central theme of Halloween. The song starts by inviting people of all ages to see something strange and witness the town's preparation for Halloween. The lyrics describe the decorations and peculiarities that accompany Halloween night. Pumpkins are carved, screams are heard in the dead of the night, and the townspeople make a scene by trick or treating until their neighbors come and die of fright. The song explains how the town is of Halloween, and everyone in the town loves the surprises that the festival brings.
The song mentions the darker aspects of Halloween as well. The lyrics describe the monsters that hide under beds and stairs, with sharp teeth, glowing eyes, and snake-like fingers, and spiders in their hair. The singer speaks about a clown with a tear-away face and the wind blowing through one's hair to fill their dreams with fright. The final part of the song describes Skeleton Jack, the pumpkin king of the town, catching people in the back, making them scream like a banshee, and jumping out of their skin. The lyrics overall paint a picture of a town that is equal parts creepy and charming, full of monsters, zombies, and other creatures that come alive during Halloween night.
Line by Line Meaning
Boys and girls of every age
People of all ages gather around
Wouldn't you like to see something strange
Curious to explore the eerie and weird
Come with us and you will see,
Join us and explore this town of Halloween
This our town of Halloween
The town is transformed, embracing the spirit of Halloween
This is Halloween, this is Halloween,
This is the night of chills, this is the night of Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
Pumpkins come to life in the eerie stillness of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene,
Everyone puts on a show, making the night even more memorable
Trick or treat till the neighbours come and die of fright
Knock on every door, until the neighbors are scared out of their wits
It's our town, everybody scream,
It may be a spooky town, but we are all united in eerie fun
In this town of Halloween
A town where the night of Halloween reigns supreme
I am the one hiding under your bed,
A creature lurks under your bed, waiting to pounce
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red
The creature's teeth are sharp, and eyes are glowing a bright red
I am the one hiding under your stairs,
Another creature waits under the stairs, hidden from sight
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
Long, wiry fingers and hair filled with spiders, a frightening figure indeed
This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
This indeed is the night of spooks, the night of Halloween
In this town we call home,
In this town where Halloween is the norm
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
Everybody celebrates to the sound of the pumpkin song
In this town, don't we love it now,
In this town, everyone is mad about the night of Halloween
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise
Everyone is anticipating the next scary thrill of the night
Round that corner, then,
Around every bend and corner, lurks the next scare
Hiding in the trash cans,
Horror hides in unlikely places, like trash cans
Something's waiting now to pounce and how you'll..
Something waits to jump out, scaring you out of your wits
Scream, this is Halloween,
Scream out loud, this is the night of Halloween
Red and black and slimy green,
The colors of the night are eerie and slimy
Aren't you scared? Well, that's just fine,
It's alright to feel scared, that's the thrill of Halloween
Say it once, say it twice,
Maybe say it thrice or more, to feel more fearless
Take a chance and roll the dice,
Take a risk, and experience more chills and frights
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
Ride along with the moon, as it shines down on the night of Halloween
Everybody scream, everybody scream,
Scream together, and feel the thrill of the night
In our town or Halloween
This is Halloween, in our town of eerie sights and sounds
I am the clown with the tear-away face,
I am the clown who can peel off my face, revealing true terror beneath
Here in a flash and gone without a trace
I'm here one moment, and then gone the next, like a shadow fleeing the light
I am the who when you call "Who's there?",
I am the one who answers when you knock, but with sinister intentions
I am the wind blowing through your hair
I am the chilling breeze blowing through your hair, signaling the arrival of terror
I am the shadow on the moon at night,
I am the shadow that looms over the moon at night, instilling a sense of dread
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
Filling your dreams with eerie and scary experiences, causing you to wake up in fright
Tender lumplings everywhere,
Soft objects scattered all around
Life's no fun without a good scare,
Life becomes more exciting with a bit of spookiness thrown in
That's our job but we're not mean
It's our job to scare, but not with any malicious intent
In our town of Halloween
Where the night is full of spookiness, in our town of Halloween
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
Be careful not to let Skeleton Jack catch you off guard, or it will send a chill down your spine
And scream like a banshee,
And belch out a scream like a banshee, causing your heart to skip a beat
Make you jump out of your skin!
It will make you so scared that you will jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everybody scream,
This is what Halloween is all about, scream together and enjoy the terror
Won't you please make way for a very special guy
Make way for a very special guy who has set his sights on Halloween
Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch,
Jack, the king of Halloween, dominates the town like a mighty ruler
Everyone hail to the pumpkin king
Everyone bows down to the ruler of Halloween, the Pumpkin King
Now, this is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
This is what Halloween is all about, and we celebrate it with great excitement and enthusiasm
In this town we call home everyone hail to the pumpkin song
In Halloween town, everyone rejoices to the melody of the pumpkin song
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Danny Elfman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind