Goldenthal was born on May 2, 1954, the youngest son of a Jewish housepainter father and a Catholic seamstress mother in Brooklyn, New York City, where he was influenced from an early age by music from all cultures and genres. Both pairs of Goldenthal's grandparents emigrated to the United States from Bucharest and Iași, Romania. Goldenthal lived in a multi-cultural part of town, and this is reflected in his works. He attended John Dewey High School in Brooklyn where, at the age of 14, he had his very first ballet Variations on Early Glimpses performed; he continued to display his eclectic musical range, performing with rock bands in the seventies. He then studied music full-time at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with composer John Corigliano (whom he greatly admired), to earn his Bachelor of Music degree (1977) and Master of Music degree (1979) in musical composition.
Goldenthal has written works for concert hall, theater, dance and film. His work includes music for films such as Alien 3, Michael Collins, Batman Forever, Heat and the Academy Award-winning score for Julie Taymor's Frida, a movie in which Goldenthal had a small acting part as a "Newsreel Reporter". Incidentally he also had a small part in the stage show Juan Darièn as a "Circus Barker / Streetsinger".
The Tony-Award-winning Juan Darién: A Carnival Mass (1988/'96) and The Green Bird (1999), based on a story by Carlo Gozzi, are a two of the composer's theatre works. In 2006, Goldenthal completed his original three-act opera with Taymor entitled Grendel an adaptation of the John Gardner novel of the same name which told the story of Beowulf from the monster Grendel's point of view. It had its world premiere in early June 2006 at the Los Angeles Opera, the role of Grendel performed by Eric Owens, with an audience that included John Williams and Emmy Rossum; the opus was added to the Los Angeles Opera's permanent repertoire and earned Goldenthal a nomination in April 2007 for the Pulitzer Prize for Music. In 2008 Goldenthal reunited with Michael Mann to score 1930s gangster movie Public Enemies and in 2009 he scored another Julie Taymor Shakespeare adaptation, The Tempest. He cites Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu as an influence and someone he styles his own career on; Goldenthal has said that the lines between traditional concert music and orchestral film score have become more blurred which is the way he thinks it should be. He has also collaborated four times with Irish director Neil Jordan, including on his films Interview with the Vampire and In Dreams.
Elliot Goldenthal has been called the "thinking man's composer" by film-music collectors and a generally more cerebral choice for film makers and lovers of film music. He is known for his experimentation, nuances and willingness to try unconventional techniques. He has scored films in almost every genre from horror to action to Shakespeare adaptations. He has not yet scored comedy, but he has composed comedic motifs for several films such as Demolition Man and the Batman series. His eclectic output has gained him a great deal of respect in the music and film communities and with fans. He is widely appreciated for his musical abilities and distinctive style, although some find his work to be too experimental or inaccessible. His action music is brutal and atonal. Sometimes, in underscore, he uses very fast French horn passages with bending tones and whining. Goldenthal has said that he doesn't "hear" atonal and tonal, rather, "I either hear melody or I hear sonority".
Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree
Elliot Goldenthal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wrote my father
And now I'm writing you too
I'm sure of mother
I'm sure of father
Now I wanna be sure of you
Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me
No! No! No!
Just remember that I've been true to nobody else but you
So just be true to me
Don't go walking down lovers' lane with anyone else but me
Anyone else but me, anyone else but me
No! No! No!
Don't start showing off all your charms in somebody else's arms
You must be true to me
I'm so afraid that the plans we made underneath those moonlit skies
Will fade away and you're bound to stray if the stars get in your eyes
So, don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me
You're my L-O-V-E.
Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me
Anyone else but me, anyone else but me
No! No! No!
Just remember that I've been true to nobody else but you
So just be true to me
Don't go walking down lovers' lane with anyone else but me
Anyone else but me, anyone else but me
No! No! No!
Don't start showing off all your charms in somebody else's arms
You must be true to me
I'm so afraid that the plans we made underneath those moonlit skies
Will fade away and you're bound to stray if the stars get in your eyes
So, don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me
The lyrics of Elliot Goldenthal's song "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" are about romantic commitment and loyalty. The singer is addressing their beloved and expressing their fear that the plans they made will be forgotten if they stray with someone else. The refrain, "Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me," is a plea for exclusivity and monogamy. The singer insists that they have been faithful to their partner and now wants the same commitment in return.
The song is composed in a romantic and upbeat style that reflects the singer's passionate eagerness. The apple tree symbolizes a place where two people can sit and enjoy each other's company, but to do so with anyone else would be to risk losing the special connection they share. The line "you're my L-O-V-E" emphasizes the importance of the relationship and reinforces the desire for a lasting commitment.
Overall, the song is an expression of the singer's love and devotion for their partner, and their desire for that love to be reciprocated with loyalty and fidelity.
Line by Line Meaning
I wrote my mother
I've written to my mother to tell her how I feel.
I wrote my father
I've written to my father to share my emotions.
And now I'm writing you too
I'm now writing to you because I trust both my parents and want to trust you as well.
I'm sure of mother
I trust my mother.
I'm sure of father
I trust my father.
Now I wanna be sure of you
Now, I want to be able to trust you like I trust my parents.
Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me
I don't want you to be with anyone else except for me.
Anyone else but me, anyone else but me
I don't want you to be with anyone else except for me.
Just remember that I've been true to nobody else but you
I want you to know that I've only been faithful to you and nobody else.
So just be true to me
I want you to be faithful to me as well.
Don't go walking down lovers' lane with anyone else but me
I don't want you to go out with anyone else except for me.
Don't start showing off all your charms in somebody else's arms
I don't want you to show your affection towards someone else.
You must be true to me
I want you to be faithful to me.
I'm so afraid that the plans we made underneath those moonlit skies
I'm worried that the promises we made under the moonlight will disappear.
Will fade away and you're bound to stray if the stars get in your eyes
Our plans will not work out if you are distracted by something else.
You're my L-O-V-E.
You have my love.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEW BROWN, SAM H. STEPT, CHARLES TOBIAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dave Terrasidio
Love Goldenthal, his score for this film (which was OK) is amazing, really off the wall, weird and beautiful!
John Redmond
Elliot Goldenthal is perhaps not only the greatest modern film composer, but the greatest classical composer around at the moment. A complete genius.
adaptiveplexus
this reminds me of the time my cat joined the Illuminati and faked the moon landing for the Chinese, he got a big check in the mail and blew it all on strippers now he works at Wal-Mart stocking the shelves
Quindecillion
99.000