Elliot Goldenthal (born May 2, 1954) is an American composer of contemporar… Read Full Bio ↴Elliot Goldenthal (born May 2, 1954) is an American composer of contemporary classical music and film and theatrical scores. A student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, he is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original and inventive ways. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2002 for his score to the motion picture Frida, directed by his longtime partner Julie Taymor.

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".

Sympathy for the Devil
Elliot Goldenthal Lyrics

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Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate

Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

I stuck around St. Petersberg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain

I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the Blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
What's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah

I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the Gods they made

I shouted out
"Who killed the Kennedys?"
When after all
It was you and me

Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's confusing you
Is just the nature of my game

Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, um yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, um baby, get down

Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!

Tell me baby, what's my name
Tell me honey, baby guess my name
Tell me baby, what's my name
I tell you one time, you're to blame

Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Oh, yeah

What's my name
Tell me, baby, what's my name
Tell me, sweetie, what's my name

Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who

Ooo, who, who
Oh, yeah

Overall Meaning

The song "Sympathy for the Devil" is a timeless classic by the American composer Elliot Goldenthal, covered by various artists over the years. One of the reasons for its enduring appeal is its lyrics, which are both cryptic and alluring. The singer in the song is the Devil, who introduces himself as a man of wealth and taste who has been around for thousands of years, stealing souls and faith. He boasts about his involvement in some of the significant moments of human history, such as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Russian Revolution, and World War II.

The Devil seems amused by humans' struggle for power and their belief in gods, which he sees as a futile attempt to create meaning in a meaningless world. He blames humans for their suffering and reminds them that he is a part of them. The final lines of the song, "Tell me baby, what's my name/Tell me honey, baby guess my name/Tell me baby, what's my name/I tell you one time, you're to blame," reflect the idea that the Devil is an intrinsic part of human nature and that humans are responsible for their actions.

The lyrics of "Sympathy for the Devil" are intentionally ambiguous, allowing listeners to interpret it in various ways. Some see it as a cautionary tale about the dangers of temptation and evil, while others see it as a critique of religion and the way it can justify violence and oppression. Regardless of the interpretation, the song's message is clear: the Devil is always present, and it's up to us to resist his charms.

Line by Line Meaning

Please allow me to introduce myself
Hello there, let me tell you a little about myself

I'm a man of wealth and taste
I have a lot of money and enjoy the finer things in life

I've been around for a long, long year
I have been alive for a very long time

Stole many a man's soul and faith
I have led many people astray and caused them to lose their faith

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
I was present during the time of Jesus Christ

Had his moment of doubt and pain
When Jesus experienced difficulty and uncertainty

Made damn sure that Pilate
I took measures to ensure that Pilate would take action

Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pilate took responsibility for Jesus' fate and sealed it

Pleased to meet you
Nice to meet you

Hope you guess my name
I hope you can figure out who I am

But what's puzzling you
But I can tell you're confused by me

Is the nature of my game
What I do and why I do it is confusing to you

I stuck around St. Petersberg
I remained in St. Petersburg for some time

When I saw it was a time for a change
I recognized that change was needed

Killed the Czar and his ministers
I was involved in the killing of the Czar and his ministers

Anastasia screamed in vain
Anastasia's screams went unheard

I rode a tank
I was in a tank

Held a general's rank
I was a high-ranking military officer

When the Blitzkrieg raged
During the height of the Blitzkrieg

And the bodies stank
The smell of death was everywhere

I watched with glee
I watched with intense pleasure

While your kings and queens
While your leaders

Fought for ten decades
Fought for many years

For the Gods they made
For the ideals they created

I shouted out
I called out loudly

"Who killed the Kennedys?"
"Who is responsible for the death of the Kennedys?"

When after all
But in reality

It was you and me
It was our collective actions that led to their deaths

Let me please introduce myself
Once again, let me tell you a little about me

And I laid traps for troubadours
I set traps for traveling musicians

Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Who would often meet their demise before reaching Bombay

But what's puzzling you
But you're still trying to figure me out

Is the nature of my game,
My motives and actions are difficult to understand

Just as every cop is a criminal
Just like how every cop can be deemed a criminal

And all the sinners saints
And how all those who sin are made into saints

As heads is tails
As one thing can be the opposite of another

Just call me Lucifer
You might as well refer to me as Lucifer

'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
I might act out if I'm not held back

So if you meet me
If you ever come across me

Have some courtesy
Be polite

Have some sympathy, and some taste
Try to understand my perspective and act accordingly

Use all your well-learned politesse
Use everything you've learned about being polite

Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah
Or I'll end up destroying you

Oh yeah
Oh yeah

Tell me baby, what's my name
Can you guess what my name is?

Tell me honey, baby guess my name
Can you give it a guess?

Tell me baby, what's my name
Just one more time, can you guess my name?

I tell you one time, you're to blame
If you can't guess it, it's your fault

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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