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".
Time Is Running Out
Elliot Goldenthal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love baby, yeah
Gather round (c'mon)
What's sup baby, yeah
Listen up, got a lot to learn
Yeah
Check it out
Stay cool, stay fly
Number one
Time is running out
Number two
Time is running out
Number three
Time is running out
Number four
Let it all hang out
Give it the gas
We gotta rise to it
We gotta rise to it
We gotta get wise to it
Cos we're long gone baby
You know we're gonna make it
You know we're gonna shake it
Time is running out
Time is running out
Lay it on me
Rock it to me
Let it all hang out
Check it out man on the roof
Give it the gas
Love baby, yeah
Now you're getting yourself some oxygen
Love baby, yeah
You ding dong daddy
Hip to the tip
Hipping the hop one way ticket to Flipsville
You bent out of shape man
Coming apart like a two bit suitcase
Time is running out
Time is running out
Lay it on me
Rock it to me
Let it all hang out
At last but not least
We gotta rise to it
We gotta get wise to it
Cos we're long gone baby
Time is running out
Lay it on me
Rock it to me
Let it all hang out
You hear what I'm saying
Let it all hang out
You gotta chill, relax
The lyrics of Elliot Goldenthal's "Time Is Running Out" communicate a sense of urgency and a call to action. The singer is trying to motivate their audience to act quickly, because time is running out. The repeated phrase "time is running out" emphasizes the importance of urgency in one's life, and highlights the idea that there is a limited amount of time for achieving one's goals. The use of numbers (one, two, three, four) and the command to "give it the gas" suggest a regimented, step-by-step approach to meeting one's objectives, while the phrase "let it all hang out" suggests a desire to break free from any constraints and live life to the fullest.
The lyrics also include a number of phrases that emphasize the singer's cool and confident demeanor, such as "stay cool, stay fly," "hip to the tip," and "ding dong daddy." The use of slang and colloquial language reinforces the idea that the singer is a charismatic and streetwise individual who is knowledgeable about the ways of the world. The lines "listen up, got a lot to learn" and "now you're getting yourself some oxygen" suggest that the singer is also trying to educate their audience and help them to breathe new life into their situation.
Overall, "Time Is Running Out" is a call-to-action song that encourages its listeners to take charge of their lives and live with urgency and purpose. The repeated phrase "time is running out" serves as a reminder that we only have a limited amount of time on this earth, and that we should make the most of it.
Line by Line Meaning
Gather round
Come together
Love baby, yeah
Embrace one another
Gather round (c'mon)
Come closer
What's sup baby, yeah
Greetings
Listen up, got a lot to learn
Pay attention
Yeah
Agreement
Check it out
Take a look
Stay cool, stay fly
Remain calm and composed
Number one
Priority
Time is running out
Urgency
Number two
Importance
Number three
Significance
Number four
Finality
Let it all hang out
Unleash your true self
Give it the gas
Accelerate
We gotta rise to it
We have to confront it
We gotta get wise to it
We have to become smart
Cos we're long gone baby
Time is short
You know we're gonna make it
Be optimistic
You know we're gonna shake it
Be confident
Rock it to me
Entertain me
Check it out man on the roof
Observe the situation
Now you're getting yourself some oxygen
Breathe easy
You ding dong daddy
You silly guy
Hip to the tip
Fashionable
Hipping the hop one way ticket to Flipsville
Going crazy
You bent out of shape man
You're disheveled
Coming apart like a two bit suitcase
Falling apart
At last but not least
Finally
You hear what I'm saying
Pay attention
You gotta chill, relax
Calm down
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: HOWARD GRAY, NORMAN FISHER-JONES, TREVOR GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris Shinyo
ABSOLUTELY GREAT MOVIE!!! Love this song!!!
Starship
This music always plays in my mind when i'm late for something!
imthetank3
I love this song lol. This is a song that wont get old.... and the movie too....loved the movie.
SteelSnail
I'm more of a metal guy but this song gets my heart pumping when I watch the movie.
Heavnick7
I've been looking for this song for years... XD Love it !!! Such an amazing rhythm...
ninjamalta
I love this song!
Zach A
Great song in a great movie!!Special Weapon And Tactics for Ever!!
Danny Cook
i love the song but i also love the film scene where this song is being played in the airplane AWESOME!!!!
Michael De Santa
this song is awsome! i love the bass and the sound
nannymac47
Elliot Goldenthal rocks as a composer. He did the music for Frida too and so much more.