The band from Los Angeles, California, USA, a pared-down version of the theatrical troupe The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, released eight major albums and two live compilations, each containing songs that varied from fast-paced ska to soulful jazz to emotional rock to off-kilter pop.
Starting in 1980, Oingo Boingo spent their first three albums establishing themselves as a band with quirky, bizarre, sarcastic, and anti-conformist vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation, among other things lambasting "normal" society and politics for their many hypocrisies and encouraging people to think for themselves. The band made a change toward a different sound when frontman Danny Elfman recorded So-lo in collaboration with the band and a new label, beginning a trio of "new wave"-ish albums containing ballads and songs about life and mortality, including the famous Dead Man's Party. The band went on to record Dark at the End of the Tunnel, a change toward a sort of Boingo-esqe "spirituality", and finally recorded their last album: dark, guitar-driven, hornless, influenced by the Beatles and Pink Floyd, eponymous with the new band name Boingo.
Now mostly known for their frequent contribution to movie soundtracks (including their most successful song "Weird Science"), Oingo Boingo formally broke up in 1995 after their last Halloween live concert, the reason being that 'it was time.'
Throughout the years, the following joined Elfman and Bartek as members of Oingo Boingo:
Leon Schneiderman - baritone and alto saxophones, percussion, backing vocals
John 'Vatos' Hernandez - drums, percussion
Kerry Hatch - bass, bass synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals
Sam 'Sluggo' Phipps - tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet, percussion, backing vocals, flute
Dale Turner - trumpet, trombone, percussion, guitar, backing vocals
Richard Gibbs - keyboards, synthesizer, trombone, percussion, backing vocals
John Avila - bass, bass synthesizer, percussion, accordion, backing vocals
Michael Bacich - keyboards, backing vocals
Carl Graves - keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals, electronic percussion pad
Warren Fitzgerald - guitar
Doug Lacy (aka Doug Legacy) - percussion, trombone, accordion
Marc Mann - keyboards, samples
Aftermath
Since the band's dissolution, frontman Danny Elfman has continued to find success in his career writing film scores, particularly in collaboration with director Tim Burton; he almost exclusively employs Boingo guitarist Steve Bartek as orchestrator. His film scores have included Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Good Will Hunting, Men in Black, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, Big Fish, and dozens more. Elfman also wrote the themes for more than a dozen TV series, including The Simpsons, Batman: The Animated Series, Desperate Housewives, Tales from the Crypt, and Sledge Hammer!.
Steve Bartek, besides working with Danny, has composed music for various TV shows, including Tales from the Crypt and Desperate Housewives, and movie scores, such as The Art of Travel, Meet the Deedles and Cabin Boy.
Vatos formed a concert show along with Sluggo, Bartek, and Avila in California. The concert show features performances of Oingo Boingo's most popular songs. This has led to speculation about a reunion. In early 2007, Danny Elfman said there would not be a reunion. He has irreversible hearing loss and is worried that playing live would exacerbate it. He stated that some members may also suffer from the condition.
The Oingo Boingo spirit is kept alive by tribute band Dead Man's Party, which performs regularly in Southern California - occasionally with original Boingos Steve Bartek, John Avila, and John Hernandez. Lead singer Robert Elfaizy sings quite impressive "Danny Elfman" vocals.
Other Projects
John Avila and Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez were two members of the trio Food For Feet. They also formed the rhythm section of Tito & Tarantula, a Los Angeles band fronted by Tito Larriva of The Plugz and the Cruzados. Avila and Hernandez also joined Larriva and guitarist Stevie Hufstetted in a one-off project band called Psychotic Aztecs. The Aztecs released one album on the Grita called Santa Sangre.
After the break-up, John Avila, guitarist Steve Bartek, drummer Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, and saxophonist Sam Phipps (along with Doug Lacy and other musicians) formed a band called Doug & The Mystics. They recorded one album, New Hat, which included a cover of the Oingo Boingo song "Try to Believe," original songs, and covers of songs by Frank Zappa and other artists.
During the Halloween 2005 season, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez put together a tribute to the band (and to Halloween itself), joined by former Oingo Boingo members Steve Bartek, John Avila, and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps which took place at the Grove of Anaheim. Standing in for Elfman was Bt4, a young man whom many fans call "the Danny byproduct." During the Halloween 2006 season, there were two Johnny Vatos Tribute to Halloween shows, one in Los Angeles and one in Orange County, with Vatos, Bartek, Avila, Phipps, Legacy, and Bt4 once again on vocals. "Vatos" has announced his intentions of hosting yet another concert along these lines in the 2007 Halloween season, this time at the House of Blues branches on the Sunset Strip and in Anaheim.
In 2005, John Avila, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, and Steve Bartek joined the list of performers on the soundtrack of the 2003 re-imagination of the classic sci-fi series, Battlestar Galactica. Richard Gibbs joined at this time as well, but is credited as both a performer and composer. Their performances can be heard in seasons two and three, and will likely be heard on subsequent seasons of the series as well.
Soundtrack Appearances
•The studio recording of "Goodbye, Goodbye" appears on the soundtrack to the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The song can only be found elsewhere on Boingo Alive and Best O' Boingo as a live recording.
•"Bachelor Party" and "Something Isn't Right" appear on the soundtrack to the 1984 film Bachelor Party. These songs can not be found on any Oingo Boingo albums. The soundtrack also includes "Who Do You Want To Be" from the album Good for Your Soul.
•In the 1984 John Hughes film Sixteen Candles, the character of Farmer Ted dances spastically to "Wild Sex (In The Working Class)" from the album Nothing To Fear.
•"Hold Me Back" and "Only A Lad" are featured during the opening and closing credits, respectively, of the 1984 film Surf II.
•"No One Lives Forever" can be heard during the bridge scene in the 1986 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.
•"Not My Slave" can be heard on the car radio during a scene in the 1986 film Something Wild.
•"Happy" appears on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Summer School. This song cannot be found on any Oingo Boingo albums.
•"Better Luck Next Time" appears on the soundtrack to the 1982 film The Last American Virgin. This song cannot be found on any Oingo Boingo albums.
•"Who Do You Want To Be" appears on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Teen Wolf Too.
•"Try To Believe" (performed by Oingo Boingo under the alias "Mosley and the B-Men") can be heard in the 1988 film Midnight Run, which was scored by Danny Elfman. This version of the song is different from the version on the album Dark at the End of the Tunnel.
•"Same Man I Was Before" can be heard in the 1988 film My Best Friend Is a Vampire.
•The studio version of "Winning Side" appears on the soundtrack to the 1989 film She's Out of Control.
•"Flesh 'N Blood" appears on the soundtrack to the 1989 film Ghostbusters II. A short snippet is played as background music during the film.
•"Skin" can be heard on the radio (though not performed by Oingo Boingo) during a scene in the 1990 Clive Barker film Nightbreed.
•Susanna Hoffs covered "We Close Our Eyes" for the soundtrack to the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The song can be heard during the closing credits.
•"No One Lives Forever" can be heard in the 1997 television film Casper: A Spirited Beginning.
•"Home Again" appeared in the John Hughes film Home Alone 3 in 1997.
•A slightly altered version of "Forbidden Zone" was the theme song to the animated television show Dilbert (1999).
•"Stay" can be heard in the director's cut of the 2001 film Donnie Darko.
•"Violent Love" can be heard in the 1990 film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
•"Capitalism" appears on the soundtrack to the 2005 film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.
•"Dead Man's Party" can be heard during a costume party in the "Witch Hunt" (2006) episode of the television show NCIS.
•The live recording of "Who Do You Want To Be" (from the album Boingo Alive) appears on the soundtrack to the 2005 video game Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. It is also featured in the 2005 Nintendo DS version of Tony Hawk's American Sk8land.
•"Dead Man's Party" is a selectable song in the 2006 Xbox video game Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 4.
•"Only A Lad" was featured in the 2007 video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s.
•"Weird Science" made an appearance in Beavis and Butthead as a music video. However, the duo disliked the song because Butthead believes that "this guy (Danny Elfman) thinks he's smart." Beavis disliked it because he said that "college music sucks." The duo decided to change the channel.
•"Home Again" can be heard at the end credits of the 1986 film Wisdom, written and directed by Emilio Estevez. The soundtrack to Wisdom is also the first all electronic film score that Danny Elfman created for the film.
•"Not My Slave" plays during the 1987 film Like Father Like Son starring Kirk Cameron.
•"Dead Man's Party" is also performed by Oingo Boingo in the movie back to school staring Rodney Dangerfield.
All The Pieces
Oingo Boingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run and hide your pretty face
Go far
To find a secret place
Go run
Inside
You are paying such a price
No one else could run your life
Inside
Think twice
You are running out of time
Inside
Shattered by your own design
You can make believe that somehow
Everything is right
You can make the pieces fit, but you're
Just jumping with your eyes closed
From the fire
Into the oven
Show the world
How much you suffer
Because after you come all undone
Set off like a loaded gun
Someone's got to go pick up
All the pieces
'Cause you
Always run from what you need
It's true
Must be something ‘bout the way
You see yourself
You turn pity into pride
Inside
It must hurt so bad inside
Because every time you try to see
Things clear again
You just run and hide
And make things worse
You close your eyes and jump right
From the fire
Into the oven
Run away
Where you'll discover
Because after you come all undone
Set off like a loaded gun
Someone's got to go pick up
All the pieces
From the fire
Into the oven
Run away
Where you'll discover
All the pieces
Go pick up all the pieces
All the pieces
All the pieces
The lyrics to Oingo Boingo's "All the Pieces" seem to be about someone who is struggling with something internally and is constantly trying to escape it. The lines "Go run, run and hide your pretty face, go far to find a secret place" suggest that the person is trying to escape from others, and possibly their problems, by running away. The repeated use of the word "inside" emphasizes that this person is struggling with something internal and can't seem to escape it.
The chorus of the song seems to be saying that despite the person's best efforts to escape, they are still not able to fix the problems that are plaguing them. The line "You can make the pieces fit, but you're just jumping with your eyes closed" suggests that even when they try to fix things, they are doing it blindly and without really knowing what they're doing. The line "Show the world how much you suffer" seems to suggest that this person wants others to see how much they are struggling, possibly as a cry for help.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics seem to suggest that this person might need to face their problems head-on in order to finally "pick up all the pieces." However, the line "It must hurt so bad inside" suggests that this won't be an easy task for them. Overall, the lyrics to "All the Pieces" seem to be about someone who is struggling with their own internal demons and is constantly trying to escape them.
Line by Line Meaning
Go run
Escape from your current situation
Run and hide your pretty face
Avoid confronting your problems
Go far
Travel to a distant place
To find a secret place
Discover a hidden location
Inside
Introspect about your inner self
You are paying such a price
Suffering the consequences of your actions
No one else could run your life
You are responsible for your own decisions
Think twice
Consider your actions carefully
You are running out of time
There is a limited window to make amends
Shattered by your own design
The problems are a result of your choices
You can make believe that somehow
Deceive yourself into thinking that
Everything is right
All is well
You can make the pieces fit, but you're
You can force the pieces to fit, but
Just jumping with your eyes closed
You are blindly taking action
From the fire
From a bad situation
Into the oven
To another bad situation
Show the world
Display to others
How much you suffer
The extent of your misery
Because after you come all undone
When everything falls apart
Set off like a loaded gun
React impulsively
Someone's got to go pick up
Someone needs to clean up the mess
All the pieces
The broken fragments
'Cause you
Because you
Always run from what you need
Avoid what would truly help you
It's true
It is a fact
Must be something ‘bout the way
There must be something
You see yourself
Your self-perception
You turn pity into pride
You transform sympathy into arrogance
It must hurt so bad inside
You must feel immense pain
Because every time you try to see
When you attempt to view
Things clear again
The situation truthfully
You just run and hide
You still try to avoid it
And make things worse
Complicate the problems further
You close your eyes and jump right
You act recklessly and thoughtlessly
Run away
Escape
Where you'll discover
Where you may uncover something
All the pieces
All the broken parts
Go pick up all the pieces
Take responsibility for your actions
All the pieces
All the fragments that need repairing
All the pieces
All the components that make up your life
Contributed by Evelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dummyGoat
lyrics
Go run
Run and hide your pretty face
Go far
To find a secret place
Go run
Inside
You are paying such a price
Inside
No one else could run your life
Inside
Think twice
You are running out of time
Inside
Shattered by your own design
You can make believe that somehow
Everything is right
You can make the pieces fit, but you're Just jumping with your eyes closed
From the fire
Into the oven
Show the world
How much you suffer
Because after you come all undone
Set off like a loaded gun
Someone's got to go pick up
All the pieces
'Cause you
Always run from what you need
It's true
Must be something 'bout the way
You see yourself
You turn pity into pride
Inside
It must hurt so bad inside
Because every time you try to see
Things clear again
You just run and hide
And make things worse
You close your eyes and jump right
From the fire
Into the oven
Run away
Where you'll discover
Because after you come all undone
Set off like a loaded gun
Someone's got to go pick up
All the pieces
From the fire
Into the oven
Run away
Where you'll discover
Because after you come all undone
Set off like a loaded gun
Someone's got to go pick up
All the pieces
All the pieces
Go pick up
all the pieces
All the pieces
All the pieces
@Kevin-sc4nk
Go run
Run and hide your pretty face
Go far
To find a secret place
Go run
Inside
You are paying such a price
Inside
No one else could run your life
Inside
Think twice
You are running out of time
Inside
Shattered by your own design
You can make believe that somehow
Everything is right
You can make the peices fit but you're
Just jumping with your eyes closed
From the fire
Into the oven
Show the world
How much you suffer
Because after you come all undone
Set off like a loaded gun
Someone's got to go pick up
All the peices
'Cause you
Always run from what you need
It's true
Must be something bout the way
You see yourself
You turn pity into pride
Inside
It must hurt so bad inside
Because every time you try to see
Things clear again
You just run and hide
And make things worse
You close your eyes and jump right
From the fire
Into the oven
Run away
Where you'll discover
From the fire
Into the oven
Run away
Where you'll discover
All the peices
Go pick up all the peices
All the peices
All the peices
@CrimCrim
Oingo Boingo after making the best song ever: don't release it
@AlwaysBewitchTheMind
HONESTLY
@devosanity
YEAH FR
@jmbenny63
FOR REAL
@blebbbder6216
same with helpless and vultures on the regular boingo tracklist and yet change is 15 minutes long ):
@TurtleDogProductions123
For me, this song and Better Luck Next Time definitely deserved an official release. They’re amazing
@DeadMansMixtape
I love Oingo Boingo so so much, Danny Elfman is such a genuine talent. But what the actual fuck was he thinking with the track lists for the albums. I swear on every album the cut songs are superior to the ones actually on the album!
@Vcxnt_dracxlaV
truer words could not be said - cry of the vatos my ass,,, this song is the real good for your soul shit.
@jayrobb9
And did we REALLY need 6 minutes of Weird Science when there were so many better songs laying around?
@yourfairyking
@@Vcxnt_dracxlaV Cry of the Vatos is something we definitely both agree on. It has some appeal, but as the only instrumental track on that album, and for it to literally be placed randomly in the list, it's just pointless. Maybe they thought this sounded too much like GFYS, but I think it would've complemented that track well.