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.
Flesh 'N Blood
Oingo Boingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She lies overtime
You'd nail her if you could
But she says
Love me for my mind
In my time
I'm not that kind
Night size, perfect ten
So rude, she's no good
But as she says
It pays to win
Play to win
She plays to win
My friend's flesh and blood
Street wise for her time
You'd nail her if you could
But she says
Love me for my mind
In my time
The lyrics of "Flesh 'N Blood" by Oingo Boingo capture the inner struggles of a woman who is aware of her physical appeal but also knows that she is more than just her body. The song is written from the perspective of a friend who observes his female friend's struggles with her sexuality and how it is perceived by others. The reference to "flesh and blood" implies that the woman is a real, tangible person with emotions and feelings.
The first verse of the song speaks to the woman's fear of being objectified and used solely for her physical attributes. She knows that many men are only interested in her for her body and would "nail her if they could." However, she refuses to be seen solely as an object of desire, instead insisting that others "love [her] for [her] mind." She knows that there is more to her than just her looks and demands that others see her for who she truly is.
The second verse continues to explore the woman's complex relationship with her sexuality. Despite knowing that she is physically attractive, she is also aware that this attractiveness has brought her nothing but trouble. She is "rude" and "no good" but continues to play the game of seduction in order to win in life. She recognizes that there is something inherently unfair about the way society values physical beauty over other qualities, but still plays along with the game in order to get ahead.
Overall, "Flesh 'N Blood" is a powerful commentary on the way that women are often objectified and reduced to their physical attributes. The song encourages others to see beyond outer appearances and to recognize the full complexity of a person's personality, thoughts, and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
My friend's flesh and blood
Talking about a person who is close to me and is not just a random stranger
She lies overtime
She is overworked and tired, possibly indicating that she is undervalued and underappreciated
You'd nail her if you could
You have a desire to control this person, possibly in a sexual way, but she is not interested
But she says Love me for my mind
This person values her intelligence and personality, and wants to be loved for more than just her physical appearance
In my time I'm not that kind
She is confident in herself and knows what she wants, and it is not just a physical relationship
Night size, perfect ten
This person is conventionally attractive, with physical features that society deems desirable
So rude, she's no good
She may have a rebellious or non-conformist attitude that is not appreciated by everyone, but that does not diminish her worth
But as she says, It pays to win
She is competitive and driven, and feels that succeeding in life is important
Play to win, she plays to win
She is willing to do what it takes to achieve her goals, even if it means playing dirty or stepping on others
Street wise for her time
This person is savvy and aware of her surroundings, and able to navigate difficult situations
You'd nail her if you could
Once again, there is a desire to dominate or control this person, but she is not interested
But she says Love me for my mind
Her intelligence and personality are what make her unique and worthy of love and respect
In my time,
During this period of life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANNY ELFMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BEYOND Good & Evil
Over time
I've come to feel
That everything must come apart, it seems
From the little child
To the man of power
From the beggar to the angel of my dreams
From the thinnest thread
We are sewn together
From the finest string, we dangle over time
From the highest wire
Do we walk through fire
Should our balance ever falter, should our steps be unaligned
Such a big storm, yeah such a strong wind blowing
Such a loud voice calling for me to cross the line
But I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give up the ghost
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
'Cause I haven't the strength
To hold out too long
If we both hold on together
We can make each other strong
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
Drop the mask
Take away the house
And forget about the income and the car
We're all the same
Underneath our shell
We've all been to hell, and we know what it's like
And we've shared each other's sins
We all know what it's like
To give up the fight
We've all been ashamed at one time or another
We all have dreams
And nightmares, too
When it all comes down, we'll look out for each other
(No one else will)
But when I hear the call
When I feel the thirst
When the catcher comes to take my soul
He's gonna have to fight me first
'Cause I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give up the ghost
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
'Cause I haven't the strength
To hold out too long
If we both hold on together
We can make each other strong
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
Every cloud
Has a silver lining
And every soul is tender to the touch
We are made of stone
We are made of steel
And we're all the same when we return to dust
But when I hear the call
Yeah, when I feel the thirst
When the catcher comes to take my soul
He's gonna have to fight me first
'Cause I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give up the ghost
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
'Cause I haven't the strength
To hold out too long
If we both hold on together
We can make each other strong
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
BoingoTarash90s
This is an amazing song from top to bottom. And the album, while it doesn't hold a candle to their earlier work, is very underrated.
BEYOND Good & Evil
Over time
I've come to feel
That everything must come apart, it seems
From the little child
To the man of power
From the beggar to the angel of my dreams
From the thinnest thread
We are sewn together
From the finest string, we dangle over time
From the highest wire
Do we walk through fire
Should our balance ever falter, should our steps be unaligned
Such a big storm, yeah such a strong wind blowing
Such a loud voice calling for me to cross the line
But I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give up the ghost
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
'Cause I haven't the strength
To hold out too long
If we both hold on together
We can make each other strong
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
Drop the mask
Take away the house
And forget about the income and the car
We're all the same
Underneath our shell
We've all been to hell, and we know what it's like
And we've shared each other's sins
We all know what it's like
To give up the fight
We've all been ashamed at one time or another
We all have dreams
And nightmares, too
When it all comes down, we'll look out for each other
(No one else will)
But when I hear the call
When I feel the thirst
When the catcher comes to take my soul
He's gonna have to fight me first
'Cause I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give up the ghost
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
'Cause I haven't the strength
To hold out too long
If we both hold on together
We can make each other strong
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh 'n' blood
(After all) we're flesh
Every cloud
Has a silver lining
And every soul is tender to the touch
We are made of stone
We are made of steel
And we're all the same when we return to dust
But when I hear the call
Yeah, when I feel the thirst
When the catcher comes to take my soul
He's gonna have to fight me first
'Cause I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give up the ghost
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
'Cause I haven't the strength
To hold out too long
If we both hold on together
We can make each other strong
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
I'm not gonna give up the ghost
No, not gonna give it up
Anna24243
I literally can't stop listening to this song.
IAMSKELETRON
So catchy
☆ Michael Nesmith ☆
Never knew these guys were in Ghostbusters 2 until now. Man I love Oingo Boingo.
Sierra Smith
one of the first albums I intentionally bought--fell in love with the song then...still love it 20 years later!
karmaofgood
Everything in this song is insane. Such that, it reeks of awesomeness.
XXLSSBBW
Have you heard their other song Insanity. Search it.
freakofevolution
I FUCKING LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!
Shelf feather
This song is kind of weird and interesting. It's surreal. I like it because it's authentic and quirky. So I respect it for not holding back.