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.
Gratitude
Oingo Boingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life's been so good to me,
Has it been good to you?
Has it been everything
That you expected it to be?
Was it as good for you
As it was good for me?
That it was all set up to be?
Now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
...now is that gratitude?
Now is that gratitude?
Or is it really love?
Some kind of reality
That fits just like a glove?
Now is that gratitude
For everything I've done?
Or is it something else
That's got me on the run...?
In the middle of a big tornado,
On the tip of everyone's tongue...
In the belly of a giant whale,
All the girls just want to have fun.
In the look of a frightened neighbor,
In a big warm bed at night,
In a broken elevator,
In the teeth of a dog that bites.
In the middle of a revolution,
In the look of a child's face,
In the silence of the dinner table,
In the stillness of disgrace.
Now is that gratitude? (...gratitude...)
Now is that gratitude? (...gratitude...)
Now is that gratitude? (...gratitude...)
Now is that gratitude? (...gratitude...)
But when I think of you,
And what you've done to me,
You took away my hope...
You took away my fantasy...
I once had lots of pride,
The world was in my hands.
I lived way at the top,
Of castles made of sand.
Oooohhhh...
I dream of you sometimes.
Oooohhhh...
I dream of you sometimes.
In - in the middle of a big tornado,
On the tip of everyone's tongue.
In the belly of a giant whale,
All the girls just want to have fun.
In the look of a frightened neighbor,
In a big warm bed at night,
In a broken elevator,
In the teeth of a dog that bites.
In the middle of a revolution,
In the look of a child's face,
In the silence of the dinner table,
In the stillness of disgrace.
Now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
...now is that gratitude?
Now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
...now is that gratitude?
Life's been so good to me,
Has it been good to you?
Has it been everything
That you expected it to be?
Was it as good for you
As it was good for me?
And was it everything
That it was all set up to be?
In the middle of a big tornado,
On the tip of everyone's tongue.
In the belly of a giant whale,
All the girls just want to have fun.
In the look of a frightened neighbor,
In a big warm bed at night,
In a broken elevator,
In the teeth of a dog that bites.
In the middle of a revolution,
In the look of a child's face,
In the silence of the dinner table,
In the stillness of disgrace.
Ohhh... [repeat chorus in background] ...ohhh...
Oooohhhh...
I dream of you sometimes.
Oooohhhh...
I dream of you sometimes.
Now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
...now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
Now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
...now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
Now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
...now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
Now is that gratitude?
Ooohhh...
...now is that gratitude?
*submitted by one_ion*
The lyrics to Oingo Boingo's "Gratitude" are a meditation on the nature of gratitude itself. The song begins with a question about whether life has been good to the listener and asks if it has been everything they expected it to be. The singer then wonders if their gratitude for life is really love, or if it is something else entirely that has them feeling grateful. They then give several examples of where gratitude can be found, in the middle of a revolution, in the look of a child's face, in the silence of the dinner table, or in the stillness of disgrace.
The song ends with the singer reflecting on someone who has taken away their hope and their fantasy, leaving them feeling lost and dreaming of that person at times. The repeated chorus of "Now is that gratitude?" serves to drive home the point that gratitude is a complex emotion and that it can be difficult to know exactly what one is feeling when they are grateful.
The lyrics to "Gratitude" are open to interpretation, but the song seems to be suggesting that gratitude is not a simple emotion. It can be born out of love, but it can also be influenced by other factors, such as expectations and societal pressures. Gratitude can also be found in unexpected places, and it is not always clear what is driving the feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
Life's been so good to me,
The singer is acknowledging that their life has been good and asking if the listener feels similarly.
Has it been good to you?
The singer is directly asking if the listener's life has also been good.
Has it been everything
The singer is asking if the listener's life has fulfilled all of their expectations.
That you expected it to be?
The artist is still asking if the listener's life met their expectations.
Was it as good for you
The artist is asking if the listener's experience of life was as positive as theirs.
As it was good for me?
The singer is asking if the listener's positive experiences of life align with their own.
And was it everything
The singer is asking if the listener feels like their life has been all it was meant to be.
That it was all set up to be?
The artist is asking if the listener feels like their life has met its intended purpose.
Now is that gratitude?
The artist is questioning if the listener's appreciation for life is gratitude.
Or is it really love?
The artist is asking if the listener's appreciation for life is something deeper than gratitude that stems from love.
Some kind of reality
The singer is suggesting that the listener's appreciation for life is at the intersection of what is real and meaningful.
That fits just like a glove?
The artist is using the metaphor of a glove that perfectly fits a hand to describe the way in which the listener's appreciation for life feels natural and right.
Now is that gratitude
The singer is once again questioning if the listener's appreciation for life is gratitude.
For everything I've done?
The singer is asking if the listener's gratitude is based on what the singer has done for them.
Or is it something else
The singer is suggesting that the listener's appreciation for life may not be gratitude but something else.
That's got me on the run...?
The artist is asking if there is something behind the listener's appreciation for life that the artist is running from.
In the middle of a big tornado,
The artist is using different scenarios to illustrate moments when people may feel or recognize an appreciation for life.
On the tip of everyone's tongue...
The singer is suggesting that everyone has an appreciation for life in their own way.
In the belly of a giant whale,
The singer is using extreme examples, like being inside a whale, to show that appreciation for life can come from unexpected places.
All the girls just want to have fun.
The artist is suggesting that even in the most mundane situations, individuals can appreciate life.
Now is that gratitude?
The artist is once again questioning if the appreciation for life that they are depicting is truly gratitude.
...now is that gratitude?
The artist once again poses the question of whether or not the appreciation for life they are seeing is genuine gratitude.
But when I think of you,
The singer is changing the topic and directing their attention to someone else.
And what you've done to me,
The artist is focusing on a negative experience and implying that the other person has caused them harm.
You took away my hope...
The singer is directly stating that the other person has taken away their sense of hopefulness or optimism.
You took away my fantasy...
The singer is suggesting that the other person has taken something away from them that they used to find pleasure or happiness in.
I once had lots of pride,
The singer is reflecting on a time when they felt proud of themselves or their accomplishments.
The world was in my hands.
The artist is using the expression 'the world was in my hands' to symbolize a time when they felt in control or had a sense of power in their life.
I lived way at the top,
The artist is suggesting that they once were in a privileged position or had a lot of influence.
Of castles made of sand.
The singer is using the metaphor of a castle made of sand to describe the potential fragility or impermanence of their once great life.
I dream of you sometimes.
The singer is confessing that they still think about this person and the harm that they caused.
Now is that gratitude?
The artist rephrases their earlier question to suggest that the negative experience has colored their view of both the person in question and the idea of gratitude.
...now is that gratitude?
The artist is again expressing skepticism about the concept of gratitude.
Ohhh... [repeat chorus in background] ...ohhh...
The artist is repeating the chorus, which poses questions about gratitude, while adding nonverbal sounds for emphasis.
Now is that gratitude?
The singer asks one more time if the listener's appreciation of life is actually gratitude.
...now is that gratitude?
The artist ends the song with a rephrasing of their original question.
Oooohhhh...
The singer continues to sing nonverbal sounds while the song fades out.
I dream of you sometimes.
The singer is once again acknowledging that they still have lingering thoughts about a negative experience.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANNY ELFMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kino
on make it right
I believe this line says "If I have to, then I'll fight!"
Kino
on make it right
I believe this line says "I go where I'm not wanted"