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.
Mary
Oingo Boingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was a simple girl without much to say
So one day she upped and left her dreary home
And she left all her friends to wander all alone
And at first she was afraid, she was so far away
From her home but slowly she got to like it anyway
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Well in time she found
That mountain that she had been taught
Her whole life, that she must avoid
And though at first it hurt, and no one could comfort her
She finally came to appreciate it
And she liked it, she liked it--oh wasn't she surprised
And though still alone, she grew so much inside
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
And after a time, she became so sublime
She could look in people's eyes and read their minds
Though her hands would sometimes bleed and occasionally
She would long for her past and the memories they bring
She decided to return to her old home town
And her heart was burning with all the things she found
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Please come home
So Mary came back and at first no one recognized her face
And her friends were all a little bit afraid
When they heard what she had to say
They all slowly backed away
And her family took her aside and put their arms around her
They said:
Mary, won't you please come back to us now
There is still time to repent for all your sins
And Mary started to cry when she realized
That she'd never come home again in her life
Oh Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Mary won't you please come
Please come home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, home
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Come home, yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah....
The song "Mary" by Oingo Boingo tells the story of a young woman named Mary who is unhappy with her life and decides to leave her home and wander on her own. Mary was a simple girl without much to say, but she is determined to find herself and her purpose in life. The song speaks about how Mary initially felt afraid and out of place, yet over time, she learns to enjoy her newfound independence and discovers a mountain that she had been taught to avoid her whole life. Here, she grows, becomes more confident and even gains the ability to read people's minds.
As time passes, Mary decides to return home and share her discoveries with her family and friends. However, this is not well-received, and her loved ones are afraid of the changes in her. They try to convince her to return to her old life and repent for her sins, leading to a heartbreaking realization for Mary that she will never truly come home again.
The lyrics of the song symbolize the struggles that many people face, as they search for their identity and purpose in life. The song is relatable as it speaks to the fear of doing something different and going against societal norms. It also highlights how difficult it can be to share personal growth and revelations with people who might not understand.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Mary was unhappy with the life that she led
Mary was dissatisfied with the life she had and wanted something more meaningful.
She was a simple girl without much to say
Mary was quiet and humble.
So one day she upped and left her dreary home
One day Mary left her home because she wanted change from her monotonous life.
And she left all her friends to wander all alone
Mary left behind all her friends and acquaintances to begin a new journey on her own.
And at first she was afraid, she was so far away
Initially, Mary felt afraid and lost because of the distance from her home.
From her home but slowly she got to like it anyway
However, over time, she started enjoying exploring new places.
Well in time she found that mountain that she had been taught her whole life, that she must avoid
During her exploration, Mary found a mountain that she had been told to avoid since childhood.
And though at first it hurt, and no one could comfort her
Initially, it was very challenging for Mary to face the mountain alone and no one could comfort her during that time.
She finally came to appreciate it
Eventually, Mary started to like the mountain and appreciate its beauty.
And she liked it, she liked it--oh wasn't she surprised
She was amazed by how much she enjoyed the mountain after actively avoiding it for so long.
And though still alone, she grew so much inside
Despite being alone, Mary evolved and developed emotionally and spiritually.
And after a time, she became so sublime
After some time, Mary transformed into a person of such high caliber.
She could look in people's eyes and read their minds
Mary became incredibly empathetic and intuitive, able to understand people by their expressions.
Though her hands would sometimes bleed and occasionally she would long for her past and the memories they bring
Mary had physical and emotional scars, but sometimes she would feel nostalgia for the memories of what she left behind.
She decided to return to her old home town
Mary eventually decided to return to her hometown.
And her heart was burning with all the things she found
All the experiences she had on her journey remained with Mary and it filled her heart.
So Mary came back and at first no one recognized her face
When Mary returned, nobody recognized her because her appearance had changed, as had she.
And her friends were all a little bit afraid
Seeing her friends again, Mary realized that she had changed and that made her friends a little afraid.
When they heard what she had to say
When Mary told them about her journey, her friends didn't know how to react.
They all slowly backed away
Her friends stepped back from her, unsure of what to do next.
And her family took her aside and put their arms around her
Her family comforted Mary and let her know that they were there for her.
They said: Mary, won't you please come back to us now
Mary's family wanted her to return home and be with them.
There is still time to repent for all your sins
They hoped that Mary could reconcile her past mistakes and relationships.
And Mary started to cry when she realized
Mary was filled with emotions and started crying when she realized something.
That she'd never come home again in her life
Even though Mary was back in her hometown, everything had changed and she knew she'd never be able to come back again.
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"