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.
New Generation
Oingo Boingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a fly in a spider's web, is it true more is less
Herded like a happy flock to the big T.V. slaughter
"Why don't you break that leash," said the heifer to the sheep
It's a new generation
It's a hallucination
It's a mystic vibration
It's the will of the people
It's the church with the steeple
It's the sacred devotion
To an unhealthy notion
People raise your voices, don't get into that trap
If your friends and your neighbors push
Why don't you push them back
Don't you think the time has come
To stand up and be heard
Ain't no use to try and wait
For the magic word
It's a new generation
It's an infatuation
It's a beautiful body
Both erotic and deadly
It's the fear of the future
It's just surgeons and sutures
It's a spandex obsession
It's a lasting impression
Do you feel the power
Do you feel the power
Baptized in electronic water
Prodigal sons and beautiful daughters
With smiles and bows and rosy cheeks
And the righteous bath
Death to the freaks
Do you feel the power
Do you feel the power
From the man whose voice sounds reassuring
Completely firm and so alluring, Like's he's lived a thousand times before
And seen the world from shore to shore
With the calmness and tranquility that oozes credibility
With the wisdom and the confidence that seem to scream out common sense
And it makes you feel just like a babe
Daddy holding you tight and safe
Hush babe everything's all right, Daddy's gonna stay with you tonight
Now he's got you by the balls, he can sell you anything at all
From morality to diamond rings to genocide to magazines
From religion to cosmology to the end of a democracy
It's a new generation
It's a divine inspiration
Always ready to follow
Ever willing to swallow
All the doctor's prescriptions
All the mystic inscriptions
It's the spandex obsession
It's a lasting impression
It's the calm meditation
Of a tranquilized nation
It's a hallucination
It's a new generation
The song New Generation by Oingo Boingo brings to light the dangerous consequences of conformism and herd mentality. The lyrics sharply criticize people who blindly follow societal norms, such as watching TV and consuming media, without questioning their authenticity. Instead, they urge people to raise their voices and become their own guide, freeing themselves from being caught in the web of conformity. They express a sense of urgency and a call to action to stand up and be heard.
The song describes the new generation as being characterized by an obsession with appearances, sex, and consumerism, while being infatuated with the idea of being part of something bigger than oneself. It also highlights the dangers of blindly trusting authoritative figures who present themselves as trustworthy and knowledgeable, having seen everything and partaken in everything. It's a warning to be cautious and not let anyone manipulate or influence you, to stay true to yourself and your own beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
People raise your voices, don't get caught in that mess
Don't follow the crowd blindly, speak up and think for yourself
Like a fly in a spider's web, is it true more is less
Being trapped in a dangerous situation with no escape
Herded like a happy flock to the big T.V. slaughter
Mindlessly following entertainment and media, even if it harms you
"Why don't you break that leash," said the heifer to the sheep
Encouraging others to break free from societal expectations and constraints
It's a new generation
A new era with new challenges and opportunities
It's a hallucination
Perceptions and beliefs that may not be grounded in reality
It's a mystic vibration
A sense of spiritual or supernatural energy
It's just intimidation
Methods used to control or manipulate people through fear or force
It's the will of the people
Desires and decisions made by the majority
It's the church with the steeple
Religious institutions with their symbols and traditions
It's the sacred devotion
Complete dedication and reverence to a belief or cause
To an unhealthy notion
A belief or idea that is harmful or detrimental
People raise your voices, don't get into that trap
Speaking out against dangerous or oppressive systems
If your friends and your neighbors push, Why don't you push them back
Defending one's own beliefs and opinions against those of others
Don't you think the time has come, To stand up and be heard
Realizing the importance of taking a stand and speaking out
Ain't no use to try and wait, For the magic word
There is no one solution to a problem, action is needed
It's an infatuation
An intense but short-lived passion or admiration
It's a beautiful body, Both erotic and deadly
The combination of attraction and danger
It's the fear of the future
Anxiety and uncertainty about what is to come
It's just surgeons and sutures
Technological advancements in medicine and surgery
It's a spandex obsession
The fixation on a certain type of clothing or style
It's a lasting impression
A memorable impact or effect
Do you feel the power
An intense or overwhelming sensation of influence or control
Baptized in electronic water
The influence of technology and media on society's beliefs and behavior
Prodigal sons and beautiful daughters, With smiles and bows and rosy cheeks, And the righteous bath, Death to the freaks
The cult of conformity, where conformity is rewarded and nonconformity is punished
From the man whose voice sounds reassuring
Trusting authority figures because of their confident and convincing tone
Completely firm and so alluring, Like's he's lived a thousand times before, And seen the world from shore to shore
The image of authority figures as experienced and knowledgeable
With the calmness and tranquility that oozes credibility, With the wisdom and the confidence that seem to scream out common sense
The perception of authority figures as trustworthy and sensible
And it makes you feel just like a babe, Daddy holding you tight and safe, Hush babe everything's all right, Daddy's gonna stay with you tonight
The feeling of being protected and comforted by authority figures
Now he's got you by the balls, he can sell you anything at all, From morality to diamond rings to genocide to magazines, From religion to cosmology to the end of a democracy
The power of authority figures to manipulate and control people, even to the point of promoting harmful or immoral beliefs and actions
It's a divine inspiration
An idea or belief that is believed to have come from a higher power
Always ready to follow, Ever willing to swallow
The willingness of people to follow and accept authority without question
All the doctor's prescriptions, All the mystic inscriptions
The influence of medicine and spirituality on people's beliefs and behavior
It's the calm meditation, Of a tranquilized nation
The use of methods to control or pacify a population
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"