At the top of the "Main Titles" music as heard in the film, Elfman sings lyrics from "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" in the style of Harry Belafonte, the original version of which is used to comic effect later in the film[7]: 63
First score for an animated Film. In addition to the score, Elfman wrote ten original songs and provided the singing voice of main character Jack Skellington, among others[10]
Elfman's score incorporates two movements from his Serenada Schizophrana concert work, specifically "Pianos" and "Blue Strings" reworked and retitled as "Main Titles: Vacation in Iraq" and "A Bad Feeling" respectively
Elfman's original score was initially rejected by the studio and replaced with a new score by Paul Haslinger.[16] The studio ultimately reverted to Elfman's music, though some cues had to be reworked to fit the film's final edit.[17]
Replaced Junkie XL In addition to creating several new themes for his score, Elfman used the "Batman Theme" from his Batman score, John Williams' "Superman Theme" from Superman, and the Wonder Woman theme from the cue "Is She With You" composed by Hans Zimmer, Robert Badami, Melissa Muik, Mark Andrew Wherry and Steve Mazzaro for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice[23]
In addition to composing original themes for the film, Elfman incorporated music from Disney's original 1941 animated film, including “Casey Junior," “Pink Elephants on Parade,” and “When I See an Elephant Fly”[26] Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Music
In addition to his feature scores, Elfman has supplied thematic material and additional music for films scored by others (theme only unless otherwise noted):
Elfman composed the music for the Hollywood Pictures logo in 1991, and an excerpt from his main title for Sommersby was subsequently used as the logo music for Regency (the company that made Sommersby) beginning in 1994.[34]
Concert and stage works
The following list consists of select works composed for the stage and concert hall.
Commissioned by Cirque Du Soleil for director Philippe Decouflé's Cirque du Soleil show based on the history and themes of cinema Elfman's score was pre-recorded with an orchestra of 100 musicians (the largest in Cirque du Soleil's history), that was then mixed with the show's eight live, in-house musicians during performance.[38]
Nearly two hours of orchestral suites newly arranged by Elfman from his scores for the films of Tim Burton
Premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in London on October 7, 2013, with John Mauceri conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra, and Elfman performing the songs of characters Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas segment.[39] Continues to tour internationally, with performances in Europe, Japan, Australia, and throughout the U.S. The 2015 performance at Lincoln Center was recorded live and broadcast on PBS[40]
Commissioned by Third Coast Percussion, who premiered the piece at Philip Glass Center's 2019 Central Coast Days & Nights Festival on October 10, 2019[44]
2022
Danny Elfman: From Boingo to ‘Batman’ to ‘Big Mess’ to Beyond!
Initially announced as Danny Elfman: Past, Present and Future! From Boingo to Batman and Beyond! as part of Coachella 2020, the concert was postponed to April 16, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic[46][47] Featuring selections of Elfman's film and television music arranged for band, orchestra and choir, as well as songs from his solo album Big Mess and new arrangements of songs from his Oingo Boingo catalogue[48] Expanded for two concerts performed Halloween weekend at the Hollywood Bowl[49]
In 2019 selections from his score to the film Midnight Run were used in the third season of Netflix's Stranger Things,[57] including "Stairway Chase" in episodes 5 and 6, and "Wild Ride" and "Package Deal" in episode 6.
1996: Music for a 1996/97 Nissan television advertising campaign.
1998: Music for a 1998/99 Lincoln-Mercury television advertising campaign.
1998: Provided part-composed, part-sampled music for Luigi Serafini's solo exhibition il Teatro della Pittura at the Fondazione Mudima di Milano in Milan, Italy.[62]
2000: Music for Tim Burton's "Stainboy" animated internet series commissioned by Shockwave.com[64] (selections released on Warner Bros. Records' The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box in 2010).
2002: Music for Honda's "Power of Dreams" advertising campaign, the first cinema commercial to be shot in the IMAX format.[65]
2006: Elfman's "Overeager Overture" commemorating conductor John Mauceri's tenure with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra premiered September 15, 2006, at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Mauceri.[66]
2006: Provided music for Erik Sanko's first feature-length marionette performance The Fortune Teller.[67]
2009: Incidental music for the Tim Burton exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 2009-2010 (selections released on Warner Bros. Records' The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box in 2010).
2020: Re-recorded and released a "nursery rhyme" version of his 1982 Oingo Boingo song "Running on a Treadmill" while under quarantine from the coronavirus pandemic.[71]
^Paramount, which initially acquired rights to the film, were only given a studio credit in the final film.
^Even though Perfect World Pictures produced the film, their logo is not shown on any promotional material or in the film itself.
^Snyder was the director during principal photography, but was replaced by Joss Whedon during post-production. Snyder retained directorial credit for the finished film,[20] though reports have indicated Whedon reshot a majority of the film.[21]
^In home release, RatPac-Dune Entertainment was replaced with Access Entertainment (RatPac's current owner), following the rape and sexual harassment allegations against RatPac-Dune's CEO, Brett Ratner.[22]
^ abMusic for a Darkened Theatre: Film & Television Music Volume One (booklet). Danny Elfman. Universal City, CA: MCA Records. 1990. p. 2–9. MCD10065.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Bond, Jeff (2019). Mission: Impossible - Limited Edition (booklet). Danny Elfman. Los Angeles, CA: La-La Land Records, Inc. pp. 5–6. LLLCD1411.
^ abcGlionna, John M. (April 18, 1999). "A Different Beat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2019. Though he earned two Academy Award nominations in 1997 for "Men in Black" and "Good Will Hunting," his work has long been scrutinized by industry peers...
^Lowman, Rob (July 18, 2019). "It's music to Oompa Loompa by". Orlando Sentinel. Things got a little crazy at composer Danny Elfman's home studio when he began creating the singing parts for the Oompa Loompa songs in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... Elfman laid down the vocals in his home. He did every part six times.
^Fisher, Russ (February 17, 2010). "Sample the Rejected Rock Score for The Wolfman". SlashFilm.com. /Film. Retrieved September 27, 2019. Many changes were wrought to Joe Johnston's The Wolfman during production... One of the last-stage changes was a switch from Danny Elfman's original score to a new one by electronic/rock composer Paul Haslinger.
^Miller, Ross (January 20, 2010). "Danny Elfman's 'Wolfman' Score Brought Back Into Play". Screen Rant. Valnet Inc. Retrieved September 27, 2019. Universal has apparently decided to switch back to Elfman's original score... Because of commitments to Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Elfman can't work on the film right now, so additional composers are being brought in to finish his work.
^Burton, Byron (November 18, 2017). "Danny Elfman Hates When Reboots Scrap Classic Themes". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 10, 2019. Elfman and Whedon previously worked together on 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, another situation he describes as another "three-alarm call." He shared scoring credits with Brian Tyler.
^Lenker, Maureen Lee (November 9, 2019). "Danny Elfman talks reinventing 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' with Tyler the Creator". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 12, 2019. ...once Elfman felt his own heart grow two sizes when it came to Christmas, incorporating the original songs become one of the highlights of writing his score for The Grinch. "The 'Welcome' song was easy," he says. "We were playing the song twice in the film, so it was just how to score it and then pick up the melody and have it kind of lift up and explode when his heart does." When it came to the other hit song, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," Elfman had a slightly more complex task, collaborating with rapper Tyler the Creator on the iconic tune first recorded by Thurl Ravenscroft.
^Burlingame, Jon (March 28, 2019). "Danny Elfman Broke His Cardinal Rule for 'Dumbo's' Bittersweet Score". Variety. Retrieved October 12, 2019. "This is a cultural icon," the composer says, "and I was happy to pay homage." So "Pink Elephants on Parade," "When I See an Elephant Fly" and the train motif "Casey Junior" all make appearances...
^Buck, David (March 14, 2019). "Mystic Knights of the Movie Soundtrack". Tedium. Retrieved October 8, 2019. Bachelor Party... has not one, but two (possibly three) Boingo songs. The title track—written and performed by Oingo Boingo specifically for the film—recaps the plot in the band's inimitable style. "Something Isn't Right" is an earlier song that only saw a release with this soundtrack album.
^Goldwasser, Dan (March 3, 2001). "Review: Heartbreakers". Soundtrack.net. Autotelics, LLC. Retrieved October 8, 2019. The resulting film is... backed by a quirky score by John Debney (with a main theme by Danny Elfman), as well as a swath of mood-setting pop songs.
^Valkor (May 3, 2011). "InterView: Mali Elfman Director of "Do Not Disturb"". The-Other-View.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019. I asked my dad [Danny Elfman] for a theme. He wrote it in about 20 minutes and wouldn't let me hear it until a week later when he had about 3 themes, and 10 variations. I ended up picking the first piece that he wrote for the opening credits and using it as the theme for the film.
^"Composer Logo Music". Soundtrack.net. Autotelics, LLC. n.d. Retrieved October 8, 2019. I got a call from John Hughes talking about the movie, and wouldn't it be fun, and I literally wrote it [in my head] while I was talking to him.
^Warren, Matt (June 21, 2016). "Danny Elfman Has the Music. Do You Have the Movie? Announcing 'Rabbit and Rogue' Challenge". FilmIndependent.org. Retrieved September 27, 2019. The Rabbit and Rogue Project is a unique challenge aimed at empowering and inspiring independent media creators. Free of charge, filmmakers will be able to use selections from Elfman's new album, Rabbit and Rogue in their short film projects.
^Goldwasser, Dan (June 11, 2012). "Review: Cirque du Soleil: Iris". Soundtrack.net. Autotelics, LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2019. the music would be composed by Oscar-nominated film composer Danny Elfman, and feature a soundtrack performed by over 100 musicians... In the balconies on the sides, a small musical ensemble surrounds us, and performs live to accompany the pre-recorded musical material.
^Music for a Darkened Theatre: Film & Television Music Volume One (booklet). Danny Elfman. Universal City, CA: MCA Records. 1990. p. 2. MCD10065.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Zahed, Ramin (November 2, 2000). "Stainboy". Variety. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved October 7, 2019. Also effective is Burton's frequent music collaborator Danny Elfman, who offers a grandiose, orchestral score to the Stainboy's adventures.
^Donelson, Sophie (October 22, 2006). "The Costumes Are All Vintage. Very Tiny Vintage". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2019. It is Mr. Sanko's first feature-length marionette performance, in addition to being an outlet for the composer Danny Elfman to indulge his dark side in between writing songs for the new movie version of 'Charlotte's Web.'
^Napolitano, Dean (June 14, 2013). "Danny Elfman on Scoring for a Disney Ride". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 19, 2019. ...the film composer Danny Elfman jumped at the chance to try something new: creating the music for Mystic Manor, a new Disneyland ride in Hong Kong...Figures in Chinese art leap off the walls, Roman frescos come alive, musical instruments play themselves, and floating headgear from armored suits sing in three languages: Mandarin, Cantonese and English. ("It's me singing in English, by the way," Mr. Elfman says.)
