This is a list of compositions by Danny Elfman for film, television, stage and the concert hall.
For a list of recordings, see Danny Elfman discography, and for Elfman's work as lead singer/songwriter of Oingo Boingo, see Oingo Boingo discography.
The following list consists of select films for which Danny Elfman composed the score and/or songs.
Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes / Accolades |
---|---|---|---|---|
1982 | Forbidden Zone | Richard Elfman | The Samuel Goldwyn Company | First film score Film released in 1982 [1] though Elfman has said he wrote the music in 1980 [2] In addition to composing the score and songs with the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, Elfman arranged and performed Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" with new lyrics as the character Satan [3] |
1985 | Pee-wee's Big Adventure | Tim Burton | Warner Bros. Aspen Film Society | Debut score for a major film studio [4] |
1986 | Back to School | Alan Metter | Orion Pictures Paper Clip Productions | In addition to composing the score, Elfman appears in the film as the lead singer of Oingo Boingo performing their song "Dead Man's Party" [5] |
Wisdom | Emilio Estevez | 20th Century Fox (United States) Cannon Films (International) Gladden Entertainment | Composed, arranged and performed by Elfman entirely on synthesizer [2] | |
1987 | Summer School | Carl Reiner | Paramount Pictures | 1984 Publishing put out this previously unreleased score by Elfman in 2023 on CD and on vinyl in 4 different color variants. [6] |
1988 | Beetlejuice | Tim Burton | Warner Bros. The Geffen Company | 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 Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Music |
Midnight Run | Martin Brest | Universal Pictures City Light Films | ||
Big Top Pee-wee | Randal Kleiser | Paramount Pictures | ||
Hot to Trot | Michael Dinner | Warner Bros. | ||
Scrooged | Richard Donner | Paramount Pictures Mirage Productions | ||
1989 | Batman | Tim Burton | Warner Bros. | Grammy Award Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media [8] Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (for "Batman theme") |
Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Dolittle | Stephen Gaghan | Universal Pictures R/K Films Team Downey Productions Perfect World Pictures | |
2021 | The Woman in the Window | Joe Wright | Netflix 20th Century Studios Fox 2000 Pictures Scott Rudin Productions | Replaced Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. [28] |
2022 | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | Sam Raimi | Marvel Studios | In addition to contributing the full score with several original themes, Elfman referenced thematic material from 2016's Doctor Strange by Michael Giacchino, Captain America: The First Avenger by Alan Silvestri, WandaVision by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and X-Men: The Animated Series ; the score also adapts music from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Bach's Toccata and Fugue for a climatic fight scene [29] |
White Noise | Noah Baumbach | Netflix | ||
2024 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Tim Burton | Warner Bros. Pictures | |
2025 | Dracula: A Love Tale | Luc Besson | LBP Productions EuropaCorp |
In addition to his feature scores, Elfman has supplied thematic material and additional music for films scored by others (theme only unless otherwise noted):
Year | Title | Director | Composer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | Bachelor Party | Neal Israel | Robert Folk | "Bachelor Party Theme" with Oingo Boingo [30] |
1985 | Weird Science | John Hughes | Ira Newborn | "Weird Science" title song with Oingo Boingo [31] |
1991 | Pure Luck | Nadia Tass | Jonathan Sheffer | "Main Title" and "We Found Her" |
1992 | Army of Darkness | Sam Raimi | Joseph LoDuca | "March of the Dead" |
1994 | Shrunken Heads | Richard Elfman | Richard Band | |
1997 | Scream 2 | Wes Craven | Marco Beltrami | "Cassandra Aria" & "Cassandra Aria Reprise" |
1998 | Modern Vampires | Richard Elfman | Michael Wandmacher | |
1999 | My Favorite Martian | Donald Petrie | John Debney | "Uncle Martin's Theme" |
2001 | Heartbreakers [32] | David Mirkin | ||
Novocaine | David Atkins | Steve Bartek | ||
2010 | Kick-Ass | Matthew Vaughn | John Murphy Henry Jackman Marius de Vries Ilan Eshkeri | "Walk to Rasul's" |
2011 | Do Not Disturb [33] | Mali Elfman | Mike Einziger Oliver Hecks |
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]
The following list consists of select works composed for the stage and concert hall.
Year | Title | Other Artists | Notes / Accolades |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Serenada Schizophrana | Commissioned and premiered by the American Composers Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Sloane | First commissioned concert work Premiered February 23, 2005 at Carnegie Hall [35] Recorded in 2006 by conductor John Mauceri and the Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra |
2008 | Rabbit & Rogue | First ballet score, written for Twyla Tharp's Rabbit and Rogue Co-commission by American Ballet Theatre and Orange County Performing Arts Center Premiered June 3, 2008, at the Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center [36] LA Film Festival's Rabbit and Rogue contest provided free usage of Elfman's music to which filmmakers created short films [37] | |
2011 | Iris | 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] | |
2013 | Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton | John Mauceri conductor | 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] |
2017 | Violin Concerto "Eleven Eleven" | Violinist Sandy Cameron, conductor John Mauceri and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra | First violin concerto Co-commissioned by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Stanford Live at Stanford University, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for violinist Sandy Cameron [41] Premiered in Prague June 21, 2017, with Cameron, Mauceri and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra Recorded in 2019 with Cameron, Mauceri and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra |
2018 | Piano Quartet | Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet (Matthew Hunter, Knut Weber, Luis Esnaola, Markus Groh) | First piano quartet Co-commissioned by the Lied Center for Performing Arts University of Nebraska in Lincoln and the Berlin Philharmonic Piano Quartet Premiered February 6, 2018, at the Lied Center in Lincoln, Nebraska [42] |
2019 | Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus | Incidental music for the Broadway production written by Taylor Mac, directed by George C. Wolfe and produced by Scott Rudin [43] | |
Percussion Quartet | Third Coast Percussion | 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! | Steve Bartek (conductor), Wes Borland (guitar), Stu Brooks (bass), Nili Brosh (guitar), Josh Freese (drums) [45] | 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] |
Cello Concerto | Gautier Capucon (cello), Wiener Symphoniker, David Robertson (conductor) | Commissioned jointly by Wiener Konzerthaus, Wiener Symphoniker, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. World premiere Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna 18 March 2022 [50] | |
Percussion Concerto | Colin Currie (percussion), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Ludwig Wicki (conductor) | Commissioned jointly by London Philharmonic Orchestra and Soka University of America World premiere Royal Festival Hall, London 25 March 2022 [50] | |
Wunderkammer | National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Andrew Gourlay (conductor) | Commissioned by National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain World premiere Bridgewater Hall, Manchester 3 August and then at the BBC Proms, 6 August 2022 [51] | |
2023 | Suite for Chamber Orchestra | Orpheus Chamber Orchestra | Co-commissioned by the Library of Congress, The Andre Kostelanetz Royalty Pool, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland World premiere St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Washington, D.C.) 4 May 2023 [52] |
Elfman has written the theme music and occasional episodic scores for several television series, including:
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1985 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Episode: "The Jar", directed by Tim Burton |
Amazing Stories | Episodes: "Mummy, Daddy" & "The Family Dog" with Steve Bartek | |
1986 | Pee-wee's Playhouse | Episodes: "Monster in the Playhouse," "Cowboy and the Cowntess," "Store," & "Pee-Wee Catches A Cold" |
Sledge Hammer! | Theme music only Score composed by Don Davis, Ron Grant, Lance Rubin & Richard Stone | |
Fast Times | Theme music only, with Oingo Boingo Score composed by Barry Goldberg, Arthur Barrow & Steve Schiff | |
1989 | Tales from the Crypt | Theme music only Score composed by various others including Jay Ferguson, Nicholas Pike, Alan Silvestri, J. Peter Robinson & Michael Kamen |
Beetlejuice: The Animated Series | Theme music only Score composed by Tom Szczesniak | |
The Simpsons | Theme music only Score composed by Richard Gibbs, Patrick Williams, Ray Colcord, Alf Clausen & Bleeding Fingers Music Nominated- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music | |
1990 | The Flash | Theme music only Score composed by Shirley Walker |
1992 | Batman: The Animated Series | "Main Title" & "End Credit" Score composed by various others including Shirley Walker |
1993 | Family Dog | Theme music only Score composed by Steve Bartek |
1997 | Perversions of Science | Theme music only Score composed by J. Peter Robinson & Ernest Troost |
1999 | Dilbert | Theme music only, rearrangement of the title song for Forbidden Zone Score composed by Adam Cohen & Ian Dye |
2004 | Desperate Housewives | Theme music only Score composed by Steve Bartek, Stewart Copeland & Steve Jablonsky Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music [53] |
2005 | Point Pleasant | Theme music only Score composed by Robert Duncan |
2008 | Amas de Casa Desesperadas | Theme music only Score composed by Steve Bartek, Stewart Copeland & Steve Jablonsky |
2017 | When We Rise | Miniseries Score composed with Chris Bacon [54] |
2022 | Wednesday | Television series Theme music Score composed with Chris Bacon |
TBA | Rhona Who Lives By The River | Television series Score composer, songwriter and executive producer [55] |
On October 30, 2015, PBS's "Live from Lincoln Center" broadcast Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton, for which Elfman won Outstanding Music Direction at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards. [56]
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.
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
2004 | Fable [58] | Opening title theme Score composed by Russell Shaw |
2008 | Lego Batman: The Videogame | Excerpts from Batman ; DS version also uses excerpts from Batman Returns Score arranged by Morgan Peeters |
Fable II [59] | Composed with Russell Shaw | |
2009 | Wanted: Weapons of Fate | Themes from Wanted Score composed by Ulf Andersson |
2012 | Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes | Excerpts from Batman and Batman Returns Compliments score composed by Rob Westwood |
2013 | Puppet Masterpiece Theater: The Circus | iPad app created by children's entertainment group Organa Kids [60] |
2014 | Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham | Excerpts from Batman Compliments score composed by Rob Westwood |
Daniel Robert Elfman is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since scoring his first studio film in 1985, Elfman has garnered international recognition for composing over 100 feature film scores, as well as compositions for television, stage productions, and the concert hall.
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the years previous. Their highest-charting song, "Weird Science", reached No. 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his feature-film directing debut. The film stars Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, along with E.G. Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger and Judd Omen. The screenplay, written by Reubens with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol, tells the story of Pee-wee's nationwide search for his stolen bicycle and has been compared to the 1948 film Bicycle Thieves.
The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo was an American surrealist street theatre troupe, formed by performer and director Richard Elfman in 1972. The group was led by Richard until 1976, when his brother Danny Elfman took over. The group evolved into an experimental musical theatre group, performing songs from the 1930s-40s and original material.
Dark at the End of the Tunnel is the seventh studio album by American new wave band Oingo Boingo, released in 1990 by MCA Records.
Richard Elfman is an American actor, musician, director, producer, screenwriter, journalist, author and magazine publisher.
Forbidden Zone (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to Forbidden Zone, the 1982 cult film directed by Richard Elfman, with music by his brother Danny Elfman and performed by The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.
"Weird Science" is a song by American new wave band Oingo Boingo. Written by frontman Danny Elfman, it is the theme song to the Weird Science film and television series. It was released on the film's soundtrack, as well as Oingo Boingo's fifth studio album, Dead Man's Party (1985), in a longer mix. The song reached No. 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 21 on the US Dance Club Charts, and No. 81 in Canada. It is Oingo Boingo's most successful single.
Steve Bartek is an American guitarist, film composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He is best known as the lead guitarist in the band Oingo Boingo and for his orchestration work with composer Danny Elfman.
Over the course of its history, media adaptations of Batman have generated a wide variety of music produced in connection with both live-action and animated television series, and with the many Batman films.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is the fifteenth soundtrack album by American composer Danny Elfman. It was released on October 12, 1993, by Walt Disney Records to promote the 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Composed by Danny Elfman, the soundtrack was nominated for the 1993 Golden Globe for Best Original Score. The album peaked at #64 on the US Billboard 200.
Batman: Original Motion Picture Score is the score album for the 1989 film Batman, composed by Danny Elfman. According to the Batman DVD Special Edition, Elfman said that producer Jon Peters was not sure about him as a composer until director Tim Burton made him play the main titles. Elfman admitted he was stunned when Peters announced that the score would be released on its own album. The score was widely acclaimed by the press and in many contemporary reviews is cited as the highlight of the film.
Select commercially released recordings of Danny Elfman's music for film, television, stage and the concert hall. For a full list of Elfman's compositions, see List of compositions by Danny Elfman. For Elfman's recordings as lead singer/songwriter for Oingo Boingo, see the Oingo Boingo discography page.
Justice League: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the film of the same name composed by Danny Elfman. It was released on November 10, 2017, by WaterTower Music, while the physical edition was released on December 8 by WaterTower. Most of the material used in Elfman's soundtrack was discarded by Tom Holkenborg when he returned to score the 2021 director's cut of the film.
Music for a Darkened Theatre: Film & Television Music Volume One is a compilation album of select film scores and television themes written by American composer Danny Elfman from the early 1980s to 1990.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score to the Marvel Studios film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness composed by Danny Elfman. The soundtrack album was released by Hollywood Records on May 4, 2022.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman: Music from the Motion Picture is the score album composed by Danny Elfman for the 2014 film of the same name. The soundtrack was released by Relativity Music Group on March 3, 2014. Peter Andre wrote and performed for the film a song titled "Kid", which is played during the British version of the end credits, instead of Grizfolk's "Way Back When". But unlike the latter, the former was not included in the soundtrack.
The Flash (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film The Flash directed by Andy Muschietti. Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, the film is the 13th installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Featuring an original score composed, produced and conducted by Benjamin Wallfisch, who worked with Muschietti on It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019) and also scored DC's Shazam. The album was released by WaterTower Music on June 16, 2023, and was led by four singles—"World's Collide", "Run", "I Am Batman" and "Sounds About Right, Bruce"—released on May 12 and 31.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)In addition to the score, Elfman co-wrote the Siouxsie and the Banshees song that plays during the masquerade ball.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
...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.
"I was, and am, an Afro-Latin percussionist — currently playing in a band, Mambo Demonico with Ego Plum (Guerrero), who did the score with Danny [Elfman]. [The movie] actually has seventy-five minutes of music in a ninety minute movie.
"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...
Working with co-composer Chris Bacon, Elfman says he stuck to his trusty playbook when it comes to return trips to previously explored cinematic universes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)So loyal is Elfman (and cohort Steve Bartek) to Herrmann's original intent that he succeeded better than anyone else at re-recording the work.
Also effective is Burton's frequent music collaborator Danny Elfman, who offers a grandiose, orchestral score to the Stainboy's adventures.
[Danny Elfman and John Mauceri] also collaborated on "The Overeager Overture," which was performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 2006.
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.'
...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.)