Danny Elfman is for the children.
He used to be the lead singer, the frontman for Oingo Boingo. When I was younger, I remember going to see Oingo Boingo’s Halloween shows. They’re music was filled with inappropriate themes, death, violence, sex, with dashes of pedophilia, crime, and despression.
He played at the Hollywood Bowl, and performed some of his Oingo Boingo songs that I haven’t heard live in years.
He mixed in some of his more recent movie music, from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Spider-Man, and Batman.
His movie music is much tamer than a lot of his Oingo Boingo songs.
After the show, I lamented how he didn’t play some of my favorite Oingo Boingo songs. He hit plenty of good ones, Dead Man’s Party, Just Another Day, Only A Lad. The final set was just a taste of what his Halloween shows used to be like, a little dark, a little uncomfortable, a little sinister.
But as the house lights came on, I wondered out loud why he didn’t play Little Girls or Nasty Habits. Then I noticed a family in front of me. They had a group of real little girls, who were probably there to see Danny Elfman play songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas and perhaps Beetlejuice and The Simpsons.
It was then I realized Danny Elfman is no longer for me. He is for the children.
He has created a soundtrack for a new generation of fans. He has become a more respected and dignified musician. His themes are still dark, but they are enjoyable, and uplifting and inspirational.
It made me realize that Only A Lad was all grown up now. Little Johnny finally outgrew his reckless, destructive phase and turned into a thoughtful adult.
I will miss the days of Little Girls and Nasty Habits, but it will not replace seeing the growth of the musician, and it will not replace how he speaks to a new generation of listeners.
His music has matured and it means much more to other people.
I hope he does more of it.
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