Danny Elfman - "Happy" (Official Video)

Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman gets ‘Happy’ - a first in 36 years Danny Elfman is using the combination of a daunting 2020 and the haunting horrors of Halloween to debut a new single. The former lead singer for Oingo Boingo and widely-known film composer is making his return to music by premiering the ghoulish song, “Happy,” his first in 36 years. Oingo Boingo’s last album was in 1994, followed by a farewell tour in 1995. Originally slated to premiere at Coachella before the coronavirus pandemic halted live shows and gatherings of more than a few people, the lyrics for “Happy” appear fitting for the current times. “I’m so happy — everything is crumbling,” Elfman croons in the video ripe with CGI effects. Elfman’s last solo effort came in 1984 when he released the album “So-Lo.” For “Happy,” the Grammy-winning musician tapped the talents of Nine Inch Nails drummer Josh Freese, Dethklok guitarist Nili Brosh and Dub Trio bassist Stu Brooks. 'THE SIMPSONS' ENDING? THEME COMPOSER DANNY ELFMAN CAUSES STIR WITH COMMENTS Elfman also sourced Randall Dunn to produce the gradually-building hair-raising synth. “I originally wrote ‘Happy’ to perform at Coachella 2020,” Elfman said in a statement. “It was written to be an absurd anti-pop song, designed to begin as a very simple pop tune that degrades into something more subversive. The cynical nature of the lyrics echo how I feel about living in a semi-dystopian world turned upside down.” He added that he has always loved Halloween “because it was a night to let loose, to become something or someone else.” “[Halloween is] a night to celebrate the dead, and ghosts, and monsters of all variety,” he continued. “A night for mutants, zombies, vampires, misfits, and miscreants to celebrate themselves and each other. And aligned with the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, a night to celebrate departed spirits … and for me, a night to laugh in death’s face (and feel safe doing so).” DANNY ELFMAN SCARES UP 'NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS' TUNES AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL IN LOS ANGELES Elfman took home a Grammy for best instrumental composition in 1989 for “The Batman Theme.” Nominated for a whopping 13 Grammys in his career, Elfman’s film compositions include “Spider-Man,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Men In Black,” “Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Edward Scissorhands,” and "Alice in Wonderland.” among others.