Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas came out in 1993. It’s a stop-motion animated musical, with music by legendary composer Danny Elfman. He’s won Emmys, a Grammy, and been nominated for four Oscars. His work includes the music for Tim Burton’s Batman films, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Good Will Hunting, and the theme to The Simpsons. From 1979 to 1995, he was the singer and songwriter in the band Oingo Boingo.
The Nightmare Before Christmas takes place in a world where different holidays all have their own realm. And the story is about Jack Skellington, the leader of Halloweentown, a place where it’s always Halloween, and Halloween is all they know, and Jack has grown a little tired of it. But then, Jack discovers a portal to Christmastown, with snow and Santa and all things Christmas inhabiting it. He's never seen anything like it, and the discovery changes everything. The song "What’s This?" takes place in that moment of discovery. In this episode, Danny Elfman tells the story of how it all came together, and how writing and singing this song for Jack Skellington ended up profoundly connecting to his own life.
For more, visit songexploder.net/danny-elfman.
Rachel Platten - Broken Glass
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Stranger Things (Main Title Theme)
TOKiMONSTA - Bibimbap
The Killers - Rut
Lorde - Sober
Rostam - Bike Dream
Ibeyi - Deathless
Maggie Rogers - Alaska
St. Vincent - New York
Grizzly Bear - Four Cypresses
Phoenix - Ti Amo
Slowdive - Sugar for the Pill
Goapele - Stand
Fleet Foxes - Mearcstapa
Michelle Branch - Best You Ever
alt-J - In Cold Blood
Michael Kiwanuka - Black Man in a White World
Perfume Genius - Slip Away
Little Dragon - Sweet
Aimee Mann - Patient Zero
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