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.
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Book Exploder: Tayari Jones - An American Marriage
Panic! At the Disco - Viva Las Vengeance
Book Exploder: Carmen Maria Machado - In the Dream House
Re-issue: Björk - Stonemilker
Book Exploder: Michael Cunningham - The Hours
Madonna - Hung Up
Book Exploder: Min Jin Lee - Pachinko
Kae Tempest - Move
Book Exploder: Susan Orlean - The Library Book
Sudan Archives - Selfish Soul
mxmtoon - Mona Lisa
Monica Martin - Go Easy, Kid
Maren Morris - Humble Quest
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
Kevin Morby - This Is a Photograph
Arooj Aftab - Mohabbat
Partners: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Peaches - Boys Wanna Be Her
Steve Reich - Different Trains: America, Before the War
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