Oingo Boingo – Two Songs from 1983

Before he became one of the most successful Hollywood film composers ever, Danny Elfman was in a little band called Oingo Boingo. (Fellow ex-Boingo member Steve Bartek, it should be noted, is integral to Elfman’s success.)

While I wasn’t a huge fan of Oingo Boingo, I did like some of their songs such as these two.

The MTV video for “Nothing Bad Ever Happens” is rather awful, a typical, dated, nouveau video style of early ‘80s New Wave, and the fashion is almost a caricature of early ‘80s fashion, but the song’s layered composition (reminiscent of Devo and early XTC) is quite good.

If you listen to the song without the video, the song’s richness comes through, especially the wonderful rhythmic guitar playing and bass lines.

“Who Do You Want To Be”, from the same 1983 album Good For Your Soul, blends angular, post-punk speed with ska.

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