Does most Danny Elfman music sound the same?

[Oerwinde]

Personally, with the exception of stuff like Good Will Hunting and the Simpsons, all of Danny Elfman's music sounds the same to me. Just want to see other people's opinions. When someone mentions how great he is I always tend to bring up the fact that all his stuff sounds the same then everyone rips into me, so I want to see if others share my opinion.

[deganawida]

I voted "Yes", but there is some soundtrack that he did (can't think of what movie, though) that sounded distinctly different. In fact, I wouldn't have know that it was an Elfman flick if my wife hadn't found an interview with him on the DvD.

[Oerwinde]

I voted "Yes", but there is some soundtrack that he did (can't think of what movie, though) that sounded distinctly different.  In fact, I wouldn't have know that it was an Elfman flick if my wife hadn't found an interview with him on the DvD.

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Yes there are some things he's done that sound really different, which is why the poll says "most" instead of "all". Planet of the Apes, Good Will Hunting, etc sound very different, while Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, etc. all sound the same.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I voted yes, but man I loved Nightmare Before Christmas!

[Phosphor]

Yeah, he has a definate "sound", but that's not surprising given his background in pop music. I love his scores, and think he always does great work, so I'm not complaining. But as has been pointed out, he is capable of doing other music that doesn't have that "Elfman sound", so it could be that the directors specifically want him for that style he's known for. Tim Burton always uses Elfman for his film scores, so there's a clear correlation there.

[blackspeeker]

i think it really doesnt all sound the same but then again i probably havent heard as much as you guys

[Phosphor]

i think it really doesnt all sound the same but then again i probably havent heard as much as you guys

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I don't think it all sounds "the same" but he does often have a very recognisable sound in his scores. Pretty much the same way that you might recognise a certain band, it's not all the same but rather has a notable familiarity.

But then, most composers have a certain sound, so it's not just Elfman. Keeping it to the realm of film composers, I think you could say that John Williams music all "sounds the same", or Hans Zimmer, for example.

[kirottu]

I think you could say that John Williams music all "sounds the same",

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

*Family guy flashback* :D

 

I don

[Oerwinde]

I think you could say that John Williams music all "sounds the same",

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*Family guy flashback* :D

 

I don

[Musopticon?]

I'm a sucker for that Danny Elfman -sound. Beeen since I saw Batman Returns a decade ago. There's something compelling about it that can't be heard from the works of e.g Zimmer and Silverstri. At first it sounds like every other darkly majestic score, but there's so many layers in to it. And the fact that he's composed music to almost third of all my favorite films doesn't help to ease my fandom a bit either.

[Phosphor]

Exactly. When I hear a John Williams score I think "Hey, this sounds like John Williams" when I hear a Danny Elfman score, most of the time I think "Hey, this sounds like Batman" or "Hey, this sounds like Edward Scissorhands" He needs to stick to stuff like Hulk. It sounds like a Danny Elfman score, but it doesn't sound like everything else he's ever done.

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In that case, no, I don't think Elfman's music all sounds the same. I hear it and I think "Hey, is this Danny Elfman?" not "Hey, it's the Batman music".

That said, using your examples, Edward Scissorhands and Batman are Tim Burton films, whereas The Hulk is not. I really think Burton asks for a very specific sound, hence the striking similarites there that are not present in his work for other directors.

Although I really love the music Elfman does for Burton, and it is more informed by pop music than classical.

Take a listen to Oingo Boingo and you'll see some striking parallels.

[Laozi]

You saw Good Will Hunting, that movie blew big time, the only thing I can say about that crapfest was that it had a really good song from Elliot Smith in it,