News

Danny Elfman Just Released His First New Solo Song In 36 Years

Watch the creepy video for Happy, legendary composer Danny Elfman's first new solo song in over three decades.

Danny Elfman Just Released His First New Solo Song In 36 Years
Words:
Emily Carter

Just in time for Halloween, Danny Elfman has shared his first new solo music in a whopping 36 years.

"I always enjoyed Halloween because it was a night to let loose, to become something or someone else," says the legendary composer. "[Halloween is] a night to celebrate the dead, and ghosts and monsters of all variety. 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.

Read this: The 20 best songs specifically about Halloween

"Halloween has always been my Big Night," he continues. "As a child there was no competition. Coincidently, in my earlier band Oingo Boingo, our Halloween shows became special events and our biggest shows of the year. And double coincidently The Nightmare Before Christmas also became a special live Concert Halloween event, which became more successful than I’d ever dreamed possible. This really meant a lot to me as the character of Jack Skellington, who I related to quite closely, has for many years been a very special part of my life."

Of Happy, meanwhile, he explains that he originally wrote the track to perform at this year's cancelled Coachella.

"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," Danny reveals. "The cynical nature of the lyrics echo how I feel about living in a semi-dystopian world turned upside down."

Watch the video for Happy below:

The best of Kerrang! delivered straight to your inbox three times a week. What are you waiting for?