Longtime Tim Burton composer Danny Elfman has released a new song, and the music video is a horrifying acid trip. Elfman, who’s won two Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and has been nominated for four Academy Awards, has composed scores for films like Batman, Beetlejuice, Spider-Man, and Good Will Hunting, among others. He is perhaps most notable as the singing voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas, for which he also wrote the soundtrack.
Elfman’s new song, “Happy,” is reminiscent of some of his chaotic Burton music, while also harkening back in part to his early new wave days in the band Oingo Boingo. The music video shows a frightening CGI head, reminiscent of Elfman’s own, loosely mouthing along with the lyrics as strobe lights flash across the screen. As the song progresses, the images become much more disturbing, as the face’s skin melts away, the eyeballs fall out and return, and the entire head convulses and warps during the song’s various instrumental breaks. The video may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy - viewer discretion is advised.
As a song, “Happy” comes out somewhere between “This Is Halloween” and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” As a video, it’s even more fever-dream-y than a Tim Burton flick. It’s a chaotic, oddly apt anthem for the current state of the world, and fans of Danny Elfman’s previous work should enjoy the style. Just, be cautious with the video. It'll stick with you for a very long time.
Source: ANTI- Records