Editing Danny Elfman (section)

===Lyrics===
Elfman typically writes the [[lyrics]] to songs he has composed for movies. He employs [[song structure]]s from [[Tin Pan Alley]] and early musical theatre composers ([[Thirty-two-bar form|32-bar form]]), and pop and rock of the 1950s and 1960s ([[Verse–chorus form|verse-chorus]]). As his songs serve to advance the plot and develop characters, lyrics reflect storylines and imagery specific to the film and express the inner life of characters.

He wrote the lyrics and music for ten songs featured in the [[Stop motion|stop-motion]] musical ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]''. Drawing from Tim Burton's parody poem of ''[[A Visit from St. Nicholas]]'' and concept drawings, Elfman wrote each song in consultation with Burton before the film even had a script.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-danny-elfman-jack-skellington-20151025-story.html|title=Danny Elfman can relate to ''Nightmare Before Christmas'' hero Jack Skellington|last=Ng|first=David|date=October 24, 2015|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=October 14, 2019}}</ref> These include the full-cast songs "This Is Halloween", "Town Meeting Song" and "Making Christmas"; four songs for the main character Jack Skellington, "Jack's Lament", "What's This?", "Jack's Obsession" and "Poor Jack", all sung by Elfman; and the other character songs "Kidnap the Sandy Claws", "Oogie Boogie's Song" and "Sally's Song". An eleventh song, "Finale/Reprise", reworks lyrics from the songs "This Is Halloween", "What's This?" and "Sally's Song" for the film's ending. Though uncredited, Burton contributed some lyrics to ''Nightmare'', including the line "Perhaps it's the head that I found in the lake" in "Town Meeting Song".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/tim-burton|title=Tim Burton|last=Elfman|first=Danny|date=January 11, 2010|website=[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]|access-date=November 5, 2019}}</ref>

Elfman composed five songs for Burton's ''[[Corpse Bride]]'':<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/corpse_bride.html|title=Editorial Review: ''Corpse Bride''|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=June 8, 2011|website=[[Filmtracks]]|access-date=November 4, 2019}}</ref> "According to Plan", with lyrics co-written by screenwriter John August; "Remains of the Day" (which he sung as the character Bonejangles) and "Tears to Shed", both with additional lyrics by August; and "The Wedding Song", credited solely to Elfman. The song "Erased" was not used in the final film.

He wrote the lyrics to "Lullaby" from ''[[Charlotte's Web (2006 film)|Charlotte's Web]]'', the rock track "The Little Things" from ''[[Wanted (2008 film)|Wanted]]'' which he also sang in English and Russian,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/07/22/danny-elfman-tim-burton-interview/|title=Danny Elfman on Tim Burton, Gus Van Sant, and why it's so hard to sing in Russian: An EW Q&A|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|date=July 22, 2011|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]]|access-date=November 5, 2019}}</ref> and "Alice's Theme" from ''[[Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/alice_wonderland.html |title=Editorial Review: ''Alice in Wonderland'' |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 9, 2010 |website=[[Filmtracks]] |access-date=November 5, 2019 |quote=Late in the recording process, while stuck during a storm at an airport in London, Elfman decided to write lyrics to his main theme for Alice in Wonderland after recognizing his subconscious earlier choice to make the two final notes of the theme perfectly lend themselves to a performance of the name 'Alice.'}}</ref> Elfman co-wrote the lyrics to "Twice the Love" from ''[[Big Fish]]'' and the "Wonka's Welcome Song" for ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' with John August.

Elfman wrote the lyrics to all of [[Oingo Boingo]]'s original songs 1979–1994<ref name="Prato">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/oingo-boingo-mn0000390532/discography|title=Oingo Boingo {{!}} Album Discography|last=Prato|first=Greg|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> and has made [[Residual (entertainment industry)|residuals]] on the titular two-word opening phrase sung in his [[The Simpsons Theme|''The Simpsons'' theme]] since the series first aired in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classicfm.com/composers/elfman/news/the-simpsons-tim-burton/|title=''The Simpsons'': three notes that pay composer Danny Elfman's health insurance|author=<!--Not stated-->|date=January 21, 2015|website=[[Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM]]|publisher=[[Global Media & Entertainment|Global]]|access-date=November 5, 2019|archive-date=November 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106063209/https://www.classicfm.com/composers/elfman/news/the-simpsons-tim-burton/|url-status=dead}}</ref>