Group
Oingo Boingo
- From
- Los Angeles, United States
- Active
- 1972–1995
- Rating
- ★ 4.25
- Releases
- 48
- new wave
- alternative rock
- 2 tone
- art punk
- zolo
- grunge
- post-punk
- rock
About
Oingo Boingo () was an American rock band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had previously led and written material for.
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Oingo Boingo was known for their high-energy live concerts and experimental music, which can be described as combining elements of music such as new wave, art, punk, ska, pop, jazz and world amongst other genres. The band's body of work spanned 17 years with various genre and line-up changes. Their best-known songs include "Only a Lad", "Little Girls", "Dead Man's Party" and "Weird Science", which is also their highest-charting song, reaching No. 45 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
The band experienced multiple line-up changes, with Elfman, Leon Schneiderman, Dale Turner, Sam Phipps, Steve Bartek and John "Vatos" Hernandez being the constant members for most of their history. Oingo Boingo started as a ska and punk-influenced new wave octet, achieving significant popularity in Southern California. During the mid-1980s, the band adopted a more pop-oriented style before delving further into rock in 1994. At that point, the name was shortened to simply Boingo and the keyboard and horn sections were dropped. The band retired after a farewell concert on Halloween 1995, for which they reverted to the name Oingo Boingo and readopted the horn section.
Members
-
Marie-Pascale Elfman lead vocals
-
Richard Elfman percussion
-
Matthew Bright bass guitar
-
Leon Schneiderman alto saxophone, background vocals, baritone saxophone, percussion
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Dale Turner background vocals, guitar, percussion, trombone, trumpet
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Sam "Sluggo" Phipps background vocals, clarinet, flute, percussion, sopranino saxophone, tenor saxophone
-
Danny Elfman guitar, lead vocals, percussion, sitar, trombone, violin
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Steve Bartek accordion, background vocals, guitar, percussion
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Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez drums (drum set), percussion
-
Kerry Hatch background vocals, bass guitar, bass synthesizer, percussion
-
Richard Gibbs background vocals, keyboard, percussion, synthesizer, trombone
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Mike Bacich background vocals, keyboard
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John Avila accordion, background vocals, bass guitar, bass synthesizer, percussion
-
Carl Graves background vocals, keyboard, synthesizer
-
Warren Fitzgerald guitar
-
Doug Lacy accordion, percussion, trombone
-
Marc Mann keyboard, sampler
Discography
Albums
Singles
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Insanity
-
Hey!
-
When the Lights Go Out
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Out of Control
-
Skin
-
Flesh and Blood
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We Close Our Eyes
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Not My Slave
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Stay / Dead Man's Party
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Pain
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Just Another Day
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Stay
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Weird Science
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Weird Science
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Bachelor Party Apple Music
-
Wake Up (It's 1984)
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Private Life
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Ain't This the Life Apple Music
-
You Got Your Baby Back
-
All the Pieces
Live
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In the Shadows (Live L.A. '84)
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What Do I Care
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Dance Macabre (Live 1994)
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On The Line (Live 1985)
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Selections from Farewell: Live from the Universal Amphitheatre
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Farewell: Live from the Universal Amphitheater
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13 January 1993, Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles
-
Boingo Alive
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1980-08-17: Whiskey a Go Go, West Hollywood, CA, USA
Compilations
Links
Listen
Social
Concerts
Buy
Also known as
Boingo · Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo · Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo · Ongo Bongo · Ooingo Boingo · The Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo · The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo · オインゴボインゴ · オインゴ・ボインゴ
Tags
- american
- musical theater
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 166bc1cb-a2b7-412d-bcd5-5f439d2cf5f1
- ISNI
- 0000000092123614
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 6 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.