danny-elfman
via @dannyelfman

Danny Elfman rerecords Oingo Boingo track "Running on a Treadmill" in isolation

Being stuck at home waiting out the coronavirus has caused a lot of artists to revisit their past, whether it’s reconnecting with old bandmates, finally editing that music video, or dusting off rare recordings. For composer Danny Elfman, it drove him to re-record a deep cut from his old band Oingo Boingo — “Running on a Treadmill” which was on their 1982 album Nothing to Fear. He made a video for it, too. Danny, who was to have played Coachella this month, explains what brought him back to this song:

When we started our isolation, I found myself out of sorts (like most of us surely did). My energy was very low. I had poured so much of myself into preparing for Coachella, and suddenly… nothing. Like everyone else, I was stunned and a little shell-shocked. I decided to return to an orchestral commission, but I found that my focus was also whacked from everything turning upside down.

Weirdly, as I struggled though those first few weeks, an old tune I had written decades ago began running though my mind. I didn’t know why, but it didn’t go away. Eventually I decided not to resist and laid down tracks, just for the simple pleasure. It’s really almost like a nursery rhyme. Maybe under all that stress that’s why it came back to me, and just the act of recording it was really calming for my brain.

I decided finally to share it with everyone. It’s silly and simple. Playing everything and singing live to my backing tracks. This thing is funky! This is NOT my new single or for a new album that I’m working on. Just a little something that was fun to record and relaxed me, and maybe it will do the same for you? Totally home-made!

Watch that video and listen to the original below.