OINGO BOINGO - DEAD MAN’S PARTY

Released: April 29, 1986

"Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo was released as the third single from their album of the same name and quickly became a fan favorite. Known for its iconic dancing skeletons, the song has become one of the band's most recognized tracks, symbolizing their darkly playful aesthetic.

"Dead Man's Party" uses dark, clever lyrics to depict themes of death and a symbolic funeral. Lines like "All dressed up with nowhere to go" and "Walking with a dead man over my shoulder" set a morbid tone, evoking a journey to the afterlife. Danny Elfman references funeral customs, singing about "my best suit and my tie" and "shiny silver dollar on either eye," alluding to traditions of dressing the deceased in fine clothes and placing coins on their eyelids. The lyrics even nod to mythology with the ferryman of the River Styx.

The line about the chauffeur saying, “there’s room for maybe just one more” draws on an old campfire horror story. In that tale, a man is awakened at night by a car horn and, looking out, sees his six friends dressed in suits inside the car. The driver calls out, “There’s room for one more,” but the man chooses not to join. Later, he recounts the eerie story to a friend before tragically dying in a car accident, leading his friend to believe he foresaw his own death. 

Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo is the well-known composer for many Tim Burton movies, including The Nightmare Before Christmas (on which he is also the singing voice of Jack Skellington), Batman, the theme for the Simpsons, and many others.