Arthur Janov and Billy Preston's quotes came from interviews conducted in 2005 owned by Yoko Ono Lennon. Wenner for his permission and collaboration. John Lennon's audio was excerpted from an interview with Rolling Stone's Jann S. They recorded the final version of this song on October 9, 1970-John Lennon’s 30th birthday. You’ll also hear the original demo for “God,” and outtakes from the recording sessions at Abbey Road studios. I got to interview Klaus Voormann about his experiences making this track, and in this episode, you’ll hear from him along with the archival interviews with John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Billy Preston. For the making of “God,” the band included Ringo Starr on drums, Billy Preston on piano, and Klaus Voormann on bass.
The Plastic Ono band was the name for a rotating group of musicians that John and his wife, the artist Yoko Ono, had put together. Their breakup was announced publicly in April 1970, and that December, John Lennon released his first solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. In September 1969, John Lennon told the rest of the Beatles that he was leaving the group. So this is a very different and special episode of the show.
But with all the interview archives that they have of him speaking, plus all the isolated tracks from the recordings, and the original demo, it actually seemed possible. I’ve never tried making a posthumous episode before, because hearing directly from the artist is at the heart of Song Exploder.
In this episode, Danny Elfman tells the story of how it all came together, and how writing and singing this song for Jack Skellington ended up profoundly connecting to his own life.įor more, visit /danny-elfman.Įarlier this year, I got an amazing email-the estate of John Lennon said that they have a treasure trove of audio material from his life, and they were wondering if I would be interested in making an episode around the song “God,” from John Lennon’s first solo album. The song "What’s This?" takes place in that moment of discovery. He's never seen anything like it, and the discovery changes everything. But then, Jack discovers a portal to Christmastown, with snow and Santa and all things Christmas inhabiting it. And the story is about Jack Skellington, the leader of Halloweentown, a place where it’s always Halloween, and Halloween is all they know, and Jack has grown a little tired of it. The Nightmare Before Christmas takes place in a world where different holidays all have their own realm.
From 1979 to 1995, he was the singer and songwriter in the band Oingo Boingo. His work includes the music for Tim Burton’s Batman films, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, Good Will Hunting, and the theme to The Simpsons. He’s won Emmys, a Grammy, and been nominated for four Oscars. It’s a stop-motion animated musical, with music by legendary composer Danny Elfman. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas came out in 1993.