Oingo Boingo - It Only Makes Me Laugh Lyrics

Sitting on my bedroom floor drunk 🎉

This song makes me wanna violently dance the macarena

Danny Elfman is one of those songwriters where you hear his song the first time and say “This song is so catchy, I love it!” But then you actually pay attention to the lyrics and you say “Wow this song is so dark... I love it!”

A total classic! Great tune.

wow, awesome song!

I think this might just be my favourite OB song.

those 36 who gave a thumbs down have been sentenced to eternity in the house of pain

Its probably not right but my interpretation of the song is that When you are scared, sad or in a bad situation you shouldn't retreat into your safe space because your not dealing with your issue and it will just hurt more. The hole of fire is the safe space and the fire hurts, Burns and stings you when you escape into it. Instead you should face the obstacle and laugh in the face of fear and confrontation. Or I could just be an idiot and not getting the real meaning of the song

Can u imagine when this came out, we were calling Danny a sellout! Now I look back, and would give my left nut to have this music now! Fuck me sideways music nowadays sucks!

i was humming the first verses of this song in class and my friend next to me asked me what i was humming, so i played this song and...

he said "ITS SO BAD, THOU"

i think it's time to kill someone, someone insulted my boy danny elfman.

has he been terminated?

this song really slaps at 1.25 speed

nightmare sleuth true

Oh God this song makes me so happy 💗💗💗

Ooh I like this version!!

I'm going to have this song plyed at my funeral... along with "no one lives forever" and maybe "dead man's party"!

I might just do the same, actually.

Great plan!

Indeed, great idea :)

I like where your head's at...

But if you want a Boingo song to play at a funeral or memorial, in my opinion it has to be _We Close Our Eyes_
♥️♥️♥️

How many Halloweens at Irvine Meadows! Best memories. OINGO BOINGO!!! Do an encore!

Seeing this performed by Oingo Boingo Dance Party a few weeks ago was something special. Being a tad younger than the average Oingo Boingo fan, I thought there were some songs I'd never see live. Of course every single fan alive wishes Danny would/could make a return, but for what I've seen, OBDP is one hell of a fix if going through OB withdrawal. Thank you Danny. Thank you Vatos! Thank you to everyone who ever took a part in creating music together in this wonderfully whacky band that I STILL LOVE to this day.

CAunderdo

...why is this version slowed down?

rivercreep this is the original version. The speeded up is from Boingo Alive... a "live" version of the same song.

Omg I was so obsessed with this junior year lmaoo

Songwriters Danny Elfman
Published by LITTLE MAESTRO MUSIC

It Only Makes Me Laugh
Oingo Boingo

great tune

Cmon San Diego and LA mods...lets move up the hit goal HELL one million

Ska Mods

Best medicine for a bad trip.

This song is THE SHIT! It helped me a lot when I was depressed not long ago. Darkness can never last too long when you laugh at its face… these words are now my motto! thanks, Mr. Elfman!

Danny Elfman was so far ahead of his time. been a fan since 1982. i had alawys said i was gonna marry this man some day! super talented and sexy! the full package!! ♡♥

this song is like

ayyyyyyyyy lmao...Sorry.

I've read a lot of comments about this song being about bipolar disorder but I disagree. I'll give a long winded explanation why.

A good friend of mine was training to become a pro wrestler. He's also a big fan of Jackie Chan, one of the most incredible stunt men of our times, and he learned a lot from his interviews. One thing he told me that I'll never forget was that if you get physically hurt it's best to laugh at your pain. It makes you heal faster and you aren't perceived as weak.

About a month ago I had one of the worst panic attacks of my entire life due to losing my grandfather and girlfriend in a short period of time. It certainly felt like a rock bottom moment in my life. (Danny Elfman even asks if you've ever hit rock bottom when introducing this song during their 1987 Halloween show.) After discovering this song I couldn't help but be reminded of my friend's advice about laughing at pain. It's temporary and will go away. During my next panic attacks I did my best to stay positive, laugh, and sing the chorus of this song. It worked significantly better than any anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug I've ever taken.

"Darkness can never last too long when you laugh in its face" is such an important lyric for people to remember. Brilliant songwriting by Oingo Boingo.

Thank you Jacob! Over a year after posting this comment I can still stay it's good advice. "Darkness can never last too long when you laugh in its face" It's still true!

Really glad you shared this here, from one stranger to another.

That's actually an amazing synopsis.

Judging by this, it isn't a very far leap to say that Elfman purposefully made the song catchy, so that people in your case, or worse, can get better via "Laughing at Misfortune."


To elaborate on your theory of it being about laughing at pain, the line "The last time that I fell in love, the love was milkin' honey but the milk turned sour; the woman became a monster, and everyone around me had become a total stranger." would make better sense in this context.

As a sufferer of anxiety attacks, I am grateful for this advice...

It is difficult to think coherently during an attack, but I will do my best to remember this--I honestly believe it will help🙂

(The fact that I dig the HELL out of this song, therapeutic qualities aside, probably won't hurt either 😉😁)

I'm not bipolar just autistic and ADHD and I relate to this song because I'm too ADHD to stay focused on something depressing long enough to ever consider suicide. Also I'm creative enough to entertain myself and make myself laugh.

Danny Elfman is the best songwriter of his generation

LOL. He's shit.

mark elliot no u

yaass!!

Oh shit! Do we praise?!

Respect

I was on your 1982 album :))

We're not worthy...We're not worthy...We're not worthy!

the real Danny?:p i doubt it lol

listen to this on varying speeds, it alters the effect greatly c:
i'm listening on 1.25 and it's more similar to the other recordings i know

This is the song that got me into Boingo back in college. I made a webcomic episode based on it recently, which concluded my series Oscillating Profundities.

Very cool! I just checked on Oscillating Profundities - very much active in 2017...quick search turned up a lot content...stoked! Thanks Teddy Hose!

Thank you for taking the time to upload this, my friend

I looooove Oingo Boingo so much 0w0 Danny Elfman is a god of music ^w^

I hear this and Oingo Boingo a lot in my friend's car. I have this and elevator man stuck in my head. I am so screwed.

I loove Danny Elfman and Tim Burton *-* Johnny Depp with the two of them make awesome movies

DANNY HAPPY EASTER!!

This song is fucking beautiful 

This song is not about laughing at people that dislike you. This song is about exploring and lightly questioning the singers apparent apathy and lack of serious regard to all of lifes ailments. He should be hopeless and depressed because of his troubles, but he isn't, and the only reaction he feels to give is a negligent laugh and smile.

The singer is the voice of Jack Skellington. The guy is bipolar. He is trying to make light of a crap situation because sometimes life sucks beyond belief. If you even had an inkling of mental illness you might have recognized it right away. I'm not saying you are stupid I am simply stating that you have no idea how much crap life can throw at you before you have to find some comedy in crap.

salvation for edgy people

Reaper here

Oh FM, you're just saying that...damn being cowardly and recognizing them...you be what you are and LAUGH when that puckered-ass mug goes by you with that gas-face...or are you speaking for them? HMMMMM?

You dumb idiot you're only making haters stronger by dedicating a song to them

Did you even listen to the song?

It's amazing how you can spot one joke but not another. Who explained the first one to you?

@FartMaster69 why are you so rude. I'm only a kid

@Emily Skellington
Dumb idiot

@FartMaster69 Yet it only makes her laugh.

Brilliant, Danny Elfman is from a different planet.

Dimension

People who thumbs down should be sentenced to some time in the FORBIDDEN ZONE

@Urine Speaks Louder than Words I remember when I first saw the color version--I was skeptical: I had always thought of colorized b&w films as pointless revisionism, if not artistic desecration (thank you, Ted Turner😝)

But where Forbidden Zone is concerned, you immediately notice a difference: The colorization looks slightly "unreal"...

That is intentional. Turns out it was done via a Japanese process of hand-coloring each frame of celluloid--AND it is what Richard Elfman originally wanted to do with FZ...they simply could not afford it at the time the movie was made.

Anyone is welcome to dislike the color version, or at least prefer the b&w, naturally...

But whatever your opinion may be, know that the newer version better represents Richard Elfman's vision.

@James Daniels Holy crap! That's incredible! I didn't realize they took such a tedious yet amazing way to colorize the film! Thank you for sharing, honest! This comment makes it even better! May I ask how you know this though?? Does FZ have bonus features??

@Strange Imagination Damn, I can't recall where I first learned this--I think it was from an old, old friend who knows everything about FZ: Because at one time he was involved in a project to adapt it into a live stage musical...

I have seen parts of the script--it really exists. And if I remember correctly, they had negotiated the creative rights.

Nothing ever came of it: This was an independent project--not enough money to get it off the ground😔

Also, this was back in the 90s. I honestly do not know the eventual fate of the project--except that it was never made.

The Forbidden Zone DVD I owned was the 25th anniversary special edition--but it was released before the color version, so there's no mention of it in the extras.

It had some great bonus features, though:

Like an awesome interview with Susan Tyrell, who was drunk off her ass and happy as a clam 😁

The friend I mentioned has met her, and apparently she's delightful.

Two other points of interest:

The actor who plays Squeezit/Renee is credited as "Toshiro Baloney", but is actually the film's co-writer--Matthew Bright, who also wrote and directed Freeway (one of the most interesting movies I have ever seen).

He is unrecognizable in the interviews...he must have gained 200 pounds since FZ.

Marie-Pascale Elfman (aka: "Frenchy") REALLY IS French--the accent isn't fake...she still had it in 2005.

In the interview she talks about how everyone who saw the film was convinced she was an American speaking in a deliberately bad French accent. Even other French people thought she was faking it 😁

@James Daniels Damn!! A stage version woulda been really wild! And yeah, I (a French Canadian) also thought Marie Pascale was faking an accent. Thanks for all the cool info!

@Strange Imagination It's nice to have my mildly obsessive, unnecessarily detailed "wall-of-text" comments appreciated once in a while😉♥️

This song has gotten me through some tough times.

Jim Cram me too 💜

I hear you.
Wish it had been a bigger hit...not just because it deserved to be, but because this is honestly one of those songs some people *need* to hear
♥️♥️♥️

This song is perfect.  It's gotten me through some tough times

Do you happen to have a brother named Jim?

Anyone know the chords?

Danny Elfman Deserves to be even more famous than he is and by god he's famous.

This is the greatest song in the world.  

I can so relate this song... more than anyone can know or understand

I love Danny and the band so much :) I have Oingo Boingo moods allll the time! Just one after another! Puts a smile on my face easily.

Absolutely. This music helped me during very stressful times in my life.

I love this song. 

LOL great response. Well still at 7 a month later :)

This song is boss. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a gay-square.

Love this Song!

danny best

7 dislike ugh it only makes me laugh :)

McCreary is doing a great job with the current lineup. As creepy as Danny, tons of energy, and a great voice. Check them out. Johnny Vatos Dance Party.

Did end up finding the US Festival '83, a very blurry concert (great sound, however) from a theater in LA, and a VHS copy of Skeletons In The Closet.

When you say video(s), what are you talking about? The only video I know of is the Farewell Concert, which I love...but if there are more, please share! Thanks.

I would pay good money to hear *Danny* do it a capella or any other way he wanted. ;)

So, as a young man myself ive seen my dad go through exactly what this song describes...it hurts to see him act so tough when hes been so beaten by life... Now he has me, and the world turns against us together.

@xnonsuchx I do buy & own MANY BOINGO cds & cassettes. However, their vids are much harder to come by. Hell, even their music has to be ordered 90% of the time. I've found that all BOINGO vids/dvds are out of print. There are also many who cannot afford to buy 'out of print' online. R u evev aware of the NEW SOPA, Or who & what Facebook is signing on with? Damned scary! [spiritquest] '_'

If you love them so much, why not BUY them? YouTube isn't the ONLY way to listen to music and they are only doing what they are legally obligated to do.

Does anyone know of petitions going around to stop Y.T. & their cronies from taking the wonderful, genius vids off Y.T? ELFMAN =PURE GENIUS. TX to all who share their vids!! [spiritquest82]

Does anyone know of petitions to prevent UMD & Y.T. from removing these great vids & songs? It would be horrible to lose the genius of Elfman, Burton & so many others! I LOVE THESE SONGS & hold them dear to my heart. Tx to all the wonderful ppl who post these vids! [spiritquest82]

PLS STOP TAKING OFF VIDS UMD & Y.T.! SONGS AS GREAT AS THIS, MADE BY A MAN OF PURE GENIUS, DANNY ELFMAN, WILL BE LOST TO SO MANY. I THINK WE NEED TO START AN ONLINE PETTION AGAINST Y.T. I LOVE THIS MUSIC SO MUCH, & Y.T. IS MY ONLY ACCESS TO IT. [spiritquest82]

I would LOVE to hear this performed by an a capella group, like Vocal Point.

@xnonsuchx and they're beautiful together

I start singing this song every time I go onto 4chan.

I am the 66,666 viewer. Great song.

@PoseidonKross2009 - I think Danny and Oingo Boingo were well into that kind of imagery before Tim Burton came along. Not that Tim 'stole' it from them, but maybe just had the same thing and maybe that's what drew him to Danny for film scoring.

@itsugo77 Actually, the art of the pic reminds me of Beetlejuice.

Magic..............

@dragonholder411 HI I just saw D.M.P. in Redondo beach .ca last week great as alway's at some show's when they do gray matter. they use one of Danny Elfman's one of a kind instrument's of his own design. the first time I seen Danny do gray matter that same instrument was just a long board with some stuff attached to it way cool look them up dead man's party

GREAT Elfman is was and will always be the BOMB

@inthisdiary9 Yus but darn it's expensive as heck! I'm sure it's worth it though...:D

@LAWMANDA1 More info please and nao!!!! YYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! lol
them:"No screaming while the bus is in motion!"
me: "Darn you!" :P

@KMRakaKAT Maybe u can try it again? And try posting in the description the copyright use words, see if it helps. I believe I have them in one of my videos descriptions....u just have to find it lol sorry. I'd probably make another account just for testing the copyrights allowances so that they don't shut down ur account though, just in case...:)

To my knowledge this is an album made up of what the guys though were un-Oingo Boingo-ish sounding songs. They sound very Oingo Boingo to me.

My recollection is that this album was made the way it was (So Lo - solo) because they wanted out of a deal with their label. So, technically, this wasn't an Oingo Boingo album and wasn't channeled through the label contract.

well the band performs on the record, a few songs were written during the Good for your soul sessions, and Elfman also wanted to try some new stuff that he thought might be be suited to a OB album (Last time go away) but that idea kinda went out of the window as they released " Dark..." which has similar sounding songs.

@cacamille Hells YEAH. Always loved that one!

@cehaver technically it is oingo boingo, but they had to use danny's name because of a record label dispute i think

hay boingo fan's have you heard the tribute band D.M.P. lead singer Rob. rock's dead on for early Danny. way cool they play in the L.A. CA area. at there last show I met Richard Elfman you know he started it all. then Danny took over. I ask Richard if still talks to Danny he said yes just a few hours ago. ( cool) if you get a chance check out D.M.P. or dead man's party rock on Boingo fan"s

my favorite danny elfman song (solo stuff)

the one you're talking about is the one on the Boingo Alive! double album.

I love that song so much <3 Oingo Boingo rules!

The first version I've heard (and the one I'm more used to) is slightly faster than this one... I've always wondered from which CD it could be from. Have you heard about it?

Boingo Alive

this music just makes me happy and want to dance in my chairrr :3

Do you think you could upload 'Same Man I Was Before', if you haven't already?

Danny is musical genius

Thanks for posting. I love this song, and even though it's Elman solo, it it SO BOINGO!

Wow. Elfman rocks even at Barbershop Quartet!

other underrated classics:
- little guns
- what you see
- heard somebody cry
- fill the void
- try to believe
- go away

"Help me" too

kurtisblow3000 I 100% agree

why was this not a huge hit?

I hate how all of the music is being deleted off of Youtube ]: I wouldn't know so many great songs if it wasn't for the stuff on here

hey this song is so funny i always have to smiley when i hear it :)

Omigod! I love this song! Makes me think of my childhood when my Mum and Dad would play nothing but reggae and ska!
Danny? Can you be any more amazing?

RiaElfietwo - A distinctly more Oingo Doingo version of this song is on "Boingo Alive", if you want to give it a listen. This is one of my alltime favorite songs.

Finally, I've been looking for this song everywhere!!!
Thanks SOOOOOO...... MUCH!!!

One of my all time favorites! Thanks for posting! :?)