Spotify Release Info

Album Art

Track: Wake Up (It's 1984)
Artist: Oingo Boingo
Album: Good For Your Soul

Artist Bio

Oingo Boingo Image

Name: Oingo Boingo
Spotify Genres: new wave
Followers: 518,334
Popularity:

58/100

Biography

American new wave 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 led since 1976 and written material for in the years previous. Oingo Boingo were known for their high energy live concerts and experimental music, which can be described as mixing rock, ska, pop, and world music. The band's body of work spanned 17 years, with various genre and line-up changes. As a rock band, Oingo Boingo started as a ska and punk-influenced new wave octet, achieving significant popularity in Southern California. During the mid-1980s, the band changed line-ups, and adopted a more pop-oriented style, until a significant genre change to alternative rock in 1994. At that point, the name was shortened to simply "Boingo" and the horn section was dropped. The band retired after a farewell tour in 1995, for which they reverted to the name Oingo Boingo and readopted the horn section. [b]Line-up:[/b] Danny Elfman (1979-1995) - composer, music director, lead vocals, brass, violin, guitar, percussion Steve Bartek (1979-1995) - guitar, vocals, percussion, horn arrangements, accordion Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez (1979-1995) - drums, percussion Sam "Sluggo" Phipps (1979-1993, 1995) - tenor & soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute, percussion, backing vocals Leon Schneiderman (1979-1993, 1995)- baritone & alto saxophones, flute, instrument design and construction, percussion, backing vocals Dale Turner (1979-1993, 1995) - trumpet, trombone, percussion, guitar, backing vocals Dan Schmitt (1979-1980) - keyboards Jeff Breeh (1979) - bass Kerry Hatch (1979-1984) - bass guitar, vocals, bass synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals Richard "Ribbs" Gibbs (1980-1984) - keyboards, synthesizer, trombone, percussion, backing vocals David Eagle (1980) - drums Michael Bacich (1984-1987) - keyboards, backing vocals John Avila (1984-1995) - bass guitar, bass synthesizer, percussion, accordion, backing vocals Carl Graves (1987-1993) - keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals Warren Fitzgerald (1993-1995) - guitar, backing vocals

Source: Discogs

Special Offer

Oingo Boingo on Amazon

Check this out

Popular Tracks on Spotify

Discogs Release Info

Release Cover

Release: Oingo Boingo - Wake Up (It's 1984)
Year: 1983
Genres: Rock
Styles: New Wave

SEE ALSO

Related Works

No additional relationship information found.

Source: MusicBrainz

LYRICS

Wake up, won't you listen to me
Wake up, won't you listen to me, won't you listen to me
Wake up, won't you listen to me

Wake up, won't you listen to me, won't you listen to me, won't you listen to me



Big brother's watching, we watch him back

We see right through his disguise

He tries to scare us, with angry words

But we all know that they're lies

Whole world is waiting

Just see the fear in their eyes



Whole world is watching, observing every move

Is it beginning or the end?

Just like the chess game, but so intense

That I just don't understand

Anticipation

It's much to big to pretend



Wake up, it's 1984

Wake up, but we've been here before

Wake up, it's 1984

Wake up, but we've been here before



Big brother's screaming but we don't care

Cause he's got nothing to say

Think of the future, think of the prophecy

Think of the children of today



Big brother's marching

So we all stand in his way

Open your eyes, sisters and brothers

Neatly disguised, so far away

Open your heart, try to remember

Two worlds apart, but so close



Wake up, it's 1984

Wake up, but we've been here before

Wake up, it's 1984

Wake up, but we've been here before

All our lives leading up to this day, watching and waiting



Wake up! Wake up!



Open your eyes, sisters and brothers

Neatly disguised, so far away

Open your heart, try to remember

Two worlds apart, but so close



Wake up, it's 1984

Wake up, but we've been here before

Wake up, it's 1984

Wake up, but we've been here before



Whole world is watching

Anticipating

Big brother's marching

Is it beginning or the end?