Nightmare Before Christmas has become a classic in Disney's movie archive. Having spent 18 million dollars on it and getting a 75 million dollar return, this is truly a great Disney success story. This movie also has one of the most classic Disney songs of all times, This is Halloween. This is Halloween is without a doubt the movies biggest songs. It has been considered by many a Halloween staple and has been covered by many band and artists such as Marilyn Manson, Panic at The Disco, and many other bands world wide. However, while This is Halloween is an amazing song, there are so many other great songs this movie has to offer. With that, lets dive into the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.
Composed and written by Danny Elfman, this movie's soundtrack has dark, creepy music while at the same time containing fun, cheerful songs. What's great about this soundtrack is that despite having some many songs that are polar opposites they still sound great and they still flow. The main reason for that is that Elfman keeps it simple. The majority of the songs are not over the top yet catchy to where everybody can appreciate them. This really has to do with the fact that the concept of combining Christmas and Halloween together is complex in and of itself. When you try to combine two elements that are total opposites you can really just ended up creating something that gives people a headache and turn them off to it. Tim Burton knew this when he was writing this movie and Danny Elfman made sure to carry that when he wrote this soundtrack. Elfman decided to keep it simple so that people could enjoy the concept more then the individual songs.
While a lot of soundtracks also focus on the concept heavily as well, they typically try to incorporate their own sound and tricks into the songs to make them unique. You see this in many John Williams, Randy Edelman big orchestra soundtracks, or musical soundtracks such as Tarzan written by Phil Collins and Lion King written by Elton John. The reason they can do that is because the concepts they are working with are very focused and as a result they have more room to experiment with musically. Danny Elfman didn't have that and as a result couldn't be to experimental. However, the fact that was able to make the songs catchy is a huge accomplishment when you have so little room to be creative.
While the song This is Halloween may be the biggest hit off this soundtrack, there are many good songs that this movie has to offer. Another good song is Kidnap the Sandy Claws. This song is in my opinion the creepiest on the soundtrack. With the creepy singing voices of the kids and the lyrics describing what they want to do to Santa when they catch him, this song is super dark. The most creepy part of this song is actually the La La La part at the beginning of the song. The creepy voices of the kids makes you feel uneasy more then some adult voices. It actually feels more scary to hear this intro on Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion then the normal one, it is that effective. This is a song not to over look.
My favorite song off this soundtrack though is the song that introduces the Christmas concept called What's This. This is the first joyful song we hear on the soundtrack and while it comes out of no where initially it still fits perfectly with the scene it is associated with. The lyrics perfectly explain what is going on through Jack's head as he is investigating this new land he has discovered and it makes you want to explore with him. The music is in my opinion the more catchy then most other songs on this soundtrack. The reason I think that is because way the music and voice flow together well and creates the most unique sound in this soundtrack. The burst of energy during the verse really catches your attention and hooks you in a way most other songs don't in the soundtrack. This is one song that is a must for me.
What makes this soundtrack so great is that even though it is simple it is still very catchy and enjoyable. Danny Elfman does a great job being creative even though he didn't have a concept that allowed him a lot of creative room. This a case of being able to do more with less and delivering one of the most famous soundtracks in Disney history. I highly recommend buying every song on this soundtrack and actually buying a physical CD if you find one. With simple, yet catchy music, this one soundtrack you need to check out.
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