Was there any band in the 80s with a more original sound than Oingo Boingo? The California band started in the late 70s as a theater group (Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo) but eventually ditched the acting and stuck with the eccentric rock sound of bandleader Danny Elfman. (Yeah, the same Elfman who has done the musical score for flick after flick in Hollywood).

Sadly, the band is probably best known for a tune they detested -- Weird Science, the title track to the John Hughes movie. (The film producers grabbed it from the band before they had really finished producing it, or so the story goes.) Other 80s films that featured the band include the Rodney Dangerfield opus Back to School (the band entertains Thornton's dorm party, playing "Dead Man's Party") and the Tom Hanks think-piece Bachelor Party.

The band called it quits in the mid-90s, and Elfman spends his days writing creepy music for films like The Corpse Bride, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Pee Wee's Big Adventure. (Looking for a daily dose of Danny E.? The theme for The Simpsons is also his.)

Our Stuck in the 80s podcast finally honors the band in this week's episode, but until then...

Top 5 Oingo Boingo songs to cherish:
5. We Close Our Eyes: "I looked Death in the face last night. I saw him in a mirror. And he simply smiled."
4. Nothing to Fear: "Go ahead, sleep tight in your beds. Remember what the wise man said."
3. Who Do You Want To Be: "I've been reborn so many times, I can't remember them all."
2. Dead Man's Party: "Goin' to a party where no one's still alive."
1. Grey Matter: "If they say 'take it and like it' ... don't do it!"

(By the way, you can buy the official "Bring Back Boingo" t-shirts at the band's website.)