| Dark at the End of the Tunnel | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Oingo Boingo |
| Cover: | Dark_at_the_End_of_the_Tunnel.jpg |
| Released: | February 20, 1990 |
| Recorded: | May 1989 |
| Studio: |
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| Genre: | |
| Length: | 47:46 |
| Label: | MCA |
| Producer: | Danny Elfman, Steve Bartek, John Avila |
| Prev Title: | The Best of Oingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet |
| Prev Year: | 1989 |
| Next Title: | Stay |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
Dark at the End of the Tunnel is the seventh studio album by American new wave band Oingo Boingo, released in 1990 by MCA Records.
Dark at the End of the Tunnel marked Oingo Boingo's move toward a more pure pop sound, eschewing the hyper, frantic style exemplified on previous records for a more mainstream, less formally innovative approach, with an emphasis on emotional, positive lyrics.
By the time of the album's recording, frontman Danny Elfman had become a famed film composer, particularly in collaboration with Tim Burton. Two tracks on the album had previously emerged on movie soundtracks: "Try to Believe" first appeared as an instrumental in the 1988 film Midnight Run (scored by Elfman), and "Flesh 'N Blood" had first appeared on the soundtrack of Ghostbusters II (1989).
"Out of Control" was written after Elfman received letters from fans who were contemplating suicide and seeking his help. Conversely, "The Long Breakdown", an "epic, Western-tinged" track ending with a vision of death, was deemed by Elfman as "the most depressing song I've ever written. It's about a spiral down to the bottom." The hopeful "Try to Believe" was selected to be the closing track on Dark at the End of the Tunnel to "counterbalance" the album's darker subject matter.[1]
"When the Lights Go Out" peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in March 1990.[2]
The cover art of the album depicts a portion of a painting entitled "Volcano", by artist Peter Zokosky.[3]
A promotional version of the album was released on a vinyl picture disc, with one side featuring the album cover and the other side featuring a color photograph of the band.
In 2022, Rubellan Remasters announced that they would be issuing a remastered version of Dark at the End of the Tunnel on both colored vinyl and CD, the latter as an expanded edition with four bonus tracks.[4]
Oingo Boingo
Additional musicians
Technical