Robbed hit of the week 6/23/14 - Oingo Boingo's "Weird Science"...

Oingo Boingo - "Weird Science"
from the albums Weird Science (Original Soundtrack) (1985) and Dead Man's Party (1985)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #45

This week's "robbed hit" was the title track to the comedy-scifi movie Weird Science, recorded by the Los Angeleno new wave band Oingo Boingo. Formed in the early 70s as a performance act by Richard Elfman, who gave the reins to his brother Danny in order to focus on films. Danny's version of the group first got exposure on the Gong Show, and released their first single "You Got Your Baby Back" (about Patty Hearst) later that year. During the early 80's the act transformed themselves from the freakshow group to new wave band, and their big break came with the Anthony Michael Hall film, and the commercially viable track became their first hit...

While "Weird Science" got major exposure from the movie and the subsequent TV show, the single stopped short of the top-40 at #45 in October of 1985. Their follow-up single, "Just Another Day", would be their last time in the Hot 100 at #85, though the album sold over a half a million copies...

The band continued one, having a few successes on the newly-minted modern rock radio format, going as high as #14 with "Winning Side" in 1988. Their last chart appearance came in 1994 with the grungy-sounding "Hey!" (#23 Modern Rock). They would split up shortly thereafter, and Elfman started the most fruitful portion of his career, scoring movies like Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Men In Black, and most of Tim Burton's movies. He's been nominated for four Oscars so far..


Here's the band performing "Weird Science" live...

..and finally, neo-new wave group hellogoodbye covered "Weird Science" for an Oingo Boingo tribute album...