# How much has Danny Elfman made off the Simpsons theme? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083 "2025-11-24T01:28:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/21 "2026-05-21T15:42:07Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > There’s a four-note motif in the _Simpsons_ theme that’s identical to a repeated passage from another _West Side Story_ number, “Something’s ComIng.” (It’s the same four notes Bernstein uses for “soon as it shows,” “under a tree,” etc.) Hah! Never noticed that one! Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/22 "2026-05-21T15:51:59Z")
It’s a cover of “Uncontrollable Urge” used for the show _Ridiculousness_ which indeed is like 90% of MTV’s programming, and has been for like a decade now. Didn’t know that before I looked it up. Good for Devo! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/23 "2026-05-21T16:06:55Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > When I Google that question, I get the answer that he doesn’t own the film and thus made little money from it. My understanding is that owning the film and owning the music that’s in the film are two separate things. I think (although I could be wrong) that playing a song in a movie showing is like playing a song on a radio; it’s considered a public broadcast and the song’s writer gets paid a performance royalty. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/24 "2026-05-21T16:21:35Z")
My favorite story is the _M_A_S_H\* theme. Johnny Mandel, a big-time Hollywood composer wrote the music. But the lyrics had to be silly, even stupid. [Mandel was blocked](https://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/14-year-old-kid-wrote-mash-theme-song-five-minutes-ended-earning-small-fortune/). > [Robert] Altman quickly realized that neither he nor Mandel were immature enough to write something silly, snarky or downright dumb enough to make the satirical scene work. Where, he wondered, could he find someone in the throes of adolescence? Someone who lacked the pretensions of age. Someone who could cook up something adequately juvenile??? > > Fortunately, Altman didn’t have to look too far. His fourteen year old son **Michael Altman** fit the bill just fine. Robert gave the teenager the challenge. The younger Altman seized his opportunity and amazingly ended up taking just **five minutes** to write the final lyrics that became “Suicide is Painless” as we know it today. _M_A_S_H\* was made on the cheap. Robert got a chintzy $70,000 for directing, Mike a nominal fee. Then came the TV show. The theme was played on every episode and every rerun. Even though the lyrics were never heard, Mike’s name was officially on the song as co-writer, so he got half the royalties after being wiped out of existence. Sources on his bounty vary wildly, with a minimum of at least $2 million over the years. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/25 "2026-05-21T19:46:36Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Bongos? I need to look the original theme up. I think I’m only thinking of the movie theme. There was at least two versions of the original TV theme: one with a full orchestra and another with a small ensemble. The second was more “jazzy.” IIRC, it changed at the start of the third season (the one with Leonard Nimoy). ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/26 "2026-05-21T20:02:53Z")
I just put “If your music is used in a movie and you signed a contract to sell it to the maker of the movie with no future payments, would you not get any more money for the music?” into Google. Try that yourself. It says that, depending on the contract you signed, you may only get the initial flat fee and nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/27 "2026-05-22T15:17:29Z")
Thank you. I’m aware that some musicians might not get paid for some production. But I’m not looking for the kind of generic information that Google AI produces. I asked about specific musicians and specific productions. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/28 "2026-05-22T15:49:41Z")
We’d have to get hold of the contract that was signed by Richard O’Brien and the owners of the film to be able to say any more about how he would be paid and when. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/29 "2026-05-22T16:18:21Z")
Not necessarily. People talk about things like this in public interviews. They’ll say things like _“This mansion was paid for by that television series I did when I was a teenager”_ or _“That blockbuster movie I was in made five hundred million dollars but I only got paid fifty thousand.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/30 "2026-05-22T16:31:30Z")
Do you have a copy of the contract they originally signed? Do you have any videos of interviews O’Brien gave in which he talked about how much he made? Are you a lawyer specializing in American copyright law who can tell us if the contract is valid? (I’m not.) I don’t see how there’s any more for us to discuss at this point about O’Brien without any of us on the SDMB having any such information. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/31 "2026-05-22T17:21:27Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Yes, he gets money each time the show is aired. He’s worth $50 million. A large proportion of that comes from the theme to _The Simpsons_. So when you posted this it was based off of you reading a copy of Danny Elfman’s contract? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/32 "2026-05-22T22:36:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Not necessarily. People talk about things like this in public interviews. They’ll say things like _“This mansion was paid for by that television series I did when I was a teenager”_ or _“That blockbuster movie I was in made five hundred million dollars but I only got paid fifty thousand.”_ I like the way Michael Caine described _Jaws III_. (Paraphrased) _I haven’t seen the film. But I have seen the house it built, and it’s glorious._ ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/33 "2026-05-22T23:25:17Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I like the way Michael Caine described _Jaws III_. It’s Jaws 4 and I think he said he built the house for his mother. ‘I haven’t seen it, but I’ve seen the house it bought my mother, and it’s marvelous.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/34 "2026-05-22T23:26:38Z")
Thank for the clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/35 "2026-05-23T03:04:10Z")
There’s also the story about John Lennon deciding he wanted a swimming pool so he wrote a song figuring that would pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/36 "2026-05-24T14:07:29Z")
Coincidentally, I just saw a video that’s related to this subject. It’s about residuals for acting rather than songwriting but it does explain some of the process. [Frankie Muniz Reveals How Residuals Really Work in Hollywood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl_1SysOMOs) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/37 "2026-05-24T14:25:53Z")
> **[Michael Caine Quote](https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1127911)** > > I have never seen it (Jaws 4) but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built and it is terrific. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2026, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/38 "2026-05-24T15:36:30Z")
Indeed, the misquote has gone far. You can just watch him say the real quote here. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/o0C3Kx26oOY/maxresdefault.jpg "Michael caine on Jaws 4") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0C3Kx26oOY) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/39 "2026-05-25T21:14:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So when you posted this it was based off of you reading a copy of Danny Elfman’s contract? No, that was just a guess I made based on my estimation of what proportion of Elfman’s fortune comes from _The Simpsons_. But, there’s no way to be sure without looking at the contract. My stance now is that there’s no way to answer the question in the title of this thread except by having a copy of the contract and a better knowledge of American copyright law. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083/40 "2026-05-26T00:49:26Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > No, that was just a guess I made based on my estimation of what proportion of Elfman’s fortune comes from _The Simpsons_. I’m getting old so my eyes suck, or maybe I’m just an idiot, but I can’t see where you made it clear that your statement was just a guess on your original post. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-has-danny-elfman-made-off-the-simpsons-theme/1025083.md?page=3)