Danny Elfman's Airplane Bathroom Recordings

While flying home from London, Danny Elfman came up with the theme for Batman (1989). He could write music with a keyboard but could not notate what he heard in his head without one, so he repeatedly went to the airplane bathroom to record melodies and rhythms on a cassette recorder. Flight attendants grew concerned; Elfman joked that they seemed to think he was taking drugs. The recordings helped him reconstruct the theme after he landed.

Previous Fact Next Fact