Episode 18: Ain't This The Life

Is the earliest Oingo Boingo song just a fun little bop, or is there a dark heart lurking behind those staccato horn riffs? Is the narrator just having fun, or is he a clueless jerk - or something much worse? And what are those billionaire babies doing on the dance floor?

Song Clips:

• “Ain’t This The Life” - Oingo Boingo, Oingo Boingo 10” EP (1980)
• “Ain’t This The Life” - Oingo Boingo, Oingo Boingo 12” EP (1980)
• “Ain’t This The Life” - Oingo Boingo, URGH! A Music War (1981)
• “Ain’t This The Life” - Oingo Boingo, Farewell: Live from the Universal Amphitheater (1996)
• “Happy” - Danny Elfman, Big Mess (2021)
• “Ain't This The Life” - Danny Elfman, The Hollywood Bowl, 10-28-2022
• “Ain't This The Life” - Danny Elfman, The Hollywood Bowl, 10-29-2022

Fan-Supplied Content:

• “Hipsters on Parade” - The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, bootleg demo
• “Ain’t This The Life” - The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, bootleg demo
• “Goodbye-Goodbye” - The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, bootleg demo
• “Ain’t This The Life” - The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, San Francisco, 1979
• “Ain’t This The Life” - The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, The Roxy, 3-31- 1979
• “Ain’t This The Life” - Oingo Boingo, The Whisky, 10-03-1980
• “Ain’t This The Life” - Oingo Boingo, US Festival ’83, 5-28-1983
• “Ain’t This The Life” - Oingo Boingo, The Penthouse/Omni Magazine College Rock Concert, 11-06-1983

The Oingo Boingo Secret Appreciation Society Podcast is hosted/co-produced by Robynne Winchester & co-produced/engineered by Matt Ellsworth.

Please note: The music and film clips included in this podcast (listed above) fall under the "Fair Use Doctrine" as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, parody, and education.

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