Song · Oingo Boingo
“Stay” by Oingo Boingo
From the album Dead Man’s Party (1985)
“Stay” by Oingo Boingo appears on 10 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1986 and 2022. It was first released in 1985 on the album Dead Man’s Party. Its best result is #31 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #33 alternative song of 1986, #2,338 alternative song of all time and #389 of the '80s.
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"Stay" comes from Oingo Boingo's 1985 album Dead Man's Party, and it's Danny Elfman's song top to bottom: he wrote the words and music, sings it with bassist John Avila, plays guitar and produced it with guitarist Steve Bartek. Bill Jackson recorded it and Michael Frondelli mixed.
The band behind them is thick and busy. Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez works drums and percussion, Mike Bacich layers keyboards, and the horn section, Sam "Sluggo" Phipps on tenor sax, Leon Schneiderman on alto and baritone, Dale Turner on trumpet and trombone, punches holes in the arrangement. It's Boingo at their most melodic and heart-on-sleeve, the nervous energy still there but wrapped in bright brass and a restless rhythm.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 54 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1986 | 107 |
| 1986 | 31 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1986 | 90 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 357 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
| 1989 | 199 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 1989 | 387 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) | 500 |
| 1996 | 103 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) | 500 |
| 1998 | 160 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 1999 | 446 | 91X | 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) | 500 |
| 2003 | 1594 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2022 | 140 | X96 | X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time | 500 |
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