Early success for the group came in 1980 with the song "Only A Lad" from its first EP release. The song aired frequently in Los Angeles on KROQ-FM and complemented the station's then-unusual New Wave format. Although the song was deemed New Wave due to its theme, the sound of Oingo Boingo generally defied categorization. Replete with staccato brass arrangements and surrealistic imagery, the music appeared to be influenced as much by Frank Zappa as it was by Cab Calloway. Following regional success of "Only A Lad," the group released its first album of the same name the following year.
The band is probably best known for appearing on a number of soundtracks in the early-to-mid-1980s. Their most well-known song, "Weird Science" was, in fact, written for the John Hughes movie of the same name. The band made an appearance playing their hit "Dead Man's Party" on stage in the memorable party scene in the movie Back to School (for which Danny Elfman composed the score), in addition to appearing in the 1981 film Longshot, performing their unreleased song "I've Got To Be Entertained". They also contributed two songs (neither of which can be found on any Oingo Boingo release) to the soundtrack for 1984's Bachelor Party; "Bachelor Party" and "Something Isn't Right".
