There’s kind of a cool feel that happens every now and then. I guess that feel is the thing that makes the score its own score. But, I don’t know exactly what that is. So, it’s hard for me to answer that question.

Elfman is describing an elusive, intuitive quality that occasionally emerges in the act of composing—something like a distinctive “feel” or atmosphere that cannot be reduced to technique or rules. He suggests that this intangible sensation is what gives a film score its unique identity (“its own score”), distinguishing it from functional underscoring or generic pastiche. At the same time, his admission that he can’t define it underscores a common artistic reality: creators often recognize authenticity, coherence, or emotional rightness when it appears, but struggle to articulate the mechanism behind it. The quote therefore highlights the limits of analytical language in explaining aesthetic experience and the role of instinct in composition.