Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

The Simpsons Sing the Blues

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Released
  
December 4, 1990

Length
  
42:22

Label
  
Geffen Records

Recorded
  
September 1990

Release date
  
4 December 1990

The Simpsons Sing the Blues wwwmusicbazaarcomalbumimagesvol8467467943

The Simpsons Sing the Blues (1990)
  
Stranger than Fiction (1992)

The Simpsons Sing the Blues (1990)
  
Songs in the Key of Springfield (1997)

Artists
  
Matt Groening, The simpsons

Genres
  
Blues, Soundtrack, Jazz, Hip hop music, Comedy, Pop music, Rhythm and blues

Producers
  
John Boylan, Michael Jackson, Bryan Loren, DJ Jazzy Jeff

Similar
  
The simpsons albums, Rhythm and blues albums

The Simpsons Sing the Blues is the first album released as an offshoot of The Simpsons. The album contains originally recorded music not featured in the series save for the first verse of the track "Moaning Lisa Blues" which was first featured in the episode "Moaning Lisa", which aired in the United States on February 11, 1990. The album was released on December 4, 1990, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Contents

An early musical number, "Do the Bartman", leads the album as the first track and the first single released. It was an international success, including being the United Kingdom number one single on February 16, 1991, staying there for a further two weeks being certified gold after selling over 400,000 copies. The second single released, "Deep, Deep Trouble" also did well in the UK, reaching number 7. Both "Do the Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble" were released as music videos in 1991.

Different cast members lent their voices to the album with both new material and cover songs. There were a number of notable musicians who appeared on the album, including B. B. King, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Dr. John, and Marcy Levy.

Background

David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records, had the idea to record an album based on The Simpsons, to be released in time for Christmas 1990. The writers wrote humorous lyrics for the actors to perform over blues and hip hop. The voice actors for the series recorded the album in September 1990. The album was difficult to produce in between production for the second season of The Simpsons, which was due to premiere just two weeks later. The album's title was penned by producer James L. Brooks. "We plundered a number of different styles for the record", admitted creator Matt Groening in a 1990 interview. The disc contains an eclectic mix of old blues tunes such as Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and original songs such as "Deep, Deep Trouble", which was produced by rapper DJ Jazzy Jeff and written by Groening.

Release

The album faced great publicity before its release, with several details leaking out. Fox attempted to keep the record under wraps until negotiations with performers such as Michael Jackson were nailed down. One particular element that was highly publicized was Jackson's involvement, which was denied around the time of the album's release. "Oh, it's so frustrating," lamented Groening in a 1990 interview. "I said to a reporter a while ago that I would like to have this happen and it was printed as if it was true." Early published reports attributed Jackson as the composer of "Do the Bartman", which led to James L. Brooks issuing a press release apologizing for any misunderstanding about who actually wrote the song, instead revealing that Bryan Loren wrote the song. Fox also organized a media event around the album, pulling in nearly a half-dozen camera crews to interview and tape the would-be recording stars in action.

The Simpsons Sing the Blues was released on December 4, 1990, and was a success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest charting Simpsons album. The album was also a success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at #6 on the albums chart and was eventually certified gold. The lead single from the album, "Do the Bartman", was released on November 20, 1990, followed by the unveiling of animated music video after the Simpsons episode "Bart the Daredevil" on December 6. After the Fox network premiere, the video was exclusive to MTV. The song wasn't actually released as a physical single, which perhaps helped sales of the album. The music video for "Deep, Deep Trouble" debuted after "Bart's Dog Gets an F" on March 7, 1991.

On December 14, 1990, the album was certified platinum, having sold over 1 million copies in its first week of release. Within a matter of weeks, the record was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, on February 13, 1991, for sales of over 3 million copies.

Reception

The New York Times placed the album on their list of worst albums of the year in 1990, stating that "The television series was at least mildly subversive, not to mention funny; the album mangles old songs and takes no chances with bland new ones"

Legacy

The Simpsons Sing the Blues is today regarded as a novelty from The Simpsons's early popularity. Shortly after the record's release and success, record companies rushed to fashion music stars out of animated characters. In January 1991, Mattel announced plans to record a Barbie rock album titled The Look. At the same time, MCA Records was finishing work on an album based on the Mario Bros. characters. SBK and Geffen also enjoyed huge success with albums based on the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Simpsons Sing the Blues. The record soon became the fastest-selling album to emerge from a television show since the Miami Vice soundtrack in 1985. Disney also issued an album of rock songs sung by The Little Mermaid's Sebastian as well as an album of songs sung by the cast of Dinosaurs, a series often compared to The Simpsons during its run. "Do the Bartman" inspired a dance, "The Bartman", that was popular in early 1991.

Track listing

  1. "Do the Bartman" (written by Bryan Loren)
  2. Bart Simpson
  3. "School Day" (Originally written and performed by Chuck Berry)
  4. Bart Simpson
  5. Buster Poindexter
  6. "Born Under a Bad Sign" (originally performed by Albert King; written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell
  7. Homer Simpson
  8. featuring B. B. King (guitar) and the horn section from Tower of Power
  9. "Moanin' Lisa Blues"
  10. Lisa Simpson
  11. featuring Joe Walsh (slide guitar), John Sebastian (harmonica) and the horn section from Tower of Power (horns))
  12. "Deep, Deep Trouble" (Matt Groening, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince)
  13. Bart Simpson
  14. Homer Simpson
  15. featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff (scratches) Rosemary Butler & Marcy Levy (background vocals: 'Nothing But Trouble')
  16. "God Bless the Child" (originally performed by Billie Holiday; written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr.)
  17. Lisa Simpson
  18. featuring "Bleeding Gums" Murphy
  19. "I Love to See You Smile" (originally by Randy Newman)
  20. Homer Simpson
  21. Marge Simpson
  22. featuring Dr. John (piano solo)
  23. "Springfield Soul Stew" (based on "Memphis Soul Stew" by King Curtis)
  24. Marge Simpson
  25. "Look at All Those Idiots" (Jeff Martin, Sam Simon, Jai Winding)
  26. Montgomery Burns (Listed as J. Montgomery Burns on this album)
  27. Smithers
  28. "Sibling Rivalry" (John Boylan, James L. Brooks, Jai Winding)
  29. Bart Simpson
  30. Lisa Simpson

Songs

1Do the Bartman5:11
2School Day3:57
3Born Under a Bad Sign3:08

References

The Simpsons Sing the Blues Wikipedia