The Simpsons Sing the Blues

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.

The Simpsons Sing the Blues
Studio album by
The Simpsons
ReleasedDecember 4, 1990
RecordedSeptember 1990
Genre
Length42:22
LabelGeffen
Producer
Matt Groening chronology
Crazy Backwards Alphabet
(1987)		 The Simpsons Sing the Blues
(1990)		 Stranger than Fiction
(1992)
The Simpsons chronology
The Simpsons Sing the Blues
(1990)		 Songs in the Key of Springfield
(1997)
Singles from The Simpsons Sing the Blues
  1. "Do the Bartman"
    Released: November 20, 1990
  2. "Deep, Deep Trouble"
    Released: 1991
  3. "God Bless the Child"
    Released: 1991
  4. "Look At All Those Idiots"
    Released: 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

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.[2] The second single released, "Deep, Deep Trouble" also did well in the UK, reaching number 7. "Do the Bartman", "Deep, Deep Trouble" And "Look At All Those Idiots" were released as music videos in 1990 And 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.[3] According to series creator Matt Groening, "James L. Brooks walked into the office one day and said 'The Simpsons Sing The Blues'...Then we spent a lot of time deciding what the blues was...".[4] The writers wrote humorous lyrics for the actors to perform over blues and hip hop.[3] 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.[5] The album's title was penned by producer James L. Brooks.[6] "We plundered a number of different styles for the record", admitted creator Matt Groening in a 1990 interview.[7] 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 DJ Jazzy Jeff and written by Groening.[5] Noticing how Bart had been embraced by the black communities of America, Matt Groening sought to write Bart a hip hop number.[8]

By September 28, 1990, the vocal cast had been recording for around a month, and had completed two rough cuts of songs in between recording for the TV show. At this point, the album was due out in November.[4] Fox had ordered around a dozen camera crews to interview and tape the voice cast, though instead of recording tracks the actors mostly pretended to sing for the cameras.[4]

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.[5] 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."[5] 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.[6] 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.[6]

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.[9][10] 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.[7] The song wasn't actually released as a physical single, which perhaps helped sales of the album.[11] The music video for "Deep, Deep Trouble" debuted after "Bart's Dog Gets an "F"" on March 7, 1991.[12]

On December 14, 1990, the album was certified platinum, having sold over 1 million copies in its first week of release.[13] Within a matter of weeks, the record was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, on February 13, 1991, for sales of over 2 million copies.[3][14]

Reception
"I thought this phenomenon had reached its zenith when the Simpsons' Sing the Blues disc became the fastest selling recording in this country for awhile last year. Forget about that, I was wrong. Dead wrong."

Thrust Magazine[15]

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"[16] People described it as a "slick, supercommercial novelty act", and that it seemed the producer's main goal was money rather than comedy or drama.[17] Florida Flambeau expressed relief that the album wasn't a Christmas record, though felt that it was "mostly pointless" without being paired with the funny visuals of the show, and wished more songs had been written specifically for the characters.[18] Thrust magazine expressed disdain that such a popular album was created by fictional recording artists, noting "Most people have to die before they sell so many records, but The Simpsons will never die. They don't exist".[19] Commoner found it as an example of the rampant commercialization of The Simpsons in the early 90s.[20]

Hatchet negatively compared it to the 1997 album Songs in the Key of Springfield, noting that the latter is "actually funny".[21] Lambda felt the new album would be a "nice change" from the former, whose single Do the Bartman had become tiring.[22]

Legacy

The Simpsons Sing the Blues is today regarded as a novelty from The Simpsons' early popularity.[3] 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.[23] Disney also issued an album of Caribbean 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.[24] "Do the Bartman" inspired a dance, "The Bartman", that was popular in early 1991.[11]

Track listing
  1. "Do the Bartman" (written by Bryan Loren & Michael Jackson)[25]
  2. "School Day" (originally written and performed by Chuck Berry)
  3. "Born Under a Bad Sign" (originally performed by Albert King; written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell)
  4. "Moanin' Lisa Blues" (written by John Boylan, Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Jai Winding)
  5. "Deep, Deep Trouble" (Matt Groening, DJ Jazzy Jeff)
  6. "God Bless the Child" (originally performed by Billie Holiday; written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr.)
  7. "I Love to See You Smile" (originally by Randy Newman)
  8. "Springfield Soul Stew" (based on "Memphis Soul Stew" by King Curtis)
    • Marge Simpson
  9. "Look at All Those Idiots" (Jeff Martin, Sam Simon, Jai Winding)
    • Montgomery Burns (listed as J. Montgomery Burns on this album)
    • Smithers
  10. "Sibling Rivalry" (John Boylan, James L. Brooks, Jai Winding)
    • Bart Simpson
    • Lisa Simpson

Singles
Information
"Deep, Deep Trouble"
  • Released: March 7, 1991
  • Written by Matt Groening, DJ Jazzy Jeff, the Fresh Prince
  • Produced by
  • Chart positions: No. 7 (UK)
"Do the Bartman"
  • Released: November 20, 1990
  • Written by Bryan Loren
  • Produced by Michael Jackson
  • Chart positions: No. 1 (UK)
"God Bless the Child"
  • Released:
  • Written by Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog Jr.
  • Produced by
  • Chart positions:

Discography
Country Label Format Catalog
US Geffen Cassette M5G 24308
US Geffen Vinyl GHS 24308
US Geffen CD 9 24308-2
US Geffen Goldline Cassette M5G 24308
US Geffen Goldline CD 24308
Canada Geffen Cassette GEBBC-24308
Canada Geffen CD GEBBD-24308
Canada Geffen Vinyl
Germany Geffen Cassette
Germany Geffen Vinyl 7599-24308-1
Germany Geffen CD 7599-24308-2
Germany Geffen CD GED 24 308/GEFD 24 308
UK Geffen Cassette
UK Geffen Vinyl
UK Geffen CD GFLD 19201
US Geffen CD promo 9 24308-2

Charts
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 24
Canadian Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[27] 6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28] 36
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[30] 17
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 6
US Billboard 200[33] 3

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[34] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[35] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36] Gold 7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[37] Silver 25,000*
Sweden (GLF)[38] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Brian Mansfield. "The Simpsons Sing the Blues - The Simpsons | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  2. BPI Certification Archived May 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Ortved, John (2009). The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History. Faber and Faber. pp. 125–126. ISBN 0-86547-988-7.
  4. Lee Enterprises (1990-09-28). The Times News (Idaho Newspaper) 1990-09-28.
  5. Hastings, Deborah (September 28, 1990). "The Simpsons sing the blues". Deseret News. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. Deborah Hastings (September 26, 1990). "The Simpsons sing the blues". The Post and Courier. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. Marilyn Beck (November 15, 1990). "Recording world beware: Simpsons sing the blues". Boca Raton News. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. "BOOTLEG BLACK BART SIMPSON, THE HIP-HOP T-SHIRT STAR". June 28, 1990 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  9. "Artist Chart History — The Simpsons". Billboard charts. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  10. Mansfield, Brian. "The Simpsons Sing the Blues". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  11. Loretta Grantham (February 12, 1991). "Dancers Get in Step with Bart". The Dispatch. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. Janis Froelich (March 12, 1991). "Down in a Foxhole". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  13. "Simpsons go platinum". Daily News. Associated Press. December 14, 1990. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  14. "Gold and Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
  15. https://archive.org/stream/thrstfloridasptlght00chri/thrstfloridasptlght00chri_djvu.txt
  16. Pareles, Jon (December 30, 1990). "Pop Music/1990; The Best Show? In the Court, Not the Concert Hall". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  17. "Picks and Pans Review: The Simpsons Sing the Blues". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
  18. "Florida Flambeau". Tallahassee, Fla. : Florida State College for Women. July 11, 1990 – via Internet Archive.
  19. Marvelous Marvin Boone (January 1991). "Singing the blues at the Simpsonian Institute?". Thrust. 3 (1): pg. 37.
  20. Bryan College (1991). Commoner, 1991. Bryan College Library. Bryan College.
  21. Hatchet. 1997-04-14.
  22. Lambda Vol. 35 No. 19. 1997-02-27.
  23. "Animated 'toons now singing tunes". Toledo Blade. Associated Press. January 12, 1991. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  24. Tom Moon (December 25, 1990). "Cartoon characters crooning to kiddos". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  25. Geslani, Michelle (23 July 2015). "Michael Jackson did not actually write "Do the Bartman"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  26. "Australiancharts.com – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  27. "RPM Top 100 Canadian Albums (CD & Cassettes)". RPM Magazine. Library and Archives Canada. 53 (10). February 9, 1991. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  28. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  29. "Charts.nz – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  30. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  31. "Swedishcharts.com – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  32. "Simpsons | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  33. "The Simpsons Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  34. "Australian album certifications – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing the Blues". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  35. "Canadian album certifications – The Simpsons – Sing The Blues". Music Canada. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  36. "New Zealand album certifications – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing the Blues". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  37. "Norwegian album certifications – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing the Blues" (in Norwegian). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Norway. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  38. "Swedish album certifications – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing the Blues" (in Swedish). Swedish Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  39. "British album certifications – The Simpsons – THE SIMPSONS SING THE BLUES". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 16, 2015. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type THE SIMPSONS SING THE BLUES in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  40. "American album certifications – The Simpsons – THE SIMPSONS SING THE BLUES". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 16, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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