The Simpsons Sing the Blues

Last updated

"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 [18]

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" [19] 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. [20] Florida Flambeau expressed relief that the album wasn't a Christmas record, although 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. [21] 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". [22] Commoner found it as an example of the rampant commercialization of The Simpsons in the early 1990s. [23]

Hatchet negatively compared it to the 1997 television series soundtrack album Songs in the Key of Springfield , noting that the latter is "actually funny". [24] Lambda felt the new album would be a "nice change" from the former, whose single “Do the Bartman” had become tiring. [25]

Legacy

The Simpsons Sing the Blues is today regarded as a novelty from The Simpsons' early popularity. [2] 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. [26] 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. [27] "Do the Bartman" inspired a dance, "The Bartman", that was popular in early 1991. [10]

Track listing

The Simpsons Sing the Blues
The Simpsons Sing the Blues.gif
Studio album by
The Simpsons
ReleasedDecember 4, 1990
RecordedSeptember 1990
Studio
  • Record One (Los Angeles)
  • Lion Share (Hollywood)
  • The Warehouse (Philadelphia)
Genre
Length40:13
Label Geffen
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)
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Do the Bartman"
5:10
2."School Day" (with Buster Poindexter and Joe Walsh on guitar) Charles Berry John Boylan 3:56
3."Born Under a Bad Sign" (with B.B. King on guitar)
Boylan3:08
4."Moanin' Lisa Blues" (with John Sebastian on harmonica)
Boylan4:48
5."Deep, Deep Trouble"
  • Boylan
  • DJ Jazzy Jeff
4:27
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
6."God Bless the Child"
Boylan4:29
7."I Love to See You Smile" (with Dr. John on piano) Randy Newman Boylan3:07
8."Springfield Soul Stew" Curtis Ousley Boylan2:37
9."Look At All Those Idiots"
Boylan3:51
10."Sibling Rivalry"
Boylan4:40
Total length:40:13

Cast

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Argentina—151,771 [39]
Canada (Music Canada) [40] 2× Platinum200,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway) [41] Silver 
Sweden (GLF) [42] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [44] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>From the Cradle</i> 1994 studio album of cover songs by Eric Clapton

From the Cradle is the twelfth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released on 12 September 1994 by Warner Bros. Records. A blues cover album and Clapton's follow-up to his successful 1992 live album, Unplugged, it is his only UK number-one album to date.

<i>Unplugged</i> (Eric Clapton album) 1992 live album by Eric Clapton

Unplugged is a 1992 live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at Bray Studios, England in front of an audience for the MTV Unplugged television series. It includes a version of the successful 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" and an acoustic version of "Layla". The album itself won three Grammy awards at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993 and became the bestselling live album of all time, and Clapton's bestselling album, selling 26 million copies worldwide.

<i>Me and Mr. Johnson</i> 2004 studio album by Eric Clapton

Me and Mr. Johnson is the fifteenth solo studio album recorded by Eric Clapton, released in March 2004 by Reprise Records. It consists of covers of songs written and originally recorded by Robert Johnson. The album cover was painted by Sir Peter Blake, using a series of photographs of Clapton. Clapton had planned to record an album of new material, but by the time of the recording sessions there were not enough new songs written, so the band instead recorded a series of Johnson songs.

<i>Songs in the Key of Springfield</i> 1997 soundtrack album by The Simpsons

Songs in the Key of Springfield is a soundtrack/novelty album from The Simpsons compiling many of the musical numbers from the series. The album was released in the United States on March 18, 1997, and in the United Kingdom in June 1997. This was the second album released in association with the Simpsons television series; however, the previous release, The Simpsons Sing the Blues, contained original recordings as opposed to songs featured in episodes of the series.

<i>Mariah Carey</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is the debut studio album by American singer Mariah Carey, released on June 12, 1990, by Columbia Records. Its music incorporates a range of contemporary genres with a mix of slow ballads and up-tempo tracks. Originally, Carey wrote four songs with Ben Margulies, which solely constituted her demo tape. After Carey was signed to Columbia, all four songs, after being altered and partially re-recorded, made the final cut for the album. Aside from Margulies, Carey worked with a range of professional writers and producers, all of whom were hired by Columbia CEO, Tommy Mottola. Mariah Carey featured production and writing from Rhett Lawrence, Ric Wake and Narada Michael Walden, all of whom were top record producers at the time. Together with Carey, they conceived the album and reconstructed her original demo tape.

<i>Flesh & Blood</i> (Poison album) 1990 music album

Flesh & Blood is the third studio album by American glam metal band Poison, released on July 2, 1990, through the Enigma label of Capitol Records. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts and more than 7.2 million copies were sold worldwide. It peaked at number 1 on the Cash Box charts.

<i>The Yellow Album</i> 1998 studio album by The Simpsons

The Yellow Album is The Simpsons' second album of originally recorded songs, released as a follow-up to the 1990 album The Simpsons Sing the Blues. Though it was released in 1998, it had been recorded years earlier, after the success of the first album. The title is a play on the name of the Beatles' self-titled 1968 album, commonly known as "The White Album", with the skin color of the characters of The Simpsons. In addition, the cover is a parody of the Beatles' 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

<i>X</i> (INXS album) 1990 studio album by INXS

X is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band INXS, released on 25 September 1990 through WEA in Australia, Mercury Records in Europe, and Atlantic Records in the United States and Canada. The follow-up to the massive seller Kick, X scored hits with "Suicide Blonde" and "Disappear". Both singles were later used in the soundtrack to the 1991 American teen comedy Mystery Date. Two other singles from X were "Bitter Tears" and "By My Side" but they had less chart success. A fifth single, "The Stairs", was only issued in the Netherlands to coincide with the release of the Live Baby Live album.

<i>Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3</i> 1990 studio album by Traveling Wilburys

Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 is the second and final studio album by the Traveling Wilburys, a group consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. It was released on October 29, 1990, as the follow-up to their 1988 debut, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. The band members again adopted pseudonyms for their contributions, using new names from the fictitious Wilbury brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Bennett discography</span>

The discography of American traditional pop and jazz singer Tony Bennett consists of 61 studio albums, 11 live albums, 33 compilation albums, three video albums, one extended play and 83 singles.

The discography of Irish singer-songwriter Enya consists of eight studio albums, two compilation albums, twenty-one singles as lead artist and a number of other appearances. Enya achieved a breakthrough in her career in 1988 with the album Watermark, containing the big hit song "Orinoco Flow" which topped the UK Singles Chart and the European Hot 100 Singles. Three years later, the similarly successful Shepherd Moons followed, which debuted at the top of the charts in the United Kingdom and featured the moderately successful singles "Caribbean Blue" and "Book of Days", the latter was the theme of the film Far and Away. In 1992, a re-mastered version of the 1987 Enya album was released as The Celts with the title track as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do the Bartman</span> 1990 single by The Simpsons

"Do the Bartman" is a song from the 1990 album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, featuring the voice cast of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was performed by The Simpsons cast member Nancy Cartwright, with backing vocals from American singer Michael Jackson, alongside additional vocals from Dan Castellaneta. Jackson also produced the song, which was written by American recording artist Bryan Loren, and Geffen Records released it as a single on November 20, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep, Deep Trouble</span> 1991 single by The Simpsons

"Deep, Deep Trouble" is a rap song from the 1990 Simpsons album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, performed by the fictional character Bart Simpson about his trouble-making antics. It was written by Matt Groening and DJ Jazzy Jeff and recorded in September 1990.

<i>Simply Deep</i> 2002 studio album by Kelly Rowland

Simply Deep is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released on October 22, 2002, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. Initially expected to be released during the hiatus of her group Destiny's Child in 2003, recording of the album was accelerated after the success of the single "Dilemma," a collaboration with rapper Nelly. Largely produced within three weeks only, guest appearances on Simply Deep include Nelly, Solange Knowles and Joe Budden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Simpson discography</span>

American singer Jessica Simpson has released seven studio albums, four compilation albums, three video albums, nineteen singles, and fifteen music videos. Her debut album, Sweet Kisses (1999), was released through Columbia Records, reached number 25 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, and was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album sold 1.9 million copies in the US and produced three singles. Simpson's debut single, "I Wanna Love You Forever", reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2001, Simpson released her second studio effort, titled Irresistible, which failed to match the success of Sweet Kisses. Irresistible peaked at number 6 in the United States and has sold 755,000 copies. Her third studio album, In This Skin, was released in August 2003. Guided by the publicity of her reality TV show, Newlyweds, that album became the best-selling effort of her career, achieving a peak position of number 2 and triple platinum certification in the US. By 2009, In This Skin had sold 2.9 million copies in the US and produced four singles. In 2004, Simpson released her fourth studio and her first Christmas album, Rejoyce: The Christmas Album. It reached number 14 in the US and was certified gold by the RIAA. As of February 2009, Rejoyce has sold 669,000 copies in the US.

<i>Riding with the King</i> (B. B. King and Eric Clapton album) 2000 studio album by B.B. King and Eric Clapton

Riding with the King is a collaborative album by B.B. King and Eric Clapton that was released in 2000. It was their first collaborative album and won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. The album reached number one on Billboard's Top Blues Albums and was certified 2× Platinum in the United States. Riding with the King was also released on a DVD-Audio in higher resolution and with a 5.1 surround sound mix in 2000.

<i>The Simpsons</i> discography

The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening that has aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company since December 1989. It is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, and many aspects of the human condition. The popularity of The Simpsons led to the release of the 1990 double platinum album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, which contains original songs performed by the cast members of the show as their characters. The album spawned two hit singles—"Do the Bartman" and "Deep, Deep Trouble". A less successful sequel, The Yellow Album, was released in 1998.

<i>We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.</i> 2008 studio album by Jason Mraz

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. is the third studio album by American musician Jason Mraz, released on May 12, 2008. The album peaked at number three in the Billboard 200, making it Mraz's highest-peaking album at the time. Mraz took the name of the album from a work by the artist David Shrigley.

<i>Slip of the Tongue</i> 1989 studio album by Whitesnake

Slip of the Tongue is the eighth studio album by the British hard rock band Whitesnake, released on 7 November 1989 in the US by Geffen Records and 13 November 1989 in the UK by EMI. The album peaked at number 10 on both the UK Album Chart and US Billboard 200. Three singles were released from the album: "Fool for Your Loving '89", "The Deeper the Love" and "Now You're Gone". All the singles hit the US Mainstream Rock Tracks Top 40, two of which, "The Deeper the Love" and "Fool for Your Loving" cracked the Top 5. Slip of the Tongue has sold over one million copies in the US, reaching platinum status. It was the final studio album to be released through Geffen as they were dropped from the label after the Greatest Hits tour by the end of 1994.

Bryan Loren Hudson, also nicknamed The Wiz, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He produced and wrote The Simpsons's 1990 single "Do the Bartman," and released the 1984 singles "Lollipop Luv" and "Do You Really Love Me?", which peaked at numbers 23 and 64 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart—where the latter remained for 17 weeks. He has worked with artists including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Sting, and Eric Benét.

References

  1. ↑ BPI Certification Archived May 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ortved, John (2009). The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History . Faber and Faber. pp.  125–126. ISBN   978-0-86547-988-3.
  3. 1 2 3 Lee Enterprises (September 28, 1990). The Times News (Idaho Newspaper) 1990-09-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hastings, Deborah (September 28, 1990). "The Simpsons sing the blues". Deseret News . Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Deborah Hastings (September 26, 1990). "The Simpsons sing the blues". The Post and Courier . Retrieved April 23, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. 1 2 Marilyn Beck (November 15, 1990). "Recording world beware: Simpsons sing the blues". Boca Raton News . Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ "BOOTLEG BLACK BART SIMPSON, THE HIP-HOP T-SHIRT STAR". Washingtonpost.com. June 28, 1990.
  8. ↑ "Artist Chart History — The Simpsons". Billboard charts . Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  9. ↑ Mansfield, Brian. "The Simpsons Sing the Blues". AllMusic . Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Loretta Grantham (February 12, 1991). "Dancers Get in Step with Bart". The Dispatch . Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  11. ↑ Janis Froelich (March 12, 1991). "Down in a Foxhole". St. Petersburg Times . Retrieved April 23, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. ↑ "Simpsons go platinum". Daily News . Associated Press. December 14, 1990. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Gold and Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Simpsons Sing The Blues". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  15. ↑ Brian Mansfield. "The Simpsons Sing the Blues - The Simpsons | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  16. ↑ Tucker, Ken (December 14, 1990). "The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing the Blues". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  17. ↑ Brusie, David. "The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing the Blues". Tiny Mix Tapes . Archived from the original on May 16, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Thrust". Thrust Inc. October 7, 1991. Retrieved May 20, 2021– via Internet Archive.
  19. ↑ 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.
  20. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: The Simpsons Sing the Blues". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Florida Flambeau". Tallahassee, Fla. : Florida State College for Women. July 11, 1990 – via Internet Archive.
  22. ↑ Marvelous Marvin Boone (January 1991). "Singing the blues at the Simpsonian Institute?". Thrust. 3 (1): 37.
  23. ↑ Bryan College (1991). Commoner, 1991. Bryan College Library. Bryan College.
  24. ↑ Hatchet. April 14, 1997.
  25. ↑ Lambda Vol. 35 No. 19. February 27, 1997.
  26. ↑ "Animated 'toons now singing tunes". Toledo Blade . Associated Press. January 12, 1991. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  27. ↑ Tom Moon (December 25, 1990). "Cartoon characters crooning to kiddos". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  29. ↑ "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.
  30. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Simpsons – The Simpsons Sing The Blues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Simpsons | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  35. ↑ "The Simpsons Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  37. ↑ "1991 Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music Week . January 11, 1992. p. 21. ISSN   0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  38. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  39. ↑ "La verdad sobre la venta de discos '92". Humor . No. 339–351. 1993. p. 56. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – The Simpsons – Sing The Blues". Music Canada . Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  41. ↑ "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.
  42. ↑ "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.
  43. ↑ "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.
  44. ↑ "American album certifications – The Simpsons – THE SIMPSONS SING THE BLUES". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 16, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.