History
The Simpsons was a hit for Fox Broadcasting Company from the start and the network instantly received hundreds of requests from sellers wanting to create merchandise based on the show, such as clothing, alarm clocks, bubble gum, notebooks, posters, and air fresheners. The merchandise was highly successful, generating an estimated US$750 million in revenue during the first year of sales. As commented by AllMusic reviewer Jason Ankeny, "an LP proved inevitable" when, after the series premiere, "the characters' licensed images were everywhere from T-shirts to action figures". In 1990, David Geffen, founder of the record label Geffen Records, decided to record an album featuring characters from The Simpsons. His idea was approved by Fox and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, and the show's writers were assigned to write original, humorous lyrics for the cast members to perform. The finished result became the hip-hop blues album The Simpsons Sing the Blues, released in December 1990. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 1991.
"Do the Bartman", co-written by Michael Jackson, was released as the first single from The Simpsons Sing the Blues. It reached number one on the singles charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom, eventually becoming certified gold in the latter country with 400,000 units sold. In Ireland, "Do the Bartman" spent nine weeks at number one on the Irish Singles Chart—only seven singles have managed a longer run. The single was accompanied by a popular music video that became the number one music video on rotation on the American MTV network in November 1990. "Deep, Deep Trouble", the second single from The Simpsons Sing the Blues, did not achieve as much popularity as "Do the Bartman" but managed to reach number one in Ireland and the top ten in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. A music video was produced for this single as well, premiering in March 1991. The third and final single, "God Bless the Child" (a cover of the Billie Holiday song with the same name), failed to chart.
In March 1997, a soundtrack album titled Songs in the Key of Springfield was released that included many of the musical numbers from the series' first years (1990–96). The album featured much of the work of The Simpsons composer Alf Clausen, who has co-written, arranged, produced, and conducted almost all music that is used on the show. This compilation of songs did not match the success of the previous Simpsons album, but peaked at number 103 in the United States and number 18 in the United Kingdom, where it was certified silver with more than 60,000 units sold. Following the popularity of The Simpsons Sing the Blues, The Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks wanted to produce a follow-up album, also with original music not previously featured in the series. The cast members recorded this second studio album based on the The Simpsons, named The Yellow Album and scheduled for release in 1993, but Groening was against it; as a result, it was not released until November 1998. It was poorly received by critics and did not chart.
A sequel to Songs in the Key of Springfield was released in October 1999, titled Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons. It contained songs that had appeared in the series since the previous soundtrack album was released, as well as some earlier ones that did not make the cut in Songs in the Key of Springfield. Most of the 53 tracks featured were composed by Clausen. The album peaked at number 197 on the Billboard 200. The Simpsons: Testify, the third and latest album (as of 2012) to feature music from The Simpsons, was released eight years later in September 2007. Like its predecessors, the majority of the tracks were composed by Clausen. The album, which did not chart, contains songs from the series' tenth season (1998) to its eighteenth season (2007).
The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film based on the television series, was released in theaters in July 2007. Brooks chose Hans Zimmer to compose the score of the film as they were good friends and regular collaborators. This score was released in July 2007 on a soundtrack album called The Simpsons Movie: The Music, which peaked at number 108 in the United States. While working on the score, Zimmer turned the "Spider Pig" song sung by Homer in The Simpsons Movie into a choral piece that he originally did not intend to put into the film. However, it ended up being used and was included in the soundtrack. Zimmer's "Spider Pig" was popular and appeared on the singles charts in several countries, reaching number three in Ireland, eight in New Zealand, 14 in Norway, 23 in the United Kingdom, and 53 in Sweden. In addition to appearing in The Simpsons Movie, the members of the punk rock band Green Day recorded their own version of the Simpsons theme for the film. It was released as a single in July 2007 and became a top-twenty hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Read more about this topic: The Simpsons Discography
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