The Simpsons

Originating from the imagination of cartoonist Matt Groening, already recognized for his weekly comic strip Life Is Hell, The Simpsons emerged as the most successful animated family in television history. The household—buffoonish father Homer, nervous mother Marge, juvenile delinquent son Bart, brainiac daughter Lisa, and toddler Maggie—debuted in short “bumper” segments on the Fox network variety series The Tracey Ullman Show. Those interludes led to a 1989 Christmas special and then to a weekly series that premiered in 1990. Rooted in Groening’s own household, with ten-year-old Bart—an anagram of “brat”—serving as the creator’s stand-in, the program became an immediate ratings phenomenon. Licensed likenesses of the characters soon saturated merchandise ranging from T-shirts to action figures, prompting an inevitable album. The Geffen label released The Simpsons Sing the Blues in 1990, which yielded the novelty hit single “Do the Bartman.” Music remained integral to the series, drawing prominent performers to contribute guest voices. Appearances by U2, Smashing Pumpkins, Aerosmith, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were joined by voiceovers from all three surviving Beatles. Although The Yellow Album was recorded for a planned 1993 release, it stayed unreleased until late 1998. In the meantime, Songs in the Key of Springfield, a 1997 anthology of themes and musical interludes composed by musical director Alf Clausen, reached stores. Its sequel, Go Simpsonic with the Simpsons, appeared two years later. A full decade afterward, The Simpsons Movie arrived alongside a soundtrack written by Hans Zimmer.