The Simpsons receives plenty of well-deserved praise, but I
think people take for granted the great music in the series, all composed by the great Alf Clausen. Clausen worked on several other TV series as well,
including, funny enough, ALF. His contribution adds a great dimension to the show, so I thought it would
be cool to use this episode of The Five to talk about our favorite musical moments from The Simpsons. Here's a
few I like:
Jasper sings the theme from A Summer Place: This is possibly my favorite Simpsons moment of all time, or a least in my top five. During the episode when Homer is telling his family how he was once in a popular barber shop quartet, there's a scene where they're auditioning new singers. Jasper chooses to sing the theme from A Summer Place, which doesn't actually have words, so he just keeps singing the words, "theeeeeme, from a suuummer plaaaaaace...." It cracks me up every time, but unfortunately I think that segment is cut out when the episode airs in syndication.
The Jockey Song: Well, whatever it's called. It's the tune the magic jockeys sing to Homer after they kidnap him and tell him Bart and his new horse must lose the next race. "We are the jockeys, jockeys are we. We live underground in a fiberglass tree." This segment helped confirm a lot of suspicions I had about horse racing.
Maison Derriere: In the episode "Bart After Dark" Homer "forces" Bart to work at a burlesque house after he breaks a window. When Marge finds out about the place she tries to have it shut down, but thanks to an impromptu song by Homer touting the benefits of having a burlesque house in the neighborhood, the ever-malleable townsfolk accept it for what it is. Then Marge crashes a bulldozer into it.
Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off: Troy McClure, played by the late Phil Hartman, puts everything he has into a hilarious musical version of Planet of the Apes. The song contains one of the best lines I've ever heard on The Simpsons or elsewhere: "I hate every ape I see, from chimpan-A to chimpan-Z."
Homer's ad libs: There are numerous occasions in which Homer is singing along to a popular song and forgets the words, resulting in some hilarious ad libbing. This results in such great lines as:
I take a whiskey drink,
I take a chocolate drink,
And when I have to pee,
I use the kitchen
sink.
I sing the song that reminds me I'm a urinating guy
I actually prefer those over the original lyrics.
Okay, time to share some of your own and tell me which ones you can't believe I left out.












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-12-2006 @ 6:05PM
dacaplan said...
Bart and Lisa singing the theme from Shaft at a Karaoke lounge has to be up there.
Episode: One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/7F11.html
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4-12-2006 @ 6:14PM
dacaplan said...
Burns singing "See My Vest" from Two Dozen & One Greyhounds was memorable.
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F18.html
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4-12-2006 @ 6:16PM
Jay B said...
I've got one word for you, "Monorail"!
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4-12-2006 @ 6:22PM
Dakota said...
What about the Stonecutter's song?
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4-12-2006 @ 6:32PM
T-Raveling said...
When Millhouse and Bart get the super squishee and sing the song "Springfield, Springfield" Or the Homer version of "A very good year" This i still sing over the original lyrics.
"When I was just 17. . . I drank some very good beer. . . I drank some very good beer that I purchased with a fake ID. . . My name was Brian McGee"
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4-12-2006 @ 6:32PM
dacaplan said...
In the episode "Brake My Wife, Please" Homer's ring tone is himself singing lyrics to the Mexican Hat Dance song:
I dance, I dance, I dance, around the Mexican Hat,
I dance, I dance, I dance, and that's the end of that,
Or is it I still keep on singing,
My cell phone appears to be ringing.
http://www.tv.com/brake-my-wife-please/episode/201913/trivia.html
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4-12-2006 @ 6:39PM
eugene said...
i forget the ep, or even the majority of the song, but:
"who needs the quickie mart? i dooooo" with apu on the roof on a moonlit night singing this line.
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4-12-2006 @ 6:42PM
TC said...
Baby on board... Something something Burt Ward!
"This thing writes itself!"
I'm telling you it's mighty nice, each trip's a trip to paradise, with my baby... on board!
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4-12-2006 @ 6:52PM
Big Al said...
I second "Monorail!"
Sung to the tune of "The Flintstones," who could forget...
Simpson, Homer Simpson, he's the greatest guy in his-to-ry. From the town of Springfield, he's about to hit a chestnut tree...D'oh!!!
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4-12-2006 @ 7:00PM
karsh said...
Aside from the ones listed in the post and by commenters, I have several others which I love:
» The Mr. Burns Tribute Song (There is a man / a certain man / A man whose grace and handsome face are known across the land)
» Flanders' Theme Song (Everyone else loves Ned Flanders!)
» Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart?
» Tito Puente's Revenge! (I really love this one)
» Can I Borrow A Feeling? (Kirk van Houten's song)
» Homer's Max Power song
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4-12-2006 @ 7:12PM
Hank Shiffman said...
A correction, if you will permit me. The Maison Derriere wasn't a burlesque house; it was a house of ill repute. A cathouse. A brothel. Quite a different thing. Altogether.
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4-12-2006 @ 7:20PM
Dean said...
The lyrics from "Senor Burns" are worth quoting in full:
"Wounds won't last long
But an insulting song
Burns will always carry with him
So I settle my score
On the salsa floor
With this vengeful Latin rhythm
Burns - Con de corazon de perro
Senor Burns - El diablo con dinero
It may not surprise you,
But all of us despise you
Please die - and fry
in Hell, you rotten rich old wretch
Adios, viejo!"
I also liked "we Put The Spring In Springfield" from the burlesque house epsiode, and the mini-theme for Cletus, the Slack-Jawed Yokel:
"Some folk'll never eat a skunk,
but then again, some folk'll
Like Cletus, the Slack-Jawed Yokel!"
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4-12-2006 @ 7:36PM
Junior said...
What about the Adult, Kids song?
It was pretty Cool, and dont forget the
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4-12-2006 @ 7:55PM
Chris W said...
"Come gather 'round children,
It's high time ye learned
About a hero named Homer
And a devil named Burns.
We'll march 'til we drop,
The girls and the fellas.
We'll fight to the death
Or else fold like umbrellas.
So we'll march day and night,
By the big cooling tower.
They have the plant,
But we have the power."
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4-12-2006 @ 8:13PM
Jenny J said...
I've always liked Homer's version of "Mandy" from the ep where he almost cheats on Marge:
Oh Margey
You came and you gave me a turkey
On my vacation away from workey
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4-12-2006 @ 9:30PM
Nathan said...
What about
You put the Beer in the coconut and throw the can away
You put the Beer in the coconut and throw the can away
You throw the can away
You throw the can away... D'oh
Marge can you get me some more beer
I love the Nuclear Plant Protest song one when I think Lenny comes up and says play Classical Gas and Lisa hops into a rendition.
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4-12-2006 @ 9:43PM
Nathan said...
Oh yeah that beer in the coconut song is to the tune of Coconut by Harry Nilsson
heres the accurate Simpson lyrics
Homer: You put da beer in da coconut and drink it all up
You put da beer in da coconut and throw da can away ...
[throws a beer can at Ned]
Ned: Homer!
Homer: You throw da can away ...
[throws another beer can]
Ned: I said, Homer!
Homer: You throw da can away.
[he runs out of beer cans]
Marge can you get me some more beer
I got that transcript from
http://www.snpp.com/guides/lyrics_list.html
which has lyrics for the Simpsons songs.
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4-12-2006 @ 9:55PM
Nancy said...
Don't forget "Everyone Hates Ned Flanders" (or something to that effect... bear with me, I'm reciting it from memory):
Everybody in the USA
Hates their stupid neighbor
He's Flanders and he's really really lame
Flanders tried to wreck my song
His views on birth control are wrong
I hate his guts and Flanders is his name
I especially like it when Flanders sings along to it, as do Rod and Todd:
If you despise polite left-handers
Then I doubt you'll like Ned Flanders
Or his creepy little offspring Rod and Todd
"That's us! Hooray!"
The fact that I can remember all of that but am still only making small wages probably doesn't fare too well for me.
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4-12-2006 @ 10:58PM
BartmanDK said...
Well there are so many.. i have a Simpsons soundtrack wich i bought a lot of years ago but they should make a new one becaus there has been a lot of cool songs since that.. Includeing "The Jockey Song", wich funnyli enough was the episode i caught on repeat on danish tv today! :D
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4-12-2006 @ 11:05PM
BartmanDK said...
Almost forgot.. heres a link to the soundtrack.. and i love all of them.. but the best one has to be the senore burns song or the protest song lisa sings, its the one that Chris W mentions in #13
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000033Z8/qid=1144897433/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-6108886-4662547?s=music&v=glance&n=5174
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001WRKM/qid=1144897516/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-6108886-4662547?s=music&v=glance&n=5174
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