First thing's first: Admittedly, I am (was) not the biggest Simpsons fan. Sure, I enjoyed the show, but not to the point that I religiously followed each episode and can name each character that has ever appeared on it. And checking out some show trivia, I guess I shouldn't be so ashamed about my Simpsons naivety, considering that it's an adult animated sitcom that debuted in 1989; at that year, I was only five years old, so I really wasn't the target market...
Still, I didn't escape The Simpsons craze in the Philippines, watching what episodes I caught on RPN 9 and getting my share of (fake) Simpsons-branded stuff like shirts, mugs and towels. But my most prized Simpsons merchandise is a cassette copy of The Simpsons Sings the Blues (ito naman orig -- hindi pa kasing laganap ang music piracy noon!)
To those who aren't aware of this album, The Simpsons Sings the Blues contains originally-recorded music featuring the animated characters as singers, and all songs are rock n roll-, blues- and jazz-inspired. I guess I found it so amusing because it was my first time to see cartoon characters turn into recording artists, complete with "candid", behind the scenes dialogues and antics. The album completely brings the characters to life, and listening to it just sent my imagination soaring. I swear, even to this day, I have these vivid scenes in my head with the characters performing the songs all around Springfield, but I doubt they were ever shown on TV.
I imagine Bart wreaking havoc with "Do the Bartman", or Lisa going all emo with "Moanin' Lisa Blues". Or Marge being her charming, cooky self with "Springfield Soul Stew", and Mr. Burns and Smithers being typically sinister but surprisingly groovy with "Look At All Those Idiots".
But what makes the album even cooler is how the characters have duets with real music legends like B.B. King, Dr. John and DJ Jazzy Jeff...who, of course, weren't a big deal for me when I first listened to the album, and only many years later, did I come to realize that they were big stars in their own right. And I just thought they were nothing but back-up musicians supporting The Simpsons characters!
It was only when I was in high school did I discover that the "God Bless the Child" that Lisa sung with "Bleeding Gums" Murphy was actually a Billie Holiday cover, and that Homer's "Born Under A Bad Sign" was a classic by blues singer/guitarist Albert King. That the reason why Marge and Homer's "I Love To See You Smile" duet was so heartwarming was because it was a Randy Newman original. See, I had grown to memorize and love these songs at age 7 or 8, unknowingly getting a nice dose of jazz and blues into my system.
To this day, I keep the album in my playlist, and give credit to The Simpsons family for my appreciation and knowledge (at least, what little of it that I know) of this music genre.
