Morning Musically-Minded, Medically-Minded, Masticators!
(Today’s post is sponsored by the letter “M”)
Over the past 600+ episodes, The Simpsons has taken us on an amazing journey involving music, science, and food to name a few concepts.
And what better way to start your week, than by discussing some of these concepts Monday morning?
So let’s get started this week by talking about some classic original The Simpsons songs.
In the eighty second episode of The Simpsons, Homer’s Barbershop Quartet (Season 05, Episode 01), Bart and Lisa come across a music album with Homer on it’s cover at the Springfield Swap Meet. They ask Homer about who tells us a flashback story.
He tells them about how Apu, Seymour, Clancy, and Homer formed a barbershop quartet called the Be Sharps. They performed mostly at Moe’s.
There they are discovered by an agent who signs them but has them replace Clancy with Barney.
While the band initially succeeds, wins a Grammy, meets Beatles George Harrison, they eventually break up when Barney’s girlfriend starts interfering in their career. However, after reminiscing with Bart and Lisa, Homer decides to reunite the group for a rooftop encore.
The group was a clear parody of the Beatles.
- Four members comprise The Be Sharps, like The Beatles.
- Moe’s Tavern is renamed to Moe’s Cavern, a reference to the The Cavern Club, the Liverpool nightclub where The Beatles first started performing and made a name for themselves.
- There is one former member who was kicked out for not being as good as the others. (Clancy Wiggum for The Be Sharps and Pete Best for Beatles).
- Both bands have at least one stage name (Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is Apu DeBeaumarchais).
- Both groups perform on the rooftop of a building at the end of their careers.
- Barney’s Japanese girlfriend is a parody of Yoko Ono.
- The first album, “Meet The Be Sharps”, is similar in name to the Beatles’ first US album, “Meet the Beatles!”, also sharing an extremely similar cover.
- The second album, “Bigger Than Jesus”, is a reference to a Beatles controversy where John Lennon described described their band as “more popular than Jesus”; the album cover itself is based on the final Beatles’ studio album, “Abbey Road”, except that the bigger than Jesus band members are walking on water instead of across the street.
But have you ever wondered what songs The Be Sharps sing?
Be Sharps
The Be Sharps released a few albums, including Meet The Be Sharps, Bigger Than Jesus, and Baby on Board. We got a glimpse of a few songs during the episode. Here are some of them:
Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby
Skinner:
Goodbye,
Homer:
Goodbye,
Wiggum:
Goodbye,
Apu:
Goodbye,
All:
Goodbye my Coney Island baby,
Farewell my one true love, (true love),
I’m gonna go away and leave you…
Never to see you any, Wiggum: (never gonna see you any)
I’m gonna sail upon that ferry boat,
Never to return again.
Goodbye my Coney Island,
Goodbye my Coney Island babe.
Goodbye my Coney Island baby,
Farewell my one true love, (true love),
I’m gonna go away and leave you,
Never to see you any, Wiggum: (never gonna see you any)
I’m gonna sail upon that ferry boat,
Never to return again.
Homer:
So goodbye,
Wiggum:
Farewell,
Apu:
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All:
Goodbye my Coney Isle,
Goodbye my Coney Isle,
Goodbye my Coney Island babe.
Baby on Board
Barney Gumble:
And a one, and a two, and a three…
Seymour Skinner:
Ba-bum, bum bum.
The Be Sharps:
Baby on board, how I’ve adored
That sign on my car’s windowpane.
Bounce in my step,
Loaded with pep,
‘Cause I’m driving in the carpool lane.
Call me a square,
Friend, I don’t care.
That little yellow sign can’t be ignored.
I’m telling you it’s mighty nice.
Each trip’s a trip to paradise
With my baby on board!
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Number 8
Number 8….BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Number 8 …BURP
Now that we’ve relived the songs by The Be Sharps, be sure to come back next week when we continue our Monday morning musings with the next episode of The Simpsons.
Did you remember the episode? What’s your favourite flsshback episode of The Simpsons? What about your favourite music themed episode on The Simpsons? What’s your favourite The Simpsons original song? Did you remember all these songs? Did you know these details about them? Do you have any fond memories of these guest stars? Sound off in the comments below. You know we love hearing from you.