Sunday, January 10, 2010

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Homer: Happy 20th Anniversary Simpsons!



So the the list of my major childhood development goes as follows. At about age one I ate my first real food when I broke down at the dinner table demanding I had the same pizza the rest of my family was eating. Five years later, I had my first piano lesson. And finally in fourth grade, I first watched and fell in love with the Simpsons. From then on out I can safely say, any place I've been to anything I have done, if not being directly related to one of the three has probably been vaguely (sometimes not so vaguely) influenced by my perspective on them. 
This realization is not new to me or those who know me well (another important developmental landmark worth mentioning perhaps was my journey into manhood at age thirteen with my Simpsons themed "Bart-Mitzvah"), but tonight I was reminded how special the Simpsons truly are in my heart. While watching the Simpsons 20th anniversary special this evening, I could hardly keep the grin off of my face hearing all the producers, actors, and writers talk about the show. Though my dedication has waned (I have gone from watching it three times a day, to about once if that) nothing makes me happier than hearing Mr. Burn beckoning for his hounds to be released, or seeing America's favorite family plop down on that same old couch at the beginning of every episode. 
One of my favorite things about the Simpsons though, is its music. Along with its theme essentially now firmly placed among the American popular musical canon, all episodes are completely scored by Alf Clausen, and scored well to boot! Before my CD case was stolen/lost in 8th grade I would listen religiously to Songs in the Key of Springfield, enjoying both the tunes and the memories of their respective episodes. 
Though the Simpsons mean a lot to me one thing I easily recognized watching the special tonight was that I am by no means the only one. So today, to represent this point I am going to share with you some of the best Simpsons songs sung by random everyday fanatics like myself, plus a real version of Flaming Moes (cause that one's, I think, my fave). Some are pretty good, some are others just goofing around, though each to me represents the same curious power the Simpsons had on me at the young age of ten years old, that has brought it into history and to the far reaches of the globe. 




















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