Which band created ‘The Simpsons’ theme tune?
There are few television themes as iconic as The Simpsons’. From the second that dreamy choir sings “The Simpsons” and the toe-tapping theme tune kicks in, the tone is set for the show; it’s fun, silly and a little off-kilter. It’s the perfect tune for one of the world’s most beloved shows and a true classic, reminiscent of a whole lineage of iconic animated sitcoms. But who created the tune?
It’s one of those theme tunes that catches in your head in an instant. Someone would only have to watch an episode or two to know it forever. In a pub quiz music round, playing a mere second snippet of the track before asking what show its from, it would be points all round as it would surely be tough to find someone who didn’t recognise it.
The power of a powerful TV theme tune isn’t to be underestimated. The sonic identity of a series can help keep it at the forefront of your brain. Gilmore Girls‘ use of Carole King’s ‘Where You Lead’ is a perfect example, as is Friends’ iconic opening tune of ‘I’ll Be There for You’ by The Rembrandts. Or even when a show gets its own custom composition for the opening credits, a catchy little tune goes a long way as our childhood can be soundtracked by Spongebob Squarepants‘ opening ditty or our teens defined the seductive, mysterious jingle used by Gossip Girl. A show’s theme tune is like a musical tagline, giving it one opening shot to sum up the energy of what’s about to happen and hook viewers in.
So, finding the right person to compose the ditty is essential. Especially for a TV show that is determined to start with a bang, the first sound that audience get on that first episode is of major importance to set them off on the right foot. You only get one chance, mess it up and the entire legacy of the creation is at stake.
That’s why Matt Groening’s choice of band to craft The Simpsons’ opening tune is so interesting. While surely trusting his pick to deliver what he wanted, his track record with the group he chose says otherwise.
So, who made The Simpsons theme tune?
The Simpsons theme tune was composed by Danny Elfman, the famed composer who is probably best known for his collaborations with Tim Burton, crafting the music for movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands.
But when The Simpsons first aired in 1989, Elfman was still a relative unknown. Instead, Groening heard about him through his old band, Oingo Boingo, and it wasn’t a band he liked.
“In Oingo Boingo, we did a show one night and got this terrible review in the LA Reader by a critic named Matt Groening,” Elfman recalled of his first run-in with the show’s creator back when he was simply a writer. “It was such a nasty review that I took exception cause normally, I loved our bad reviews. He admitted in the review that he’d only seen the encore, he missed the show, and I wrote this letter back saying you’ve gotta sit through the show if you’re gonna write the damn review,” he added, so the future collaborators didn’t start out on the right foot.
However, whether he’d forgotten this connection years later or whether Groening always held a secret love for Elman’s band, he called the composer up years later. “Many years later, I get this call. There’s this show, it’s called The Simpsons, it’s an animated show, and Matt Groening created it, he wants to meet you,” Elfman remembered, admitting that when he was then introduced to the concept of the show, he was instantly sold.
They were sold on him too as after playing the team a loose idea of the theme, he got the contract and was sent away to create the iconic theme. However, at the end of the meeting, the show’s creator addressed the elephant. “As I’m leaving, we shake hands, and he goes, ‘By the way, you probably don’t remember, but-’. I said, ‘Yeah, I remember’”, Elfman said, adding, “We’re cool now.”
Thankfully, it was water under the bridge. As the composer said, “Stumbling into The Simpsons theme was pretty much like winning a lottery,” stating that the opening jingle endures as his most popular creation.
