Do the Bartman
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| “Do the Bartman” | |||||
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"Do the Bartman" CD cover
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| Single by The Simpsons from the album The Simpsons Sing the Blues |
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| Released | 20 November 1990 | ||||
| Format | CD, 7", 12", Cassette | ||||
| Recorded | September 1990 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:54 | ||||
| Label | Geffen Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Bryan Loren, Michael Jackson | ||||
| Producer | Bryan Loren, Michael Jackson | ||||
| Certification | Gold (United Kingdom) | ||||
| The Simpsons singles chronology | |||||
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"Do the Bartman" is a song from The Simpsons' 1990 album The Simpsons Sing the Blues. The song leads off the album as the first track and the first single released from it. Shonen Knife released a Japanese language cover of the song as a b-side on their 1992 CD single "Do the Knife".
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[edit] Overview/Chart Performance
"Do the Bartman" was recorded in 1990. It was the number one music video on America's MTV network between January and March 1991.[citation needed] It was also an international success, being the UK number one single on February 16, 1991, staying there for a further two weeks. The song's success in the UK was remarkable, given that at that time The Simpsons had not yet been shown on British terrestrial television, and wasn't for a further 5 years. The single went on to sell over half a million copies, being certified Gold by the BPI.[1] It was not released as a single in North America.
The single performed well in Ireland, where it spent 9 weeks at Number 1 on the Irish Singles Chart. Only 6 singles have ever managed a longer run at Number 1 in Ireland. "Do The Bartman" was also the 11th highest selling single in Australia in 1991 after hitting #1 in March 1991. It was shown in international theatres with the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands.
Although originally credited to writer/producer Bryan Loren,[verification needed] Matt Groening revealed that "Do the Bartman" was actually co-written and produced by Michael Jackson.[2]
[edit] Music video
The music video featured the typical plot of Bart rebelling against authority when he decides to put his own spin on a rigidly choreographed dance presentation at Springfield Elementary School.
The "Do the Bartman" video was directed by Brad Bird with dance choreography by Michael Chambers. It was animated (in association with Klasky-Csupo) by Varga Studio, a firm from Budapest, Hungary.
The video can be watched as a director's cut on Disc 4 of The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season.
An MTV retrospective on the worst and best music videos of all time placed "Do the Bartman" high on the list of worst videos.
[edit] Meta-references
While not initially introduced on The Simpsons itself, "Do The Bartman" has been referenced a handful of times since:
- On the Simpsons Season 2 DVD boxset, the directors cut is shown, with shots of the "cool boys" dancing replacing the shots of dance scenes from the Statue of Liberty Harbor, Paris, and the remains of the Berlin Wall.
- Bart performs the song and dance in the 1998 episode "Simpson Tide" to prove that he is still cool to his classmates. However, the only response comes from Ralph, who makes an unimpressed quip of "That is so 1991".
- A parody of Hamlet, called "Do The Bard, Man," is the third segment of the multi-story episode "Tales from the Public Domain".
- In "Special Edna," Lisa asks "What happened to the Bart who put mothballs in the beef stew?" This is a line from the song.
- In "The Wandering Juvie," Bart asks Gina Vendetti, "Are you looking to do The Bartman?" when she shows affection for him.
- In "The Heartbroke Kid," when Bart has a heart attack and is lying on the floor, Homer passionately implores him "Come on Bart, Do The Bartman! Do the Bartman!! Oh, why don't you dance?!! DANCE!!!"
- In "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star", Bart, bored with the Catholic school, introduces himself by saying, "Hi, I'm Bart Simpson. Ay Carumba, do the Bartman, et cetera, et cetera..." and uses the "rock on" symbol in sign language.
- In "The Simpsons Hit & Run" Bart said "Everybody do the Bartman!".
- In Simpsons Comics #59, in the story "Faking the Band", Homer tries to create his own profitable boy band. As Bart auditions, he does the Bartman. Lisa remarks that she is tired of hearing the song.
- In "Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times", the third segment (that involves a superhero Bart, parody of Batman, trying to get revenge for the murder of his parents) is called "Bartman Begins".
[edit] References
- ^ BPI Certification
- ^ Season 2 DVD commentary for the special feature "Do the Bartman".
| Preceded by "3 a.m. Eternal" by The KLF |
UK number-one single February 10, 1991 for 3 weeks |
Succeeded by "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash |
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