Karen, Richard, Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa (and Maggie too

[Geographer]

Okay, Simpson fans out there, I can count at least 4 occasions where Carpenters songs were featured on the series. But why doesn't Richard give permission to use the "real thing."

1. Homer and Marge meet in high school: other female vocalist singing Close To You.

2. Apu's wedding: Close To You sung in Hindi (or other language from that part of the world).

3. Visiting the Kwiki-Mart corporate office in Napal: Top Of The World instrumental playing as they enter through the automatic doors.

4. Side Show Bob's Brother: when laying dynomite to blow up the Springfeild Dam, Side Show Bob's brother singing Top Of The World.

Just love it when I see K&R's influence on pop culture.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The "real thing" is probably not used due to the expense of licensing the records.

It probably cost Warner Bros at least a cool million to use "We've Only Just Begun" in Starsky & Hutch....and Simpsons is a fairly low-budget show.

It's also possible that Richard doesn't want his music associated with the lowbrow humor of the Simpsons show...but if that was the case, it wouldn't have been in "S&H" either. So I'll bet on the $$$.

 

[Tony]

Sometimes it's about money; other times it's about the particular show or movie that the song might appear in. For example, several years ago Richard was approached by the folks who were making the Charlie's Angels movie because they wanted to use "Close to You" fairly prominently in the film. They made what I'm told was a good offer, but Richard didn't think the song was right for the way they wanted to use it and he refused. Considering how successful the movie turned out to be, I think, in retrospect, that was probably a mistake. On the other hand he doesn't need the money and you can't fault him for being protective of his legacy.

Tony

 

[newvillefan]

Hi

There's one other that was missed: when Marge buys a new doorbell it plays the opening notes of Close To You, but goes haywire and starts playing at high speed waking up the whole neighbourhood and making the dogs howl!

Classic quote from Lisa (who has been kept up all night with the noise from it):

"Mom I have to be up early tomorrow I have a test when birds suddenly appear"

Hahahaha!!!

Stephen

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Off the Carpenters subject, but along the lines of The Simpsons...

TV is currently running a commercial for an upcoming Simpsons episode where they end up incarcerated on Alcatraz. They escape, swimming across the San Francisco Bay. As they're paddling Lisa says, "Swim toward San Francisco!" Homer retorts, "I'm not made of money! Swim toward Oakland!!"

Being from the Bay Area, I can appreciate the humor of this line. As for watching the Simpson's? Rarely, if ever at all.

Jon