The Simpsons song that outsold ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’

When it was released in 1991, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was not just a gigantic breakthrough moment for Nirvana or the grunge movement, but a watershed moment in terms of rock music re-entering the mainstream with something that felt genuinely subversive. Mainstream rock music throughout the 1980s had felt watered-down to some, lacking in the same punch and aggression that had made it such a cultural mainstay in the previous decade, so to have a record like ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ capture the same level of intensity, fierceness and excitement and capture the public’s attention felt like a miracle.

Despite now being the ubiquitous anthem of ‘90s rock and the commercial high point of the underground grunge movement, it never managed to top either the UK or US charts that year. However, that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t instrumental in Nirvana becoming a household name, leading them to become one of the most hotly-tipped acts in the world and future festival headliners, with the release of their sophomore album Nevermind going an incredible distance to help prove that their breakout single was no fluke.

However, does that mean that the song was an immeasurable success everywhere in the world for how it demolished all expectations of a rock single, or were there other things in 1991 that performed better?

Of course, people loved the track for how it was an emotive burst of primal rage that allowed audiences to fling their limbs around in wild abandon, but at the same time, the general population also appreciate easily-disposable trash and a little bit of novelty thrown into their musical rotation. So, just how well did ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ actually perform?

Around the same time, another subversive phenomenon had been taking the entertainment world by storm with its anarchic humour and satirisation of American life. The Simpsons, which first aired on television sets in the US in December 1989, was an instant hit with audiences, and the yellow-skinned family became not just a dominant force on TV, but also in the charts.

How did The Simpsons sell more records than Nirvana?

With the animated sitcom being the first of its kind that wasn’t specifically marketed towards children, The Simpsons was a roaring success from early on in its life, and to capitalise on its widespread acclaim, the show’s creators saw fit to release an album of songs performed by the cast of quirky characters. The lead single from The Simpsons Sing the Blues, ‘Do The Bartman’, was never part of the series itself, but it seemed to be a lab-manufactured hit that was sure to attract immense record sales.

In fact, only one of the songs featured on The Simpsons Sing the Blues was originally part of an episode, with ‘Moanin’ Lisa Blues’ being taken from the sixth episode of the first series. The rest of the songs featured on the album were either original compositions sung by characters, or were covers of existing tracks by the likes of Chuck Berry, Booker T Jones and Randy Newman.

Given the fact that it was a risk to not release music that audiences weren’t already familiar with from the show, it’s remarkable that ‘Do The Bartman’ was so positively received by listeners when it was released in November 1990, and it found its way to the top of the charts in five countries around the world, including the UK.

A potential reason for its success could have been its link to Michael Jackson, who reportedly contributed to the song as a writer and backing vocalist, although the ‘King of Pop’ is uncredited for the former. Coming at a point in his career where fans were eagerly awaiting his follow-up to 1987’s Bad, this marked his first single release since ‘Liberian Girl’ was given the single treatment two years after its release on the album, so perhaps some fans were simply hungry for new material from Jackson.

However, this is undoubtedly not the only reason for its success. Audiences around the world adored The Simpsons, and the ten-year-old scoundrel Bart had become one of the most lovable figures from the show. He may have been the poster child for mischievous troublemakers across the planet, but there was an irresistible, lovable nature to the character that resonated with audiences, and to hear him deliver what is ostensibly his own theme song was a major factor in the track’s success.

In the UK’s year-end charts for 1991, the track ranked as the fifth-highest selling single of the year, sitting only behind songs from Bryan Adams, Queen, Cher and Right Said Fred. ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, on the other hand, didn’t even find itself troubling the top 40 in the year-end charts. So, does this mean that the song is any more culturally significant than ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, or indeed better than it?

In short, no. The long-lasting legacy of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ has ultimately had more of an impact on the history of music than ‘Do The Bartman’ ever did, but in terms of how it captured a snapshot of culture at the time by amalgamating Michael Jackson, musical trends of hip-hop, R&B and new jack swing, and the world’s most watched sitcom, it was obvious the ‘Do The Bartman’ was going to outperform most other things released that year.

If anything, these figures represent fleeting popularity rather than longterm adoration. ‘Do The Bartman’ was the most successful Michael Jackson song of the year according the the British public, beating ‘Black or White’ in sales that year. And, if you want an indicator of how futile it is to measure the taste of the British music-buying public, then you ought to look no further than the fact that ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ isn’t one of the top 40 singles of 1991, and Chesney Hawkes’ ‘The One and Only’ is. Go figure.