Simpsons' music man behind greatest hits

Lisa Simpson and family love popular music parodies.

"Lisa, get away from that jazz man."

From those immortal words of Marge, The Simpsons has always reflected a deep appreciation of popular music, from show tunes to the blues. And for decades, composer Alf "Secret Weapon" Clausen was responsible for most of the show's interior music (the famous theme, of course, is by Danny Elfman).

Clausen was just canned in a cost-cutting move, Variety reported last week, meaning that when the record-breaking series returns October 1, a composer-to-be-named will handle the scoring.

Thankfully, following a backlash as Hollywood talents voiced their support for Clausen, Simpsons producers have announced that he will continue to have a role with the show.

"Neither Al's work nor the music of the Simpsons is treated as anything but seriously by us," the producers said in a statement.

At this transition, though, it's worth pausing to recognise that long before Seth MacFarlane brought his crooning send-ups to Fox with Family Guy, the Emmy-winning Clausen and his live orchestra were providing cheeky power ballads when not parodying Broadway musicals or theatrically aping lines from such films as Planet of the Apes.

Among Clausen's best Simpsons songs are:

• Emmy-nominated Vote for a Winner when Yeardley Smith's Lisa really delivers in this Evita parody.

• Union Strike Folk Song (Parts 1 and 2) (from Last Exit to Springfield): "They have the plant / But we have the power."

• Dr Zauis/Chimpan A to Chimpan Z (from A Fish Called Selma) - this music nods to both the Broadway musical Stop the World, I Want to Get Off and Falco's Rock Me Amadeus, with breakdancing thrown in for humorous measure.

• See My Vest (from Two Dozen and One Greyhounds): "Like my loafers? Former gophers!" The gleeful villainy of Monty Burns plays brilliantly in this dark spoof of Beauty and the Beast.

• The Monorail Song (from Marge vs the Monorail) - a brilliant Music Man send-up. And big production number, the Emmy-winning We Put the Spring in Springfield (from Bart After Dark).

• Emmy-nominated Always My Dad (from A Star Is Torn), a talent-show tune.

• Emmy-winning You're Checkin' In from the musical Kickin' It, a finger-snapping tune with some of the sharpest lyrics in a musical journey through the Betty Ford Centre.

• Emmy-nominated Senor Burns (from Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 2).

• Canyonero (from The Last Temptation of Krust): Some of the show's very best skewering of Madison Avenue as the 90s SUV craze took hold.