‘Do The Bartman’ Sold For A Whopping $38,500, Writing Credits Priceless
“Do The Bartman,” the comedy rap performed by fictional cartoon character Bart Simpson, has been sold to an anonymous bidder at a Royalty Exchange auction for a massive amount of $38,500, according to The Telegraph.
The song first featured in the 1990 episode “The Simpsons Sing the Blues” and quickly went on to become an international success. By February 1991, “Do The Bartman” had reached No. 1 in the UK, selling a total of more than 400,000 copies, making it one of the biggest hits of the year. Since then, the song has not lost out on its popularity, and is today considered one of the best songs to have emerged out of The Simpsons.
One of the main reasons for the enduring popularity of “Do The Bartman” is its lyrics, which have been rumored to be written by Michael Jackson.
“I’m the kid that made delinquency an art. Last name: Simpson! First name: Bart!”
“If you can do the Bart, you’re bad like Michael Jackson.”
Oh wow! XM 90s on 9 is playing Do the Bartman. pic.twitter.com/iYoZyAOAKL
— ?Jessica? (@Jessica_Lynn718) August 1, 2015
In an interview, which Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening gave in 1998, he had expressed surprise at the fact that people had not been able to realize that it was indeed the King of Pop who had penned down the comical, and often wry, lyrics of “Do The Bartman.”
“It was always amazing to me that no one ever found out that Michael Jackson wrote that song.”
According to A.V. Club, this quote was reprinted by Music Business Worldwide in its coverage of “Do The Bartman,” prompting a livid Bryan Loren (the man originally credited with penning down the lyrics) to retort with the following statement.
“There has been a thorn in my side since I did it. Despite Matt Groening’s repeated confessions, I am the sole writer of the song. Perhaps this tidbit of info is not as sensational as saying MJ co-wrote the song but I assure you, he did not.”
Loren went on to state further that Michael Jackson’s contribution to the track – namely the title, background vocals, and his namedrop – was limited to enhancing the lyrics, not penning it down completely. We will never quite know the truth behind the song’s original authorship, but given the ongoing and unprecedented success of The Simpsons, whether or not “Do The Bartman” was written by Michael Jackson, the song will very likely continue to be one of the most endearing rap songs ever to have been produced for television.
The Simpsons: Michael Jackson’s ‘Do the Bartman’ sold for $38,500 http://t.co/LZefS5mrmQ — IG: Dre1allianceent (@Dre1allianceent) July 30, 2015
[Photo: Wikipedia]
