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Lisa's Saxophone Solo ListCreated and maintained by Chad Lehman through season 12, except where notedMaintained by Matt Garvey (garvey@snpp.com) Last revised September 23, 2010 This is a comprehensive list of Lisa's saxophone solos used in the opening credits, created as a complement to the Chalkboard Gags and Couch Gags lists on this site (and let's not forget the overarching Opening Sequences list). New FAQ!
1. What's the name of that one song Lisa plays--
2. Who performs Lisa's solos and other sax music?
3. Who wrote the solos? Are there any official names for them?
4. These descriptions are worthless! Can I download them or get the music?
5. How has the balance of episodes with solos in the opening shifted over the years?
6. Are you sure solos 2, 3, and 5 are different? Why are there five versions of the main theme?
7. What about the solo for the movie? As always, please let me know if something has been missed or if there are errors. Thanks. |
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Descriptions of Lisa's Solos |
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In many episodes' opening sequence, Lisa plays the saxophone. Mr. Largo dismisses her, and she walks out the door still playing. As of the end of season 21, there have been 37 different sax solos used (one of which is not actually sax). 224 episodes have had saxophone solos and 240 have not. In episodes [3F31] and [JABF20] we hear Lisa's solo during the couch gag sequence without seeing her, and in [JABF01] and [KABF21] it's been reanimated. In [MABF05] she plays solo #7 in the episode itself. Of course, starting with [LABF01], the opening sequence has been reanimated again; we now see Lisa for more of the solo, and at the end she ducks back inside, plays a bit more, and smiles. This smile may vary slightly in length; some older solos may feature a delay before her reappearance when they are reused. |
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| DESCRIPTION: This solo follows the 12-note main melody figure. Only used during production Season One. |
| EPISODES: 7G01, 7G02, 7G03, 7G04, 7G06, 7G07, 7G09, 7G10, 7G12, 7G13. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Follows the main melody figure, but one octave lower. A few variations of this solo also appear. Used mostly in Season Two episodes with full, uncondensed openings. |
| EPISODES: 7F01, 7F02, 7F03, 7F05, 7F06, 7F07, 7F08, 7F09, 7F10, 7F13, 7F14, 7F17, 7F20[1], 7F21, 7F22, 7F23. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Almost an exact copy of Solo #2, except that it's more "breathy", and the fourteenth note in the sequence is played more aggressively. This is used essentially in Season Two episodes where the opening sequence is condensed. |
| EPISODES: 7F11, 7F12, 7F15, 7F16, 7F18. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A deliberate downward blues and chromatic scale, that ends with a quick downward trill. |
| EPISODES: 8F03[2], 8F13, 9F18, 5F18, 5F21, AABF04, AABF05. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A very plain, no-frills variation of the main theme; but not "breathy" like Solo #2 or Solo #3. |
| EPISODES: 7F24, 8F06, 2F13[6]. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Similar to Solo #4, but quicker. Starts at the top, and ends with two "friendly sounding" notes. |
| EPISODES: 8F01, 8F08, 9F06, 9F12, 1F09, 1F10, 5F13, AABF10, AABF12, BABF20, EABF14, EABF16, LABF01. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Similar to Solo #6; but at the beginning there is a pause, and then a slide to the top note. The ending is plain in comparison. |
| EPISODES: 8F05[2], 8F15[2], 9F14, 1F11, 1F19, 5F05, CABF07, CABF08, KABF03. See also MABF05[10]. |
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| DESCRIPTION: The last variation on the main theme. Notice the fancy triplet on the third note, not used in the previous variations. This may be the most famous of Lisa's solos. |
| EPISODES: 8F07[2], 8F19[2], 8F23, 9F03, 9F10, 9F17, 9F21, 2F32[7], 3F31, AABF03, AABF17, CABF13, DABF06, GABF15. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Possibly the "funniest" of Lisa's solos, this one is a favorite. It's just several atonal blasts, followed by a crazy attempt to get back on rhythm. It recalls the scene in [4F24] where Lisa plays her sax poorly, Homer states "Now you're swinging, honey!", and runs off imitating her. |
| EPISODES: 8F09, 8F17, 9F02, 9F07, 1F07, 3G01, AABF02, BABF04, BABF07, BABF18, CABF04, CABF11, CABF17, EABF04, HABF16. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Optimistic and happy sounding. It's bright, thoughtful, and not bluesy at all. |
| EPISODES: 8F10, 8F18, 8F20, 9F05[1], 9F11, 9F20[1], 5F19, AABF08, BABF19, DABF04, HABF08[8]. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Somewhat like Solo #10; thoughtful, bright, melodic notes with only a hint of blues. |
| EPISODES: 8F11, 8F21[3], 8F24, 9F08, 9F13, 9F16, 9F22, 2F08, 3G03, AABF06, AABF07, GABF18. |
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| DESCRIPTION: The solo starts early, as if Lisa's breaking out of the pattern and taking over. Very melodic and thoughtful. |
| EPISODES: 8F14, 8F22[4], 9F01[5], 9F09[1], 9F19, 3G02, 4F16, 5F17, FABF01, HABF14, JABF06. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A James Brown influence; the accent is on the "one" (downbeat). Another favorite. |
| EPISODES: 8F04[2], 9F15, 3F23, 5F01, 5F14, AABF09, AABF11, BABF15, EABF05, MABF13. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Sounds like Solo #13 coming in late, ending with two low blasts. The first new solo in six years. |
| EPISODES: AABF13, AABF19, BABF22, CABF10, CABF12, CABF14, CABF15, CABF18, CABF21, CABF22, DABF08, DABF20. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Groovy, backbeat driven funk that begins with three 3/4 (dotted 1/2 notes) notes which descend with three 1/16th notes a piece. |
| EPISODES: AABF14, AABF18, CABF01, CABF02, CABF06, HABF04, JABF01, MABF07. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Simple, slow, and sad. Two longing wails. |
| EPISODES: AABF15, BABF12, HABF09, LABF13, LABF16. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Bluesy riff that starts slow, moves up to the top, turns downward with two "hot" blasts, and ends low and quiet. |
| EPISODES: AABF16, AABF20, AABF22, AABF23, BABF06, BABF17, HABF13, KABF12. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Familiar sounding melodic riff, but brand-new. Distinguished by three deliberate blasts in the middle. |
| EPISODES: AABF21, BABF03, BABF05, BABF11, BABF13, BABF14, BABF16, CABF16, CABF20, DABF02, DABF07, EABF06, JABF20. |
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| DESCRIPTION: The first bar sounds eerily like the chorus of the song "Mellow Yellow" by Donovan. The ending is very bluesy and sad. |
| EPISODES: BABF02, BABF10, CABF03, CABF05, HABF03, HABF21. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Dramatic, drawn-out blues notes. It ends on a non-blues tonal center note (Major). |
| EPISODES: BABF08, CABF09, LABF05, LABF15. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Starts off funky. Slows down and breaks out of the main rhythm with a soulful blues climax. |
| EPISODES: BABF09, MABF09. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A simple, slow-paced bluesy melody, largely from a minor key. Defined by an obvious beat. The first new solo in almost 5 years. |
| EPISODES: FABF22. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Four distinct groups of 4-5 notes each, sounding like a few false starts but not unintentionally. Overall is reminiscent of fragments of the main theme, but only if you don't listen too closely. The first new solo in two and a half years. |
| EPISODES: JABF13, LABF07[9]. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Somewhat like #22 in that you can snap your fingers to it, but is lower and has more of a melody. Ends on a down note. |
| EPISODES: JABF12, JABF19, KABF18, MABF11. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Kind of marchy, with discrete notes, perhaps like the pied piper or something, but the first four notes remind me more of The Sorcerer's Apprentice. This marks the first of 6 new solos for season 19, which is the most introduced in one season since season 3; combined with season 18's, this wave matches the non-theme solos of season 3 and seasons 10/11. |
| EPISODES: JABF18, KABF14. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A sustained high note, followed by a few steps down to a low tone. Sounds a little uninspired. |
| EPISODES: JABF22. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A rapidly-paced piece that sounds like it belongs at a hoedown. (I'd have called it "Hoedown" but it sounds nothing like Copland's well-known song of the same name. You might know it as "that beef song.") Knee-slappin'. |
| EPISODES: JABF17. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Starts like #23, but becomes more like #13 and #14 at the end. It's pretty fun. |
| EPISODES: KABF02, KABF22, LABF12, LABF17, MABF08. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Starts a lot like #17, but then hits a minor key and gradually works down in a jazzy way. The last four notes are repeated. |
| EPISODES: KABF06. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Remarkably similar to #29 (and thus close to #17), but the trip down the scale is more playful and doesn't repeat. |
| EPISODES: KABF10, LABF19. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Similar to Barn Dance, but not as frenetic. |
| EPISODES: KABF15, LABF08. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A jazzy finger-snapping number with a sort of questioning up note near the end. |
| EPISODES: KABF20. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A syncopated, jazzy version of the first line of this carol. Used in the second appearance of JABF01's reanimated Christmas opening. |
| EPISODES: KABF21. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A few discrete, almost random notes, followed and recognizable by a 6-note series of two alternating notes and a final flourish. This was the first new solo after the HD/WS opening, and with the end of the solo now animated, this may have been designed to take advantage. |
| EPISODES: LABF02, LABF18, MABF14. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Starts with two separate, somewhat similar groups of four notes, and what sounds like a third variation continues farther down a scale. |
| EPISODES: LABF03, LABF20. |
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| DESCRIPTION: A thoughtful, drawn-out rendition of the first line of this song. Used in the heavily-publicized Irish-set episode. |
| EPISODES: LABF11. |
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| DESCRIPTION: Lisa plays a high-pitched trumpet instead of a sax, with a very upbeat jazzy tune. I wouldn't be surprised if (air) season 22's openings settle on this to vary, and we caught it early at the end of (longer than usual) season 21. We'll see. |
| EPISODES: MABF15. |
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Episodes With No Sax Solo |
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The following episodes had no saxophone solo, or I am unable to determine for one reason or another if they actually had a solo. If I am wrong about any of these, please let me know. You will notice that beginning with production Season 5 [1Fxx], there are far fewer saxophone solos. The Simpsons production office apparently opted for shortened opening sequences to make the episodes longer. Almost none of the [2Fxx] series had a sax solo, and this practice continued through much of the [5Fxx] series; the solos have been in sharp decline since the DABFs. The easiest conclusion I come to is that episodes that run long have condensed or even shortened openings with no sax solo. This makes one wonder if opening sequences are all that important. If an episode is better served by cutting the opening, I say cut it. =) 7G05, 7G08, 7G11, 7F04, 7F19, 8F02, 8F12, 8F16, 9F04, 1F01, 1F02, 1F03, 1F04, 1F05, 1F06, 1F08, 1F12, 1F13, 1F14, 1F15, 1F16, 1F17, 1F18, 1F20, 1F21, 1F22, all 2FXXs (except 2F08, 2F13[6], and 2F32[7]), all 3FXXs (except 3F23 & 3F31), 3G04, all 4FXXs (except 4F16), 5F02, 5F03, 5F04, 5F06, 5F07, 5F08, 5F09, 5F10, 5F11, 5F12, 5F15, 5F16, 5F20, 5F22, 5F23, 5F24, AABF01, BABF01, BABF21, CABF19, DABF01, DABF03, DABF05, DABF09, DABF10, DABF11, DABF12, DABF13, DABF14, DABF15, DABF16, DABF17, DABF18, DABF19, DABF21, DABF22, EABF01, EABF02, EABF03, EABF07, EABF08, EABF09, EABF10, EABF11, EABF12, EABF13, EABF15, EABF17, EABF18, EABF19, EABF20, EABF21, EABF22, FABF02, FABF03, FABF04, FABF05, FABF06, FABF07, FABF08, FABF09, FABF10, FABF11, FABF12, FABF13, FABF14, FABF15, FABF16, FABF17, FABF18, FABF19, FABF20, FABF21, FABF23, GABF01, GABF02, GABF03, GABF04, GABF05, GABF06, GABF07, GABF08, GABF09, GABF10, GABF11, GABF12, GABF13, GABF14, GABF16, GABF17, GABF19, GABF20, GABF21, GABF22, HABF01, HABF02, HABF05, HABF06, HABF07, HABF10, HABF11, HABF12, HABF15, HABF17, HABF18, HABF19, HABF20, HABF22, JABF02, JABF03, JABF04, JABF05, JABF07, JABF08, JABF09, JABF10, JABF11, JABF14, JABF15, JABF16, JABF21, KABF01, KABF04, KABF05, KABF07, KABF08, KABF09, KABF11, KABF13, KABF16, KABF17, KABF19, LABF04, LABF06, LABF09, LABF10, LABF14, MABF01, MABF02, MABF03, MABF04, MABF05[10], MABF06, MABF10, and MABF12. [1]: The DVD versions of [7F20], [9F05], [9F09], and [9F20] have full openings and different sax solos (2, 10, 12, 10, instead of 4, 5, 3, 6) than previously indicated on this list. From some new information, I've learned that Fox used to run summer repeats with shortened openings (and apparently different solos) to save time, and the long versions (with the solos given here) are probably the real ones. (This affected old versions by having 7F20 debut Solo #4 instead of 8F03, hence the footnote.) -mg [2]: The premiere dates and episodes of Solo #4, Solo #7, Solo #8, and Solo #13 are debatable, in part because Global usually aired full openings when Fox's premieres were trimmed. I took some time to work it out. Solo #4 debuted with [8F03], and Solo #13 with [8F04], using either Fox or Global premieres. Solo #7 was in Global's [8F05] premiere on 10/24/91, but its inclusion in Fox's repeat 3/19/92 was preceded by 2/27/92's premiere of [8F15], making that the solo's US premiere. The toughest one is Solo #8, because I do not know if Global's premiere of [8F07] included it. If so, the solo debuted then, on 11/14/91; if not, and certainly as far as Fox is concerned, it was first heard in [8F19] on 3/26/92, a week before 8F07's repeat. For the debut dates above I am using Global's. You might also have noticed that the numbering is not in order for any interpretation; the original author assigned numbers based on some misconceptions, particularly concerning #4[1] and #13. For the curious, Global's debut order of 4-13: 5 6 4 13 7 8 9 10 11 12, with 8 at the end if 8F07's premiere was trimmed; Fox's debut order: 5 6 9 10 11 4 12 7 13 8 (with 7 and 13 the same night!). The season 3 DVDs do include the full version of each episode's opening, so the solos first appear there in Global's order. (Older versions had #13 debuting with [9F15], hence the footnote.) -mg [3]: The first airing of [8F21], by my tapes and records, had a shortened opening and no sax solo. However, the capsule says it used Solo #11 (Again, for this reason and with confirmation from the season 3 DVD, I've put it in the list. -mg) [4]: Originally, [8F22] had no sax solo. According to the capsule, in subsequent viewings the episode used Solo #12. (Season 3 DVD and so forth. -mg) [5]: The original airing of [9F01] had a shortened opening sequence, but the third airing on November 27, 1994 (when [2F06] debuted) showed [9F01] with a full opening sequence. Chad had this version on tape, but the opening cut in late. The season 4 DVD uses Solo #12, not Solo #13, and this is consistent with my own sources. Thus, here it is. See the ambiguities list for more. -mg [6]: Though previously listed without one, [2F13] definitively has a solo now (as seen on the season 6 DVD and confirmed in original airing), though some repeats may have used a shorter intro. -mg [7]: There was doubt before, but [2F32] has been shown (on the season 6 DVD, along with SNPP confirmation) to have used Solo #8 in a full opening, though repeats may have shortened it. -mg [8]: [HABF08]'s first broadcast used a version of the special live-action opening, with a slightly trimmed Solo #10. The repeat used a different (animated) opening but the same (uncut) solo. However, do note that the full live-action intro (aka "The Real Simpsons") used a differently-trimmed Solo #11. -mg [9]: [LABF07]'s solo, a repeat, seemed to be slowed down overall, perhaps to match the ending to the new animated flourish. It's most noticeable at the end, but the whole solo seems to be affected. -mg [10]: As noted, [MABF05] has no solo in the opening, but Lisa plays Solo #7 while busking on a street corner in the episode itself. Interestingly, she plays the whole thing, including the drawn-out lead-in to it (heard while the band plays). -mg |
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Lisa's Sax Solos by Episode |
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Last updated on September 23, 2010 by Matt Garvey (garvey@snpp.com)
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