Seven Musicians Who Have Had Big Parts in ‘The Simpsons’

News broke Monday that Ed Sheeran will be making a guest appearance on ‘The Simpsons’ next season. The popular singer will be playing a young musician named Brenden in what’s being described as a parody of ‘La La Land.’ Sheeran’s character will be a love interest for Lisa in the episode.

Ed Sheeran will be joining a long list of musicians and actors who have guest starred on the show. And while it is somewhat unusual that a musician gets a part where they further the story, there have been a few instances where they have done just that.

Inspired by Sheeran’s latest acting role, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island's music outlet, is taking a look at some of the musicians who have had substantial parts on ‘The Simpsons.’ Here are seven that went beyond the normal cameo.

1.       David Byrne: Talking Heads frontman David Byrne made two appearances on the cartoon, but it was his cameo in the episode “Dude, Where’s My Ranch” that stands out. In it, Byrne plays producer to Homer’s song “Everybody Hates Ned Flanders,” a song which ends up taking over the airwaves so completely that no one could get away from it. The incident drives the Simpson family to leave Springfield for a while. Byrne is still at it when they come back, only this time with a song featuring barkeep Moe.

2.       Lady Gaga: Lady Gaga is often portrayed as being this beacon of hope for people who feel like they don’t belong. ‘The Simpsons’ took that to the next level when they had “Mother Monster” on the show. In “Lisa Goes Gaga,” the singer, while en route to a concert, senses through some sort of ESP that Lisa was down in the dumps. Gaga stops her train in Springfield to try and cheer her up, at the same time spreading the message that everyone should be themselves.

3.       Fantasia Barrino: ‘American Idol’ season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino had the opportunity to be on the show in 2005, playing a young singer vying against Lisa in a singing competition in the episode “A Star Is Torn.” Barrino’s character ends up singing the same song as Lisa, prompting Homer to write Lisa a new song, forwarding the storyline.

4.       Mandy Moore: Mandy Moore, the “wholesome” singer of 90s bubblegum-pop hit “Candy,” got to play a much raunchier version of herself in the episode “Marge and Homer Turn a Couple Play.” In the episode, her character, Tabitha Vixx’s marriage to Springfield Isotopes slugger Buck Mitchell is on the rocks and it is up to Homer and Marge to repair it.

5.       Carrie Brownstein: Slater-Kinney guitarist/vocalist Carrie Brownstein and her onscreen comedy partner Fred Armisen brought their ‘Portlandia’ style to ‘The Simpsons’ for the episode “The Day the Earth Stood Cool” during the show’s 24^th season. The two played a couple who moves next door to the Simpsons, exposing the title family to a different kind of culture, one filled with pork pie hats and breastfeeding. As if the episode couldn’t get any “cooler,” it also has a cameo from The Decemberists.

6.       Michael Jackson: In perhaps one of the weirder casting scenarios from the series, the episode “Stark Raving Dad” finds Homer put in a mental institution and sharing a room with Leon Kompowsky. Kompowsky believes that he is Michael Jackson, and even helps Bart right a song for Lisa’s birthday when he and Homer are released. Though the credits don’t name him as such, Kompowsky is played by Michael Jackson, meaning the character wasn’t crazy when he said he was the “King of Pop.”

7.       Shawn Colvin: Best known for her 1997 single “Sunny Came Home,” Shawn Colvin made an appearance in the very intense episode “Alone Again, Natura-Diddily.” The singer plays the lead singer of a Christian rock band, Rachel Jorden, who becomes a love interest for Ned Flanders after he loses his wife Maude earlier in the episode. The romance is brought back in a second episode where Ned, still obsessed with Maude, tries to turn Jorden into her likeness.

There have been a number of musicians who have been animated into the universe of ‘The Simpsons.’ Some of them were even given roles that advanced an episode’s storyline. Though we will have to wait until next season to see it, Ed Sheeran now joins this list of musicians honored with story lines on the long-running show.

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Find music from many of these animated stars and more at Vinyl Bay 777 and vinylbay777.com. Long Island’s top new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from in an array of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store and online. With more titles being added every week, it’s always a great time to stop by and see what’s new.