The Simpsons parts ways with longtime composer Alf Clausen

facebooktwitterreddit

Officially announced on Wednesday, Fox’s The Simpsons decided to part ways with its third and longest-lasting composer, Alf Clausen, after 27 years.

While The Simpsons has been on the air longer than I’ve been alive, it still feels hard to believe that they’ve kept the same composer on the show for 27 years. Starting in 1990, Alf Clausen took over responsibilities from Arthur B. Rubenstein, who took the job over from Richard Gibbs. Of course, the name Danny Elfman may sound more familiar to casual fans since he created the main theme song. But every episode contains more music than just those two minutes of exploring Springfield in the opening credits.

However, The Simpsons want to go in a new direction with future seasons. To accomplish this, sometimes you have to let go of something you’ve been hanging onto for a long time. We’ve all been there. I mean, I’m sure there’s at least one shirt in your closet that you should’ve gotten rid of like 10 years ago.

In this case, The Simpsons‘ old t-shirt is Alf Clausen. According to Variety:

"Clausen, whose Emmy record includes two wins (1997 and ’98) and another 21 nominations for “The Simpsons” dating back to 1992, has scored more than 560 episodes of the series, starting early in the 1990-91 season. He is believed to be the most-nominated musician in Emmy history, with a total of 30 nominations overall."

The report also states that “cost-cutting” may be the reason for Clausen’s dismissal, but maybe The Simpsons might want to look into using something besides a 35-piece orchestra to record every week. Presumably, Fox needs to pay that orchestra and the space they play in. So maybe cut it down to a 10-piece high school band that you can pay by giving them lunch or something?

Related Story: 15 best weddings in pop culture

This October, the show will begin season 29. Honestly, it’s a good sign for the longevity of the show if Fox isn’t really asleep at the wheel, right? Here’s to season 68!