In the early days of “Bob’s Burgers,” musical moments were limited to montage scenes, extended gags in the credits, and of course, goofy rhymes about butts. As the writers began to realize their cast’s musical abilities, original songs grew more common on the Fox show. Seven seasons in, now nearly every episode features a heartfelt and hilarious moment in song, from thinly veiled One Direction spoofs, to a musical seeking revenge on Thomas Edison, to animated versions of your favorite rock stars.
This week, these moments find a home on the 107-song (!) “Bob’s Burgers” box set, out via Sub Pop. After years of negotiating expenses with 20th Century Fox, show creator Loren Bouchard was able to make his diehards’ soundtrack request a reality. “Even if there were only a few hundred of them, we really wanted to reward them for caring enough to ask for it,” he tells Pitchfork.
Below, Bouchard shares the stories behind a handful of memorable “Bob’s Burgers” music moments.
Bob’s Buskers
Bob’s Buskers has garnered attention outside of the show, animating St. Vincent, theNational, Stephin Merritt, Lapsley, and more into the “Bob’s” universe for what are essentially music videos for the show’s original songs. “We loved the idea of covers that reframed the songs and came out of somebody else's mouth,” Bouchard says. “So we reached out to Annie Clark and she played this crazy noise-rock guitar solo on ‘Bad Girls.’” Originally performed by a group of writers in season two’s “Bad Tina,” “Bad Girls” becomes a gnarly existential crisis within Clark’s hands, as Tina grapples with one of puberty’s crucial questions: “Are the boys and their cute butts really worth all this?”
“Bob’s” superfans the National have been the most dedicated Buskers, putting their own melancholy spin on three songs over the course of several years. “The National didn't even just do a straight cover,” Bouchard says of their first cover “Sailors in Your Mouth,” known as “Gravy Boat” on the show. “They gave us our silly songs back in the style of the National, which was just like mind-blowingly weird and great.”
Boyz 4 Now
One of the best things about The Bob’s Burgers Music Album is the full-length versions of the Boyz 4 Now songs, which could give actual pop hits a run for their money. As is established throughout the series, Boyz 4 Now is Tina’s boy-band obsession, but when Louise is forced to go to their concert with her sister, she develops her first crush on the Bieber-y Boo Boo. “The writers understood what was funny about all these boy bands, both historical and current, and had a take right from the beginning that was so fully formed and funny,” Bouchard says. “They knew that Boyz 4 Now use the formula that gives girls exactly what they want.”
And what do girls like Tina and Louise want? Musical heartthrobs that will lend an ear, wipe away tears, and let you squeeze their butts. Lyrics like, "I want to hear your secrets/I'm so interested in you" riff on One Direction’s devotion to their fans. The “I Love You So Much (It’s Scary)” scene is a direct parody of the Backstreet Boys’ video for “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” which inexplicably features members as movie monsters. The boys themselves are voiced by gloriously AutoTuned “Bob’s” writers Steven Davis, Kelvin Yu, and Scott Jacobson, and the version of “Coal Mine” that’s used was recorded on an iPhone in their office.
Darryl’s Jams
Voiced by Aziz Ansari, Darryl first enters the “Bob’s” universe as sly gamer, blossoming by season five into musical collaborator/rival for Gene. “At some point, we had it in our head that maybe Darryl could sing—we just intuited that,” Bouchard says. “We knew Aziz was into hip-hop, so I think we kind of wanted to explore that.” These talents are properly revealed with “Darryl’s Slow Jam,” a synth-tinged love ballad he dedicates to Tina in a melodramatic Valentine’s Day gesture.
After Gene overhears Darryl singing Hall & Oates’ “Maneater” in the computer lab, he’s invited to join Gene’s band, the Itty Bitty Ditty Committee. But Darryl is revealed to be musically superior, throwing Gene into a panic. “That story was very personal to me because it echoed my feelings about being really musically insecure as a kid. We wanted Darryl to be the guy who can somehow immediately play Gene’s keyboard better than Gene can. Plus Aziz’s voice is musical even when he's just talking. He just does that thing, it's kind of a whine but it's also sort of like a trumpet playing a wonderful note.”
Oil Spill (Season 2, “Food Truckin’”)
Bob’s investment in a food truck isn’t very lucrative until the Belchers hit Lolla-Pa-Foods-A, headlined by “sexy pianist” Tabitha Johansson. “She sings that song about oil spills but you know she’s talking about her vagina,” Gene tells Bob. “It’s not subtle.” It really isn’t. Singing of a “hot and wet and slick” mess, Megan Mullally’s throaty performance of “Oil Spill” positively oozes. The episode’s writers, Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux, had previously worked with Mullally and knew she could nail a singer-songwriter imitation in this distinct vein. Like Tori Amos, Tabitha straddles and rides the piano bench in an overtly sexual manner. “We weren't necessarily trying to make fun of Tori Amos or anybody,” Bouchard says. “But I would say we were exaggerating aspects of that character.”
“Kill the Turkey” (Season 3, “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal”)
With his ability to “improvise a melody like nobody’s business,” John Roberts (in the role of Linda) just might be the secret musical weapon of “Bob’s Burgers.” In the case of “Kill the Turkey,” Roberts turns a simple script directive of “Linda sings and Bob's annoyed” into a makeshift soundtrack for the family’s thanksgiving masquerade. “Pass the cranberry sauce/We’re having mashed potatoes/Oh the turkey looks great/Thank you for loving me,” Linda belts in her signature Ethel Merman drawl. That moment ended up being a musical turning point for the writers. “John will just sing and all we have to do is figure out what key he's in and our end credits are done,” Bouchard says. “We have to stop ourselves from writing, ‘Linda sings,’ into the script because we know it's going to funny.”
“Electric Love” (Season 3, “Topsy”)
After a science-fair kerfuffle with a Thomas Edison-obsessed substitute teacher, Louise decides to destroy the inventor’s reputation. She devises a “re-imagine-actament” of the 1903 electrocution of a circus elephant named Topsy, which was filmed and powered by Edison Studios. When Gene is assigned the role of Edison, he writes a musical number that portrays Topsy and Edison as lovers. But since Gene and Tina (who plays Topsy) aren’t the best singers, the Belchers’ eccentric landlord Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) and Linda’s strange sister Gayle (again, Megan Mullally) voice their parts from behind the curtain a la Singin’ in the Rain. Edison and Topsy’s discovery of their “Electric Love” is transformed from an elementary school musical to Broadway-level production featuring an orchestra. “We wanted to shit all over Edison because we really, truly thought he deserved to be taken down a peg,” Bouchard says. “But we didn't want to half-ass it, we wanted Gene to make his opus and have the idea that Edison and Topsy actually loved each other feel as magical and sweet as he could make it.”
“The Snake Song” (Season 3, “It Snakes a Village”)
While visiting their grandparents’ retirement community in Florida, the Belcher kids get caught up in a snake hunt. When his sisters get stuck in quicksand, Gene faces his fear of snakes and rescues them. In the episode’s credits, he takes a bow of sorts with “The Snake Song,” which Bouchard compares to Tom Waits and Oompa Loompas. “They really creep me out! Where are their arms and legs? It’s not okay!” Gene screams frantically over his beloved keyboard. “For Gene's music, I've come to take it as a point of pride that it's not sophisticated,” Bouchard says. “There's something great about those of us that aren't sophisticated trying our hand at this. It helps to keep something important in the conversation, which is that these goofy songs can be good too.”