The Simpsons: 20 Greatest Songs In The Show's History

12. Cut Every Corner

Episode: Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious When it comes to tidying your room, Shary Bobbins, the Simpsons' non-Disney affiliated nanny, knows just how to sweeten the pill. Sung to the tune of 'A Spoonful of Sugar', 'Cut Every Corner' is an ode to laziness, a celebration of quick fixes €“ with the lines ''If nobody sees it/Then nobody gets mad/It's the American way'' giving Bart the perfect excuse to simply shift all the mess under his bed. Problem solved! We then discover that doing ''a half-assed job'' is a belief that has formed the foundation of Springfield's service industry; from Chief Wiggum's failure to keep the peace to Apu sneakily re-labelling €“ and subsequently reselling €“ everything from meat to milk. The song may have motivated Bart and Lisa into working but, as Shary ushers them out and closes the door on an apparent job well done, we see everything tumble out from their hiding places and back onto the floor.

11. He's The Man

Episode: Alone Again, Natura-diddily Having suffered the sudden loss of his wife Maude, Ned Flanders finds himself questioning his faith for the first time. Despite his initial refusal to attend church, a change of mind sees him arrive just in time to hear Rachel Jordan, the lead singer in Christian rock band Kovenant, introduce their next number: This is a love song about a dude I met in a sleazy hotel ...'' Already, Ned has seen and heard too much. But Rachel (voiced by country singer Shawn Colvin) just so happens to have the perfect advice. Her song, a rabble-rousing, toe-tapping paean to the Good Book, clears Ned's doubts in an instant, with the lyrics ''Now, if you think He doesn't care/ Or maybe that He isn't there/It's not too late/To see how wrong you are'' washing over his smiling face like holy water. Neither preachy nor cynical, it's a powerful song played straight and provides a perfectly poignant finale to one of the show's standout episodes.