33 years ago, The Simpsons released a hit novelty album just one season into the show's run

Premiering in December of 1989, The Simpsons very nearly instantly struck a chord with pretty much all of America — screwball comedy and animation that was entertaining enough for most kids, absurdist humor and relatable topics for adults, and plenty of subversion that would come to define the satirical cynicism of '90s pop culture.

Within a year, the animated show had become one of the highest-rated shows for the fledgling Fox network, becoming the first of the network's shows to crack the top 30 in the Nielsen TV Ratings.