30 years ago, The Simpsons introduced a Planet of the Apes to a new generation of fans

I love you Dr. Zaius!

At its peak, The Simpsons excelled at speaking to two audiences at once: adults who appreciated the whip-smart comedy on every level, and kids who enjoyed cartoons and emulated Bart Simpson. For a large chunk of the '90s, I sat firmly in that second camp. I watched reruns religiously every day after school, but looking back, a lot of it flew right over my head. It took me years to understand why Homer laughed when Bart bought a "cool pencil holder" at the flea market, and my father had to explain why it was funny when a tidal wave of blood surged out of Mr. Burns' elevator in "Treehouse of Horror V." But there's one Simpsons pop culture reference that I appreciated the first time I saw it, even if I didn't really get the joke at the time: the Planet of the Apes musical.

On March 24, 1996, The Simpsons first aired a season 7 episode titled "A Fish Called Selma." The story focuses on a romance between Marge Simpson's lovelorn sister Selma (Julie Kavner) and local movie star Troy McClure (Phil Hartman) and tackles complex issues of love and sexuality that I definitely didn't understand at the time. (Basically, Troy is using Selma as a cover to hide his bizarre sexual preferences, while Selma really does fall for the aging actor.) But if there was one thing I did get at the time, it was the musical number that arrives about halfway into the 20-minute episode.

With their romance established, Troy invites Selma and her extended family to a performance of his new musical, Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off! While this is presumably a Broadway-length performance, we only get to watch a two-minute segment at the end of the show where McClure's protagonist fights back against the ape oppressors and their leader, Dr. Zaius. The lyrics are simple, and the music is catchy in a disco sort of way. It's dumb, silly, and nonsensical, just like many of the best Simpsons bits.

The show then closes with perhaps the best words ever put to music in the history of humankind:

I hate every chimp I see

From Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z

No, you'll never make a monkey out of me!

[The set changes to reveal the sunken Statue of Liberty]

Oh, my God, I was wrong

It was Earth all along

Yes, you finally made a monkey...

[Ape chorus] Yes, we finally made a monkey...

Yes, you finally made a monkey out of me!

I love you, Dr. Zaius!

The first time I watched this episode, I had no idea what Planet of the Apes was about, but The Simpsons writers did such a good job that it didn't matter. In the years since, I've seen a lot of Planet of the Apes movies, and each one increases my appreciation for the Troy McLure musical. Somehow, even 30 years later, it's still the best thing to come out of the iconic science-fiction franchise.