Jill Sobule, who raised eyebrows with her cheeky 1995 anthem "I Kissed a Girl," has died. According to her publicist David Elkin and manager John Porter, the 66-year-old singer-songwriter died in a house fire in Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota on Thursday.
A statement issued by the Woodbury Public Safety Department on Facebook said when first responders arrived at the home early in the morning, it was engulfed in flames. A woman in her 60s was found dead inside the property. The authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
Sobule was staying with friends in Minn. before heading to her hometown of Denver to perform songs from her autobiographical coming-of-age musical “F*ck 7th Grade” on Friday. Instead, the venue in which she was scheduled to perform, Swallow Hill Music, has arranged an informal gathering in her memory.
"Jill Sobule was a force of nature whose music is woven into our culture," said Porter. "I hope her music, memory and legacy continue to live on and inspire others."
I was a fan of Jill Sobule. She’s one of the few celebrities I actively followed on social media. And I think I owe my interest in her to Vin Scelsa, the retired radio deejay who was one of the last of the free-form disk-spinners.
To become a member of the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, one must have three separate showcases as a character; this includes the fictional televersions of those who are members of the League of Themselves. (I am an example of that.)
And the TVXOHOF can honor her memory officially because she fulfills that requirement.
From Wikipedia:
Jill Sobule (January 16, 1959 – May 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless. Her folk-inflected compositions alternate between ironic, story-driven character studies and emotive ballads, a duality reminiscent of such 1970s American songwriters as Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III, Harry Chapin, and Randy Newman. Autobiographical elements, including Sobule's Jewish heritage and her adolescent battles with anorexia and depression, frequently occurred in Sobule's writing.
Sobule released eight studio albums of original songs, four EPs, and a greatest hits compilation album. Sobule's output also included original songs available only via the Internet, a cover of Robert Earl Keen's Christmas novelty track "Merry Christmas from the Family," and a version of the late Warren Zevon's "Don't Let Us Get Sick" included on both Sobule's acoustic album and on a posthumous Zevon tribute record.
In the late 1990s, Sobule toured with Richard Barone as "The Richard & Jill Show". Their songs have been used on 'The West Wing,' 'Felicity,' 'Dawson's Creek,' 'South of Nowhere,' and other television shows.
In 2005, Sobule contributed music to 'Unfabulous', a popular Nickelodeon TV series about a 13-year-old aspiring songwriter, including a title song performed by Sobule under the program's opening credits.
Jill’s fictional televersion is actually a multidimensional in the greater TV Universe – There is a Jill Sobule in three different Toobworlds.
EARTH PRIME-TIME
TREME
Season Three Finale. Davis McAlary and Cheeky Blakk go 'full ghetto' on McAlary's goodbye to the musician's life. Tim Feeny reveals himself and his intentions to Desautel when he finds out that she's throwing an unauthorized benefit for Gigi's. Delmond Lambreaux parts ways with the powers that be. Toni Bernette sees hope that Joey Abreu's killer may be prosecuted.
O’Bservation:
Jill played at that unauthorized benefit. When she posted about it on Instagram, she was excited that she had six trombonists backing her up. The song she played was “When My Ship Comes In”, my personal favorite.
LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN
SEASON 3 EPISODE 171 (1996)
Jill Sobule (January 16, 1959 – May 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless. Her folk-inflected compositions alternate between ironic, story-driven character studies and emotive ballads, a duality reminiscent of such 1970s American songwriters as Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III, Harry Chapin, and Randy Newman. Autobiographical elements, including Sobule's Jewish heritage and her adolescent battles with anorexia and depression, frequently occurred in Sobule's writing.
Sobule released eight studio albums of original songs, four EPs, and a greatest hits compilation album. Sobule's output also included original songs available only via the Internet, a cover of Robert Earl Keen's Christmas novelty track "Merry Christmas from the Family," and a version of the late Warren Zevon's "Don't Let Us Get Sick" included on both Sobule's acoustic album and on a posthumous Zevon tribute record.
In the late 1990s, Sobule toured with Richard Barone as "The Richard & Jill Show". Their songs have been used on 'The West Wing,' 'Felicity,' 'Dawson's Creek,' 'South of Nowhere,' and other television shows.
In 2005, Sobule contributed music to 'Unfabulous', a popular Nickelodeon TV series about a 13-year-old aspiring songwriter, including a title song performed by Sobule under the program's opening credits.
Jill’s fictional televersion is actually a multidimensional in the greater TV Universe – There is a Jill Sobule in three different Toobworlds.
EARTH PRIME-TIME
TIPITINA (2012)
Season Three Finale. Davis McAlary and Cheeky Blakk go 'full ghetto' on McAlary's goodbye to the musician's life. Tim Feeny reveals himself and his intentions to Desautel when he finds out that she's throwing an unauthorized benefit for Gigi's. Delmond Lambreaux parts ways with the powers that be. Toni Bernette sees hope that Joey Abreu's killer may be prosecuted.
Jill played at that unauthorized benefit. When she posted about it on Instagram, she was excited that she had six trombonists backing her up. The song she played was “When My Ship Comes In”, my personal favorite.
LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN
SEASON 3 EPISODE 171 (1996)
O’Bservation:In her first appearance on the show, she performed “The Secretive Life.” I don’t know what she played when she came back about a year later.
SEASON 4 EPISODE 137 (1997)
O’Bservation:
Normally, I don’t include talk show appearances as qualifications for inclusion in the Hall. But I’m just bringing these two appearances to your attention because Conan O’Brien is a member of the TVXOHOF already. Even that wouldn’t be enough technically.
However! There is a televersion of this show in Toobworld. For example, Dr. Greene was seen watching the show in the ‘ER’ episode “Good Touch, Bad Touch”. And Paula received a job offer from the show as seen in the episode “Montana” from ‘The Larry Sanders Show’.
It even exists in the Tooniverse, thanks to shows like ‘The Simpsons’, ‘South Park’, and ‘The Critic’. For the most part, all those TV characters were watching the same episodes as we saw in the Trueniverse. (Although we would never see the ‘Late Night’ episode in which Vince planned to talk about the threesome in which he took part.) And that would mean the TV characters probably saw the fictional televersion of Jill Sobule on the show.
ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD
THE WEST WING
INAUGURATION PART 2 – OVER THERE (2003)
O’Bservation:
The club where Josh, C.J., and Toby listen to Jill Sobule sing “Heroes” is Iota, which used to be in Clarenden, Arlington, Virginia, but it closed in 2017.
The IMDb trivia section for this episode has not been updated. It claims that this was Jill Sobule’s only TV series appearance. That held true until 2012 when she appeared in that aforementioned ‘Treme’ episode.
THE TOONIVERSE
THE SIMPSONS
MARGE THE LUMBERJILL (2019)
O’Bservation:
Jill Sobule is not seen in animation form in this episode, but as seen in the pictures, the reference to her proves that she does exist in the Tooniverse.
HOMER:
Um, I like what you're wearing.
MARGE:
Thank you.
These are locally-sourced dungarees and Pendleton flannel.
It's what Jill Sobule wore when she played the Crystal Ballroom.
LISA:
Jill Sobule?
Like every other place we go, I love Portland.
And she is heard as well, singing the “Ballad of the Lumberjill:”
I walked into the forest
So beautiful and green
And there I saw a woman
Who was chopping down a tree
The sawdust was flyin'
She was spinnin' on a log
On her waist was strapped a tool belt
With a Black & Decker saw
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
She continued the song over the end credits:
I walked out of the forest
Before we said goodbye
The birds were all a-singing
As she pointed to the sky
She said, "Can't you see the rainbow?
They made it just for you"
She handed me her toolbox
Said, "Now you know what to do"
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
This has brought me small comfort, because I can’t help but think of the horror of such a death. It may not be much, but I hope this tribute to her “life” in the TV Universe brings a smile to others who loved her music.
As Red Skelton would say, “Good night and may God bless….”
O’Bservation:
Normally, I don’t include talk show appearances as qualifications for inclusion in the Hall. But I’m just bringing these two appearances to your attention because Conan O’Brien is a member of the TVXOHOF already. Even that wouldn’t be enough technically.
However! There is a televersion of this show in Toobworld. For example, Dr. Greene was seen watching the show in the ‘ER’ episode “Good Touch, Bad Touch”. And Paula received a job offer from the show as seen in the episode “Montana” from ‘The Larry Sanders Show’.
ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD
THE WEST WING
INAUGURATION PART 2 – OVER THERE (2003)
O’Bservation:
The club where Josh, C.J., and Toby listen to Jill Sobule sing “Heroes” is Iota, which used to be in Clarenden, Arlington, Virginia, but it closed in 2017.
THE TOONIVERSE
THE SIMPSONS
MARGE THE LUMBERJILL (2019)
O’Bservation:
Jill Sobule is not seen in animation form in this episode, but as seen in the pictures, the reference to her proves that she does exist in the Tooniverse.
HOMER:
Um, I like what you're wearing.
MARGE:
Thank you.
These are locally-sourced dungarees and Pendleton flannel.
It's what Jill Sobule wore when she played the Crystal Ballroom.
LISA:
Jill Sobule?
Like every other place we go, I love Portland.
And she is heard as well, singing the “Ballad of the Lumberjill:”
So beautiful and green
And there I saw a woman
Who was chopping down a tree
The sawdust was flyin'
She was spinnin' on a log
On her waist was strapped a tool belt
With a Black & Decker saw
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
She continued the song over the end credits:
I walked out of the forest
Before we said goodbye
The birds were all a-singing
As she pointed to the sky
She said, "Can't you see the rainbow?
They made it just for you"
She handed me her toolbox
Said, "Now you know what to do"
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
As Red Skelton would say, “Good night and may God bless….”
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