Referenced By / Tennessee Ernie Ford

• The Simpsons :
  • In "Bart Gets An Elephant", Marge makes the family do chores, and as Bart's cleaning the basement, she turns on its radio, which immediately plays "Sixteen Tons".
  • In "The Old Man And The Key", Grandpa Abe finds Tennessee Ernie Ford in Branson, Missouri, even though it's been years since Ford died, so Abe informs him so. When Ford plays fool, Abe shows Ford his own obituary (which Abe had cut off from the newspaper), at which point Ford suddenly crumbles into dust.
• Ford's version of "Sixteen Tons" is played in the South Park episode "Unfulfilled" in the background of a montage of an Amazon Fulfillment Center.
• Ford is mentioned in an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher when Bill Maher attributes "Sixteen Tons" to him (rather than its actual composer, Merle Travis) and, much like the South Park example, uses the song's lyrics as an allegory for the working conditions of Amazon warehouses. Bill also states, however, that he thinks the song and folk songs in general are horrible, especially after repeating the song's famous chorus.

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