This episode was originally supposed to air on November 18, 2001, at 7:30 PM Eastern time. However, Fox's NFL coverage ran until 8:00 PM Eastern that night, so the episode was pre-empted in the eastern USA (a repeat of another episode aired in the west), and since it was a Thanksgiving-themed episode and that was the last Sunday before Thanksgiving, the episode was held back until November, 2002. Ironically, Fox's NFL coverage ran until 8:00 PM that night as well, but the show had moved to an 8:30 PM time slot.
The title is taken from "Goodbye Norma Jean," the opening line of Elton John's song "Candle in the Wind."
When Peggy is unloading the washer while talking to Bobby, if you look closely, you can see the titular pair of jeans fall back into the washer as she pulls out another clothing item.