Header illustration courtesy of Ava O’Connor.
There are songs that hold the power to unite a generation with one opening line, from “just a small town girl” to “coming out of my cage, and now I’m doing just fine.” But there’s one particular opening line that will turn the heads of almost any Gen Z or Millenial that grew up with access to cable: “Are you ready, kids?”
A line that doesn’t only evoke childhood glee, but also an impulsive response. “Aye aye captain!” And from there, you’re pulled into the joyous world of Bikini Bottom and its most famous resident, Spongebob Squarepants. Debuting in 1999, and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year (I just heard the elderly groans of a thousand kids in their 20s), Spongebob is a cartoon that won over the hearts of its viewers with quotable dry humor, memorable characters, and episodes that reign iconic and will remain so for years to come. One of the wonders of the cartoon, however, is its music. Spongebob and friends have been featured on a number of albums, such as soundtracks from the movies, a holiday album, and compilation albums featuring songs from the show. Spongebob arguably has more recognizable songs than any other 2000s cartoon, brimming with timeless humor and nautical nonsensical joy.
Like I said before, the show is most known for its quick, witty humor, which bleeds into its music flawlessly. Take “The Campfire Song Song.” In its respective episode, fittingly named “The Camping Episode,” Spongebob and Patrick rope Squidward into a night of camping by the fire in their own front yard. The song comes up when Spongebob, with all the vigor of that one guy playing Wonderwall at a house party, whips out his guitar, and the song escalates from a pleasant acoustic fireside tune to a rapid, tongue-twisting rock song. It’s safe to say every kid was singing “C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G Song” and driving their parents crazy—but with its short length, catchy chorus, the comedic beats of Patrick trying to catch up in the background, and Squidward’s silence after being called on to sing along, it’s as funny as it is singable and innocent. Of course, there’s other songs that fall into this category of amplifying the comedic voice of the show: “Sweater Song” (no, Spongebob does not cover Weezer, although Weezer did write an original song for “Sponge on the Run”), “The Goofy Goober Song,” and “Doing the Sponge.”
But the show also features songs that are genuinely catchy and well-executed. For example, in “Ripped Pants,” accompanied by all the other biggest losers on the beach, Spongebob (singing voice by songwriter Peter Straus), provides a head-bopping lament about the trials and tribulations of pushing his own running gag of ripping his pants so far to the point of being isolated by the rest of his friends on Goo Lagoon. It could stand alone as a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek song; it is no short-and-sweet comedy bit.
Another great example of this is “Gary’s Song,” a tear jerking ballad. I mean, think about the lyrics. “And now my heart is beating like the saddest metronome/Somewhere I hope you’re reading/My latest three-word poem/Gary, come home.” That’s enough to make a grown man, or any pet owner, shed some tears.
Obviously, the show has enough musical talent to produce memorable originals on its own, but that didn’t stop them from inviting some familiar faces to contribute. In “Pre-Hibernation Week,” Texas groove metal titans Pantera provide shrieking guitars and heavy metal madness with the song “Prehibernation,” an instrumental rendition of their 2000 release “Death Rattle.” Experimental rock band Ween, whose album “The Mollusk” is credited towards the overall inspiration for the show, wrote the snappy tune “Loop De Loop” in the episode “Your Shoe’s Untied,” accompanied by a fun visual sequence at the end of the story once Spongebob finally re-learns how to “loop de loop and pull.” Other musicians such as Lux Interior of The Cramps, P!nk, and David Glen Eisely of Hair Nation rotation band Giuffira have all contributed to original songs featured in the show’s catalog, with a variety of genres that blend seamlessly into Bikini Bottom and all its endearing chaos.
The beauty of Spongebob itself can be traced back to its core, creator Stephen Hillenburg, who originally designed the Spongebob gang to teach marine biology to the younger generation. The concept alone is rooted in his genuine passion for the ocean and its creatures. In other words, the cartoon is built on a foundation of pure heart, therefore, so are the original songs, whether they were written for the show or graciously handed over by their respective artists. It’s safe to say we’ll be singing along to “The Campfire Song Song” even as we grow older, as well as all the other hits that come from Spongebob’s whimsical discography.
