SpongeBob Squarepants has a lot of great music throughout its (still continuing) run. It's one of the most influential and successful cartoon shows to exist, and will likely remain relevant for ages to come. The songs in the show were often a combination of catchy and hilarious, while allowing the plot to move forward, or enhance a scene.
Seeing as Spongebob Squarepants managed to snag a Broadway musical, it seems only prudent to look back at the music featured in the actual show, here are 10 of the greatest hits played throughout the series. Take note: instrumentals won't be included, so that means Bikini Bottom's number one hit, Electric Zoo, won't be appearing.
Doing The Sponge
This entry is representative of all the manic energy that a show like SpongeBob carried with it. While chaperoning Pearl to her school dance, SpongeBob takes control of the DJ system and puts in a song pretty tailored for him to rip up the dance floor too.
It doesn't really work out for the other people (fish?) on the dancefloor, who find themselves in painful positions and situations due to the song's specific lyrics for how to contort their bodies, something only a sponge can do. The song starts off as a basic sing along/dance routine, but it pretty much becomes an uneven mess of screaming from the hoarse-voiced singer.
Now That We're Men
The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie was a great send-off for the show - though it has continued in the years following the movie's release - and primarily focused on the friendship and shared immaturity between SpongeBob and Patrick.
The film is a road-trip movie in a way, a sort of odyssey, that led the two best friends to Shell (City) and back. While trying to overcome their perception as being "just kids," they're given a temporary placebo in the form of seaweed mustaches. And of course, they burst out into a song about their manliness in an uplifting and increasingly triumphant manner.
The Campfire Song Song
SpongeBob's rather uncreative title of "Campfire Song Song" is about as good a title as any, as the pretty on the nose lyrics aren't hard to remember. The song starts off like any stereotypical guitar-led soothing campfire song, but it becomes a completely off-kilter and very heavy rock song in just seconds.
The best part is that Patrick desperately tries to keep up with the simple lyrics and Squidward is completely unfazed by the insanity.
When Worlds Collide
"When Worlds Collide" is a strange entry on the list because it features the voices of SpongeBob and Patrick's voice actors, but they voice different characters. Also, this song is featured in the live-action Patchy the Pirate segments instead of the actual cartoon.
It has Robot X-29488 (Tom Kenny) and "Cavey" the caveman (Bill Fagerbakke), who had been feuding about the past versus the present, come together to sing about their newfound friendship. The song is a catchy little rap number with a little remixing from the cartoon Patchy was showcasing that day.
Goofy Goober Rock
This entry is a little bit of a cheat since it's not wholly original. "Goofy Goober Rock" is actually a cover of Twisted Sister's hit song "I Wanna Rock," so while it might technically be the best song, it isn't a song with a composition that was originally made for SpongeBob.
As the climax of The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie, the entire scene is, to put simply, the stuff of legend. Every piece works perfectly. The lead-up with the sudden smoke and spotlight, the wholesome monologue and moral from SpongeBob, the Michael Jackson-esque crotch grab, the Van Halen audio piece, and most importantly, Patrick in fishnet stockings.
Gary's Song
There's not much room for sad emotion in SpongeBob, but "Gary's Song" delivers some melancholy along with the laughter. After neglecting his pet snail Gary, SpongeBob realizes that Gary's run away.
In desperation, he and Patrick search all of Bikini Bottom, to no avail. During their hunt, "Gary's Song" plays over in a gloomy and heartfelt nature, narrating SpongeBob's feelings in his most desperate hour.
This Grill Is Not A Home
Mr. Krabs doesn't get to swing too often, but when he does, it's sort of a gem. After losing SpongeBob to Plankton in a bet, Mr. Krabs regrets the loss of his best fry cook...and somewhat son-like figure. Likewise, SpongeBob is devastated to work for the enemy. Their situation rips them apart, but in reality, they're only across the street from each other.
The two begin a duet over their communal grief, and the contrast between Tom Kenny's high pitched signing and Clancy Brown's Tom Waits-esque growling is gut-busting and oddly harmonious.
F.U.N.
"F.U.N." is one of the best-known SpongeBob songs, appearing in one of the first few episodes of Season One and like "This Grill Is Not A Home," it has a strange vocal duet.
This time around, it's Plankton and SpongeBob, steadily becoming friends as SpongeBob teaches him the concept of fun. It's a shame that Spongebob and Plankton didn't act as friends more often, but that was one of the better aspects of Sponge Out Of Water.
The Very First Christmas
Once again: Mr. Krabs steals the show. But the rest of the show the song puts on is still a solid showcase, featuring much of the SpongeBob cast. "The Very First Christmas" is one of the funniest SpongeBob songs, and it manages to sound like a genuine Christmas jingle while doing so.
It's got it all; nonsensical gibberish, third-degree burns, Squidward's signature snark, and Mr. Krabs singing in an incredibly shrill female voice.
Sweet Victory
There's no other song that could possibly take the number one spot on here. "Sweet Victory," which was featured in "Band Geeks," was built up to impressively in under 11 minutes. After being goaded into another hopeless situation by his rival, Squilliam, Squidward has to gather up an inexperienced marching band at the last possible minute and get them to perform for the "Bubble Bowl," essentially the show's equivalent to the Super Bowl. The situation is pretty hopeless, as Squidward has to deal with the various characters of Bikini Bottom making up his band, and all of their inept failings - some of which even end in death.
But when the time comes, the band rallies for Squidward's sake and put on a rockstar level show, in one of the show's most iconic moments. A defeated Squilliam suffers a heart attack and an elated Squidward gets to celebrate in an '80s style freeze frame amidst the thunderous applause from the crowd of the Bubble Bowl. The song actually got a (very) brief reference in the 2019 Super Bowl, following the death of show creator Stephen Hillenburg and a fan petition. The song didn't get its full due, and it was overshadowed by Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode," but something is better than nothing. Granted, that's a pretty pathetic standard. Hopefully, a full rendition of "Sweet Victory" will make it to a future Superbowl.