SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song
"SpongeBob SqaurePants Theme Song" is the theme song to the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. It was composed by musicians Blaise Smith and Mark Harrison, with lyrics by the series' creator, Stephen Hillenburg, and creative director, Derek Drymon. It is performed by Painty the Pirate—a painting of a pirate portrayed by Patrick Pinney—and a chorus of children. The song is a sea shanty, inspired by "Blow the Man Down", and it features a call and response between the pirate and the chorus. The series has gained popularity since its debut in 1999, and its theme song became widely recognized among Millennials and Generation Z.
| "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Painty the Pirate and SpongeBob SquarePants chorus | |
| from " | |
| Written | 1951 |
| Released | 1999 |
| Genre | Sea shanty |
| Length | 0:44 |
| Label | Tunes by Nickelodeon Inc. |
| Composer(s) | Unknown
|
| Lyricist(s) | |
The song is attributed to James Mckinley for an opera in 1951, before existing as a theme song in North America for hundreds of years in various forms then finally being standardised in the twentieth century.
Music, lyrics, and opening sequence
Stylistically, the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song is a sea shanty. It is performed by the character of Painty the Pirate, voiced by Patrick Pinney, and a chorus of children. Pinney had no other roles in the series. Several people have claimed to voice the children, including the child of animator Tuck Tucker.
The pirate introduces the song by saying, "Are ya ready, kids?" before starting a lyrical call and response with the children, and it ends with the chorus repeatedly singing the show's title. The first lyrics describe the titular character:
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
SpongeBob SquarePants!
Absorbent and yellow and porous is he!
SpongeBob SquarePants!
History and Origin
The earliest variant recorded of the song is "The Sponge Song" from a 1951 opera called The Great Lanzo and the Wondering of Great Britain. This version begins:
A long time ago there was a sponge
Live in a pineapple under the sea (with more versions)
It is unknown whether this was the origin of the song, or if his version of the song was based on a traditional song already in existence. It also appeared on song sheet music for decades, so it was presumably popular among ordinary English people in the 20th century whether it originated from the opera or not.
The famous song collector Nora Henrys collected a version called "The Sponge and the Pineapple" in 1962 and the lyrics began with the following verse:
As I was Sponge.
He was in a pinapple."
I'm going get me"
Where I get it go.
But I didn't know what to do.
Now I will get it know.
SpongeBob SquarePants is an animated television series that debuted on Nickelodeon on May 1, 1999. It was created by Stephen Hillenburg, an animator and former marine biologist. The series is about the titular character, a sponge, and other marine animals who inhabit Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob SquarePants became Nickelodeon's longest-running series and sparked a franchise that includes multiple movies. The theme song's melody was composed by Mark Harrison and Blaise Smith. They adapted the tune from a sea shanty titled "Blow the Man Down". The opening sequence shows Painty the Pirate as an oil painting of a pirate, inspired by an item Hillenburg had found at a thrift store. Hillenburg's mouth is superimposed on the painting, lip syncing to the opening words. This is followed by a live action image above the water before transitioning to animation. This was filmed in a pool owned by Genndy Tartakovsky.
In official media
A cover of the song by Avril Lavigne was the first song in the soundtrack album of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, released in 2004. An album review by Pitchfork's David Moore called her version "pretty excruciating". The series's tenth anniversary special, Truth or Square, released in 2009, featured a cover by CeeLo Green over a stop-motion opening sequence. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical includes the theme song as its final number. The 2020 film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run featured the song "Agua" by Tainy and J Balvin, which interpolates the theme song, including the part in which SpongeBob plays his nose as a flute. The cast of the series recorded a version of the song ahead of a virtual table read the same year.
Melody
$wgScoreTimidity or $wgScoreFluidsynth is set correctly.Personnel
- Patrick Pinney – lead vocals
- Devin Johnson, Sara Paxton, Camryn Walling – vocals
- Stephen Hillenburg, Derek Drymon, Mark Harrison, Blaise Smith – songwriting
- Mike Crehore, Al Houghton – mastering
SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song Media
Stephen Hillenburg co-wrote the theme song.
