Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Surprising (and Not-So Surprising) Musicians Who Contributed to ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’


Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of long-running cartoon ‘SpongeBob SquarePants,’ has passed away. The animator and marine biologist lost his battle with ALS on Tuesday. He was 57.

Over the last two decades, Hillenburg’s ‘Spongebob’ has become one of the most popular characters in cartoon history, appealing to both kids and the adults who grew up with it. The show became so popular that it has attracted many celebrity guests to become involved. That includes top-name musicians, who have lent their talents to the television show, as well as its first movie and subsequent Broadway production.

In honor of Stephen Hillenburg’s work, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at some of the big name musical artists who have been a part of the ‘SpongeBob’ universe. Here are seven artists that have either voiced characters or written music for the show and its properties.


1.       David Bowie: David Bowie, who’s children were fans of the show, is one of the only artists to have both voiced a character on an episode of the ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ TV series as well as contribute a song to the Broadway show. The episode in question was an hour-long musical called “Atlantis SquarePantis” which featured Bowie as Lord Royal Highness, the ruler of Atlantis. As for Broadway, his 1995 collaboration with Brian Eno, “No Control” was chosen after the singer gave director Tina Landau permission to use something from his catalog.

2.       The Flaming Lips:  When it came time to make the first ‘SpongeBob’ movie, Hillenburg was adamant about having off-beat artists on the soundtrack. Artists like Wilco and Ween made the cut, as well as The Flaming Lips, who provided the song “SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy.” Because of the film contribution, the band was also asked to write a song for the Broadway musical, which became “Tomorrow Is.”

3.       Ween: As mentioned above, Hillenburg liked off-beat bands and Ween seems to have been an early favorite. According to an old Ween message board, the band was asked by Hillenburg, who was inspired by their album ‘The Mollusk,’ to write and record a song about tying shoes (“Loop de Loop”) for the show before the cartoon ever aired. The band ended up working with ‘SpongeBob’ again, this time providing their song “Ocean Man” (from ‘The Mollusk’) for the first movie’s soundtrack.

4.       Pantera: Another early ‘SpongeBob’ inclusion, Pantera rearranged one of their songs for the show’s second season. The song was “Death Rattle,” which was turned into “Pre-Hibernation,” and was included in a montage of scenes where Sandy and SpongeBob were getting ready for Sandy’s hibernation.

5.       Gene Simmons: Another famous metal face, Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, also contributed to the show. Simmons lent his voice to the character of Sea Monster during the show’s fifth season. Announcing the part on the Kiss website in 2007, he said “I was born for this part. I've been waiting all my life to be a Sea Monster. It's in my blood. It's what I do. It's my job.”

6.       Dee Snider: Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider is apparently a big fan of ‘SpongeBob.’ Like Simmons, he provided a voice for the show’s sixth season, playing a snail shell salesman named Angry Jack who was far from angry (you know, until “stuff” happens). The fandom must have been mutual, as original movie track “Goofy Goober Rock” was supposed to be a parody of Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock.”

7.       Mötorhead: Mötorhead also had one of their tracks parodied for the first ‘SpongeBob’ movie, except the band actually recorded the track themselves. “You Better Swim” is a reworking of “You Better Run” from ‘March ör Die.’


 ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ has been providing inspiration to fans both young and young at heart with its wacky, off-beat nature. Such is why there have been many musical artists (like the ones above) and actors who have jumped at the opportunity to voice characters or contribute music to the franchise. As long as people continue to be inspired by the show, Stephen Hillenburg’s characters will continue to live on in television (and music) history.

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Find music from these ‘SpongeBob’-loving artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in an array of genres to suit most music fans. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

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