Review : The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Soundtrack

If the primary goal for a movie soundtrack released a week and a half before the film (the soundtrack is out Nov. 9th and the movie Nov. 19th) is to make listeners want to see the movie, then the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Soundtrack is a success. Fans don't turn to SpongeBob's TV series for cerebral content, and, for the most part, they won't find it in this music either. What you will find here is 40 minutes of fun music whetting your appetite for the big screen adventures of SpongeBob SquarePants and his best friend Patrick. I suspect the soundtrack will also work well as a souvenir once the movie has been released.

In a key marketing coup, the movie's producers secured the participation of such current alt-rock heroes as Wilco, Ween, the Flaming Lips and the Shins on this soundtrack. Their contributions, while solid, are not likely to endure as key songs in their repertoire. The Flaming Lips echo Yoshimi's epic battles with the Pink Robots on 'SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall Of Energy' and Jeff Tweedy and Co. are in buoyant mode on Wilco's 'Just a Kid.' We are treated to a chestnut unearthed from Ween's back catalog with 'Ocean Man' from the album The Mollusk. Fans of Wilco, the Flaming Lips and the Shins will want the new songs here, but the marquee performers don't produce this soundtrack's best moments.

The real gems here involve SpongeBob himself and the other residents of his home playground of Bikini Bottom. Legendary Rap producer Prince Paul lends his talents to the delightfully daffy 'Prince Paul's Bubble Party' featuring SpongeBob's own instruction on the best way to blow bubbles. SpongeBob's pal Patrick presents his own take on the subject matter of the Beach Boys' 'In My Room' with 'Under My Rock.' SpongeBob takes center stage himself for 'It's the Best Day Ever' and threatens to knock Annie's 'Tomorrow' from its throne as one of the top uplifting, or annoying, showstoppers of all time. Finally, I, along with SpongeBob and his friends, dare you to listen twice to 'The Goofy Goober Song' and not find yourself singing along.

This soundtrack is not cerebral art, but it is art of a different kind. It is the kind that makes you smile and spend a while wallowing in the sheer joy of being alive and, hopefully, among friends. Word play and bodily function humor aside, it's this simple joy that lies at the heart of the appeal of SpongeBob SquarePants to young and significantly older people alike.

Article Author: Bill Lamb

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