“Steve thought that Tiny Tim’s ‘Living in the Sunlight’ encapsulated this character’s personality: living in sunshine, having a wonderful time,” Kenny explains. “Tiny Tim was a total oddball in the world, the way SpongeBob is.”
The comparison came at a price.
“It cost a lot of money to license that song,” Carr says. “When I saw that, I thought, ‘I got to work on this show.’”
SpongeBob’s incidental music is just as distinctive as the songs. It only takes a few notes to know exactly what is happening with a taste of what’s to come. “Nick will weave together six tracks, and you won’t hear one change,” co-showrunner Vincent Waller says. “He’s a genius at making it not feel abrupt, even though moods change quickly.”
Carr, a veteran composer for shows such as Adventure Time, Camp Lazlo, and Rocko’s Modern Life, considers each episode of SpongeBob SquarePants a sonic blank slate. The colorful imagery informs the music, which then in turn complements the action again. Through it all, the humor begins to take on new life. The comedy comes from the unexpected as much as the familiar. Carr proudly boasts that he’s a “B-movie horror buff,” who “loves old corny soundtracks.” The team uses the APM and the Paramount music libraries. Only about 30 percent comes from his original music library.
Carr splices these disparate sonics into a unified sound that is unique, yet still emotionally recognizable. “When we do Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy episodes, I harken back to the ’60s Batman TV show,” Carr says. “I add my own guys to put our spin on it. Then we find the right moment to cut it into the show.”
