Recently I stumbled on a YouTube vine, and found a song that was immediately familiar. The post directed me to “Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moonlight” by Tiny Tim.
My suspicions were correct; this song was screaming SpongeBob. But what episode? Was it in more than one? It wasn’t just any SpongeBob episode. It was the first one, “Help Wanted.” SpongeBob applies to work at the Krusty Krab (spoiler alert, he gets the job) and he saves the day from a swarm of anchovies by cooking hundreds of Krabby Patties as the song plays.
This works well for the episode itself of course, but it’s doing something much bigger. This song from Tiny Tim set up the entire tone of show. The strums of ukulele of the “Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moonlight,” are similar to the scores of instrumentals played through the entire series, and that have become committed to memory by the children of the ’90s to now.
I love this song on every possible level. “Things that bother you, never bother me,” is a great attitude to have in a world of so much negatively from the small inconveniences of life. I love that it has a nostalgic vibe of older music, while beautifully parodying the original music of the ’30s. I can’t help but listen to this song and be happy. No, I don’t mean it just makes me smile. I mean it fills me with joy down to my core, and has almost every time I've listened since rediscovering it. It was a feeling I took with me all day, when having the song in my head walking to class, sorting through notebooks before homework and especially now as I’m writing this. It has honestly put me in a good mood for days.
Tiny Tim is basically the ’60’s version of Weird Al Yankovic. No, I mean it, look at him:
Tiny Tim is a talented musical comedian, preforming numerous covers of well-known songs of the ’60s, ’30s, or earlier. He often parodies them in high falsetto, unafraid to touch the songs of Elvis, the Beatles, and the Bee Gees.
Another favorite is “Tip Toe Through The Tulips,” which is similarly a ridiculously cheerful song, taking a once well-known song of the ’30s to be sung in falsetto. I’ve heard the song was used in the film “Insidious,” but there’s nothing initially creepy about this song I can assure you. It too will brighten your day.
Tiny Tim passed away in 1996 still actively performing music, and three years later “Help Wanted” immortalized one of his songs in a brilliant way. It sets the tone for a whimsical show, nearly an entire generation can connect back to through memories and memes. This is a great legacy, and we all thank you, Tiny Tim.
