[Godly SpongeBob Items on EBay]

sandy the dog

 

laugh track

[Introducing: Teams 4 and Draft!]

team time

[Best and Worst of Entertainment: The 2010’s Decade End Lists]

Hal's Top 100 of the 2010's: 30-21

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30. Sia – Cheap Thrills (2016)
probably the most notable between eccentric indie pop talent and mainstream pop superstar since the heyday of lady gaga, ive never been a HUGE fan or anything but this song was a grower if ive ever heard one. Started off as just another nice lil Caribbean influenced pop tune and turned into this glowing moody bittersweet pop masterpiece over time as I kept listening to it. often mainstream pop doesnt feel like it’s for everyone, certainly not for ppl like me, but its no surprise that sia was one of the ones to make a classic “everyone’s gotta party” jam

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29. Tame Impala – Feels Like We Only Go Backwards (2012)
it doesn’t take much for a band as hyped to death the entire goddamn decade as tame impala to meet a lot of backlash at some point and unfortunately kevin parker is pretty easy to criticize. The running joke that he sounds like john lennon is indicative in the way that he doesn’t rly bring brand new ideas to the table, and ppl who have been yearning for innovation in rock music the whole decade aren’t impressed. the thing though is that when his songwriting is especially sharp he can put out some fantastic songs and this was the one I particularly liked ever since I first heard it in 2014 (???) and my love for it has only grown. Tame impala are a band meant for headphone listening, and this song in particular is proof of such. It drowns u in a pool of love and colors in a way that most modern psychedelic bands struggle to do, and it’s no wonder that they gained the following that they did

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28. Danny Brown – When it Rain (2016)
atrocity exhibition is one of the most delightfully sinister albums of the goddamn decade and god bless danny brown everyday for making it. I had real trouble picking between this or ain’t it funny as my fav song of his this decade but while aint it funny had better lyrics and makes for better listening when you feel like complete shit and are in danger of hurting yrself, when it rain is somewhat more all-purpose as well as imo it just sounds a lot better. ain’t it funny is an extremely fucked up song sonically in its own right, but the thing about it is that it chucks you into its bizarro world of drug abuse and nihilism. When it rain is a bit more subtle, the synth intro feels a lot more like an INTRO and helps in the song feeling a lot more whole and most importantly assuring that it dips and rises, making the crazier bits all the more euphoric. That said I 100% recommend both songs and the album this came off of as a whole cuz it’s nuts how talented danny brown is.

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27. John Maus – Hey Moon (2011)
john maus is a crazy crazy fucking guy (from Minnesota!!) whose music can be a lil suffocating for me cuz there’s only so much wacko psychedelic hypnagogic fuzzpop that u can take til u want something that doesn’t quite feel as transgressive but easily his shining moment is this humble lil cover of an indie pop song from a couple years prior. The original song is fine but it’s pretty sparse, perhaps a bit too long and only has one vocalist, but john maus turns into this suuuper deep-in-space foggy and unfathomably gorgeous M/F duet that sounds like it came straight from the mid-80s. it’s not rly a song that warrants a lot of deep analysis or anything despite coming from a guy as strange as john maus cuz it’s very much a great pop song being effectively turned into a PERFECT pop song and it’s smth u just gotta feel

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26. Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell (2019)
there’s something to be said about a good intro to a song, let alone an album. A bad first 30 seconds can make a song tedious but a fantastic first little bit can ascend a song into something particularly special. NFR made waves across music circles online for being a v fully realized vision of lana’s and her hard work pays off super well on the album. Me, personally, I don’t think I would’ve been as intrigued if it weren’t for the fact that the record starts with its title track and more importantly that unspeakably gorgeous little string intro. The song in general is a very cinematic and tense song in an album where a lot of the tracks are a bit more relaxed, and goddamn does the intro to it feel cinematic. It basically screams “here’s my new album!” and then u get some of the loveliest orc pop of the decade. I don’t think ill ever buy into lana in full but man if nothing else this song makes me get it

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25. Kendrick Lamar – King Kunta (2015)
just imagine if I didn’t have any Kendrick lamar songs on the list. Kendrick, just like any musician as big as him, will get some backlash but yknow what even ppl who subjectively are not a fan HAVE to cave into the fact that the guy is the rapper of the decade if not the artist of the decade. It would be near criminal for me to not include him on my 100 of the decade but thankfully I love the guy, and while he has a lot of songs that totally crush, King Kunta is my #1. He has plenty more serious songs, ones that demand respect more than this one (tho this one VERY MUCH demands respect), but this is the one for me that blends dead-serious and pure fun in the best way possible. I cant think of a single Kendrick song that forces me out of my seat and gets me moving like this one does, and that is extremely high praise given the man also has songs like DNA, Wesley’s Theory, etc. extremely quotable artist and very much the same for this beast of a fucking song.

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24. Denzel Curry – ULT (2016)
I love Kendrick and I fully welcome his role as king of hip hop this decade but if I had to pick a PERSONAL favorite, it’s Denzel. Easily. Already was a massive fan of the guy, went to a concert of his, and it just cemented him as almost a god to me. He is consistently one of the most entertaining musicians of the 2010s, even at alleged low points such as his most recent record which is my favorite record of his. ZUU had some issues, but I think the #1 flaw is that it never had a hook as monstrous as on ULT, the song that I feel defines him more than his meme-assisted crossover Ultimate ever could. The production on this song is so ethereal and gooey and gorgeous than in a way it doesn’t make that much sense that the other elements of the song are as exhilarating as they are. this is a journey of a rap song in a way a lot of the previous artist’s output is, and im grateful that we even have denzel around to make music like it.

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23. Kevin Abstract – Peach (2019)
yall ever have a period in yr life that’s just so good and life affirming that every new discovery u find music-wise sounds great? And then the particularly great stuff just sounds goddamn amazing? Yeah, that’s a lot of the very top tier of the list, and this song is one of those defines a period of just confidence and love for life and conclusions that would serve as windows for new things. Frankly, kevin abstract deserves that kind of treatment of his music. Kevin and brockhampton in general is peak alt-pop that’s best listened to as u breathe ur very last breath of teenagedom, which is explicitly the time that I started getting into brockhampton. That said, while the group as a whole is so good, Abstract is something else. He’s a beautiful soul and it rly comes off in his music, and Peach is the highlight. It’s so apt that it’s called peach because of just how sunny and sweaty and sweet it is. It’s an alternative love song that can be hard to find, but he pulls it off so well. It’s a song to cry tears of joy to, it really is.

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22. Mount Eerie – Real Death (2017)
and now probably the biggest swerve of the whole damn list. From #23’s romantic contentment for the time being to THE most devastating and cripplingly sad song on my entire top 100. I have bawled to this song, several times. The song is just as frighteningly blunt and dour as the title. It’s about the VERY real death of the wife of the frontman, also frontman of the microphones and one of the best folksters of the millennium, phil elvrum. He goes into excruciating, sometimes physically painful detail of the way that the death of a very close loved on can completely devastate you and make you realize that the romanticizing of death often is a goddamn lie. I know this. Anyone on this damn site who knows me knows this. Some folks feel voyeuristic as they listen to this song but I feel painful amounts of empathy as I listen and it really just ties me back to when I had to experience real death myself. It’s extremely painful. No matter how much u beg nothing becomes normal again. It’s not pretty. All the lessons you learn are ugly lessons. No amount of sad music can really heal you for good, and this song knows it. it’s as devastating as death really is, and captures that initial self pity in a way that no other song I have ever heard can do. Many death songs kinda twist it to make it more palatable. Not this one. No “passed away.” No “moved on.” Died. This would be higher if I were able to listen to it more often than I can stomach.

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21. Ashley Eriksson – Island Song (2010)
now for a turn to the hopeful to end off the first 80 songs before we get to the home stretch that is the top 20. Although I can feel detached at times cuz the show at some point suffered some rot, I take for granted at times just how much Adventure Time means to me. It’s certainly the very first time I ever became emotionally invested in a cartoon in a way where the cartoon’s purpose was such. Sure, I was invested in spongebob but that was different. Ward and crew wanted to make you feel shit in a slightly different way, and I think that really shows in the closing credits theme, one that as a kid that shit made me saaaaaaad. Not many cartoon closing themes matter as much but man this song takes the turn-of-the-decade indie folk recipe and makes something especially meaningful, in (HUGE) part thanks to childhood nostalgia and in (smaller but still for sure notable) part the fact that it’s just a simple but extremely cute lil song with some very cute vocals to accompany it. if the actual visuals of the end credits could somehow be embedded into this song, I’d probably have it higher.

 

[best green vegetable]

spinach slaps the most but honorable runners-up are green onions/leeks and broccoli

[Best and Worst of Entertainment: The 2010’s Decade End Lists]

Hal's Top 100 of the 2010's: 40-31

 

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40. SpaceGhostPurrp – For the Love of Money (Wavy) (2010)

The world of underground rap in the turn of the decade was such a bizarre world that I don’t think I could ever wrap my head around it all; that said, I have listened to some of the more well known ones making great stuff at the time, and SpaceGhostPurrp is probably my favorite. This is off of his first mixtape, NASA Gang, and while the whole thing is very special, this one is the best of the bunch to me. When I first heard this song, the production blew my mind, even relative to the rest of the mixtape, and over and over again it works like a charm for nighttime listening. It’s a super hazy, THICK song among many of such from SpaceGhostPurrp (also the 2014 remastered version blows the original 2010 version out of the water)

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39. The Voidz – Leave It in My Dreams (2018)

This song was a good time on first listen, but it grew into one I just cannot get enough of. Julian Casablancas, while I’m not a fan of all his work (I just don’t like the strokes sorry), is clearly a really talented guy and can knock it out of the park when it comes to songwriting, and this song is my favorite example of such. On brand for this project of his, The Voidz, the song’s production gives off a very mid-80’s cheesy aesthetic, which greatly enhances what is already the foundation of a tightly written, ridiculously catchy indie garage number. This is not a song to think extensively about, it’s just meant to be listened to to make your brain all fuzzy, as per all great pop rock

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38. Poppy – X (2018)

I named this my favorite song of 2018 at the time, so I was a little surprised at just how low it is on the list, although low is pretty relative on a list of the best songs of a decade so it really doesn’t matter because I still LOVE this song. Drastic stylistic shifts in songs can be unnecessarily jarring, and while the sunny pop/alt metal combo on here is absurd in its own right, it’s absurd in all the good ways. The shift between the two genres makes the song super exciting, and not only because of the novelty of it, but because it’s a super well written song otherwise. It’s not just pop and metal, it’s super well-written pop and great metal (though idk much abt the genre so take that at face value), and all within the confined of a super intriguing and bizarre musician in Poppy. Still a fantastic song.

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37. The Neighborhood – Sweater Weather (2013)

One of the most important things I learned when I did a r/popheads rate of 4 mid-2010’s indie records w/ some of yall is that The Neighborhood are a near-worthless, awful band. Most of their shit is mainstream indie at its very worst and most pretentious, BUT… Sweater Weather holds up as a delightful song, one super fitting as I write this in the middle of winter. The production on this song matches the winter haze perfectly. Todd, when singing his praises for this song, mentioned how its main drawback is the sudden tempo shift. Me? I think that’s the best part of the song, as I think the two-part quality of it makes me enjoy it even more. That tempo shift, to me, takes a slick, super cool indie song and suddenly make it even cooler.

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36. Miranda Cosgrove – Kissin U (2010)

I don’t know what it is about Nickelodeon, but between this song, the Drake and Josh theme song, and even the hindsight jangle darlings behind the Pete and Pere soundtrack, Polaris, Nick have a lot of relation to some goddamn amazing sunny pop rock. This song smothers me in pure nostalgic feelings, and not necessarily for the song itself (as a kid I just thought it was whatever), but because to me, Miranda as well as whoever else wrote the song channels an artist I like an embarrassing amount, Sheryl Crow. This has the exact same energy as Crow’s best music; it’s summery, ridiculously catchy, and a little bittersweet. Of course, this song probably doesn’t have the same subtlety, but I love it to pieces anyway. If this song were bigger, it would be playing over the intercoms of the world’s greatest JC Penney.

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35. The Weeknd – In the Night (2015)

The Weeknd have made some songs I really really do not like, but in general, there’s no denying that he’s probably a net positive in the realm of pop music. He’s made a lot of songs I love, but from the very first time I heard In the Night, I heard smth special in it, and it remains my favorite song from the guy. He has a lot of songs that sound humungous, but this is one is his humungous-est. It sounds like it should be to the theme of a movie, it sounds that cinematic. Or at the very least, it sounds like an already-great 80s R&B song taken up to its peak thanks to some fantastic production as well as The Weeknd’s huge voice, one I’ll never understand why some people find irritating

Spoiler

34. Death Grips – Beware (2011)

For as much as Death Grips has been overexposed for nearly the entire decade, their first two projects are still two of my favorites of the past 10 years, and the song that really introduced them to the world is the one I’d call their best. This song is legendary in more ways than one, in part because it’s insanely quotable (even the infamous Charles Manson intro), but also because that’s just how it sounds. The sample work on this (and Ex-Military as a whole) is goddamn unbelievable, and the Jane’s Addiction sample here sounds DEMONIC in the hands of the trio. One of the most menacing songs of the decade, but also one of the best.

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33. Demi Lovato – Cool for the Summer (2015)

I doubt many would disagree that Demi Lovato had the best post-Disney career of the decade; there are several songs of hers that I could’ve put on this list, but of course, I had to put the obvious one. Is it my fault? I’ve already professed my sheer love for all booming maximalist club pop plenty of times on the list so far, what’s another one? Or several? Yeah this song is as much of a blazing fury as people make it out to be, all thanks to the man himself, Max Martin. It’s no fucking wonder he’s behind this song, he’s one of the select few who can make a song like this the way it is. It’s nuts how propulsive this song is and how much energy is packed into every single second, even when the song decides to dip in energy only to make the chorus explode that much more.

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32. Trippie Redd / Travis Scott – Dark Knight Dummo (2017)

Trippie Redd is a tad frustrating because I’ve heard a good amount of his songs and have deduced that he’s merely decent with the only shining thing in discog likely being this, and it’s not just because of Travis. Sure this is the 2^nd time Travis is technically on this list but he is undoubtedly the relative lowlight here, this song’s power is all thanks to the beat and Trippie himself. The loud, dramatic beat here does not warrant anything lowkey, so Trippie WAILS the chorus and it makes for one of my personal favorite hip hop moments of the decade. In an era where a lot of trap is decidedly minimalist and lowkey, it makes me so happy when Trippie decides to go for smth like this where that initial drop paired with Trippie’s yelling makes you feel like you’re in the first big drop of a roller coaster.

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31. C418 – Minecraft (2011)

I’m not a super big Minecraft guy, but I feel that even the most jaded in regards to the game’s several waves of popularity and backlash have to admit the sheer power of it. The game is beautiful, and the accompanying music is even more so. I was torn between this and Sweden, but at the end of the day, while Sweden is gorgeous, I don’t get much nostalgia from it. Meanwhile, this song was my soundtrack to the days of SpongeCraft (R.I.P.), and it absolutely holds up on its own. I’m not ambient expert, but I feel like this song encapsulates why the genre has its appeal, and you get a very specific setting as you listen to this. Despite belonging to a video game, it’s a perfect song from outdoor walks in nature. Plus, again, nostalgia.

 

[Best and Worst of Entertainment: The 2010’s Decade End Lists]

Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 60-41
Will post in increments of 10 from here on out.

Spoiler

60. Halsey – Nightmare (2019) in a more just world of pop music, this would have been bigger than Without Me and Bad at Love – the fact that this only made it up to #15 is criminal; to me, it fully realized what Halsey was always going for in flying colors, or more appropriately, a raging inferno. I’ve talked about this songs before, but sometimes, I’m still blown away at just how much of a booming release of anger this song is, in major part thanks to what I just learned is a sample of “All The Things She Said” by t.A.T.u., which I read this song sounds like t.A.T.u. but I didn’t know it also samples them. Well it worked fantastically

59. Camila Cabello – Never Be the Same (2017) I almost feel like I should apologize for having this one here – a lot of people do not like this song, and much more importantly, we now have proof that Camila Cabello is… a really shitty person. It definitely lowered this song on the list a fair amount, as I do feel some bitterness as I listen to it, but it’s not like she’s the only asshole on this list, certainly not one of the only ones involved in any of these songs, but she is one of the few who’s been found out. It’s certainly a bummer, but it doesn’t stop me from loving this song. What many see people as a hookless mess, I see it as a super well-produced song with a fantastic chorus I don’t see enough people give it credit for. Do I expect people to give it credit for that now, now that we all know Camila’s true colors? Probably not… welp.

58. Imagine Dragons – It’s Time (2012) and now we have an artist who’s controversial in the completely opposite direction… in that their music just stinks. I think a lot of people came to their senses and realized like 80% of this band’s output is boring sludge, but nonetheless, when you have as many hits as they do, they’re sure to have a shining star in there, and that shining star is the very first song of theirs that ever hit the charts. I absolutely adored this song on first listen as a wee lass, distanced myself from it as Imagine Dragons were becoming extremely uncool, and then recently enough, I turned around and embraced it completely once more. Long after people started really getting sick of Imagine Dragons and their hit songs seemed to get worse and worse, this song is still ABSURLY anthemic; that chorus gets bigger every time dan reynolds belts it out and somehow it never gets too cheesy or overwhelming, I just want to sing with them. I can only imagine that this band stuck with the promise of their first hit single for the next seven years, and then I snap back to reality and weep

57. Grimes – Flesh Without Blood (2015) it took me a while to really like Grimes because I was dumb enough not to give her a fair chance, with Oblivion being her only song I knew for a while and despite its huge critical acclaim I always thought that song was just okay, meanwhile, every single off of Art Angels CRUSHES, and this one especially meant a lot to me. REALiTi being a seductive slow burner, Kill v Main kicking my ass, Flesh Without Blood is the perfect middle ground. It not being the biggest single of hers is weird to me cuz above all else this song feels like a journey, it has just the perfect amount of moodiness and energy and knows where to put each. A massive, maximalist electropop spectacular

56. Janelle Monae – Make Me Feel (2018) this song starts off lowkey enough, and slowly explodes into this super tense,  sexual funky blast of energy. I was actually surprised the first time I listened to just the production of this song because of how minimalist it is, because this song does so goddamn much with so little. Every part of the song fits together like a puzzle, and every single moment feels like a highlight, not terribly different from a song like “Uptown Funk” which is also a stupid fun tribute to 80s funk, but did not make the list. This song is a lot quirkier than Uptown Funk, though, and despite its relatively spare instrumentation, it really dishes out. There aren’t many musical experience of the decade quite like the latter part of the chorus where the jagged guitar unleashes its assault on you. I would love to meet this song if it were a person.

55. Bazzi – Mine (2018) I think I’d consider this one of my weirder inclusions on this list, because with this particular song, I feel really alone in my adoration for it. I don’t think anyone else on this damn site likes it NEARLY as much as I do, and honestly, I kind of struggle to articulate why I love it so much either. It’s actually funny that it has “I’m a little drunk so imma just get this off my chest” framing, because this is nowhere near as sloppy as that implies. If anything else, I kinda see this as a Perfect Pop Song™; it’s a bite-sized little number at 2 minutes and 11 seconds, yet it feels like every single second of the song is used correctly. The melody and production, respective to the verses and chorus, feel like they’re either grounded or completely in space. What makes me wanna call it perfect, though, is that the tiny little synth riff that accompanies the most famous part of the song feels like it wasn’t made by humans. It feels alien in the way it tickles my brain, and that goes for the rest of the song. An eternal classic in my heart, not even remotely such for anyone else I have ever spoken to.

54. Olja Karleusa – Minut (2010) the third and last former-Yugo turbo-folk dance-pop number you’ll see on this list, and unlike the one from my last entry which felt like a fireball in thanks to its very Dr. Luke-esque production choices, this one is more subdued, and therefore makes it much more powerful. This is a “crying in the club” anthem above all else, and you can kind of tell even if you don’t understand a SINGLE word… hell, I don’t understand a lot of my own language, either. All you have to really do with this song is have the dance of your life while in deep melancholy, it’s just that kind of song.

53. Kids See Ghosts – Reborn (2018) I am not, or at the very least, I try not to be the type of dipstick to just blindly follow whatever popular critical consensus is in regards to what music is good or bad, I particularly try to enjoy it with music now because a lot of the time I have no idea why the fuck they see certain shit as “good,” but Kids See Ghosts’ debut, and probably only, album under that name is fantastic. Six of the seven songs are great stuff (the title track is the one mediocre one), and the popular choice for the best off the project also happens to be my personal favorite. Just listening to Cudi in this song makes me feel like I’ve been along for the journey with the guy, and that is as good of a compliment as any. The primary motif of this song is “moving forward,” and that’s what it sounds like. This song sounds like perseverance, and I’m all the more for it.

52. Jennifer Lopez / Pitbull – On the Floor (2011) The club craze of 2009-2011 was such a glorious clusterfuck that people really struggle to find much consensus on what songs were the diamonds in the rough of that whole era. Some people find this song to be a stupid wreck, but for me, I loved it as a kid and I still cannot get enough of it. Pitbull surprisingly works with this song really well, Jennifer Lopez sounds great in it, but as per usual, the reason this song is on the list is because RedOne does his magic on it. It’s absurd how good this guy was and how so many of my club favorites from the decade (“Starships,” several Lady Gaga songs) were done by this guy. This song in particular really sounds like the last party of your life, everything about it feels like it was done with a PURPOSE even if its intent was probably to just be another club track.

51. Katy Perry – Firework (2010) ignore the inspirational message of this song, not because it’s bad or anything, but just because it’s a non-presence. I do NOT listen to this song for its lyrics or what it tries to convey in any way, I listen to it for the same reason I listen to #52, because it’s an endlessly fun, endlessly catchy and completely above-the-clouds four-on-the-floor fact of LIFE more than it is a “””song””” + it may not be the coolest Katy Perry song to like, certainly not one of more critically acclaimed pieces, especially not off of its respective album, but it still manages to be the Katy Perry song that I gravitate to the most often, and for good reason. The song’s intent is to make you feel good, and that is indeed what it does, it makes me feel really, really good.

50. Anderson .Paak – Bubblin (2018) Just from the intro to this song before it drops, you can tell from the bizarre string line and sleazy trumpet that you’re in for 3 and a half minutes of pure glitz and swagger, few songs on the list if any make me feel more straight-up COOL than this song does. It has hooks out the ass, every production element positive contributes to its atmosphere, and Paak’s unique voice is probably the best possible one that could possibly match with that INSANE GODDAMN BEAT. One of those songs that almost guarantees a good time, even if ur having a bad day this song will make you feel like you had the best day of your life.

49. Kanye West / Kid Cudi / Raekwon – Gorgeous (2010) Putting this song on here AND “Reborn” almost feels like a cheat because they’re both songs by Kanye and Cudi, but at the end of the day, this is a Kanye song so suck my ass. Kanye has had a weird, turbulent decade where he had very high highs and very low lows for the duration of basically the entire decade. I had a lot of trouble deliberating which of his songs I would eventually choose, but at the end of the day it had to be this one. When I first heard My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, this was the song that stood out to me as particularly great, and ever since first listen, it’s been my favorite song on it. Just like “Reborn,” I am in LOVE with Kid Cudi and his contribution on Gorgeous, and I may like his contribution here more because that hook is undeniable. Every little production thing to make this song go for the grimey atmosphere that Kanye wanted lies down the equally fantastic framework, all of it combining to become the best song by undoubtedly one of the decade’s most defining figures in music. Much love, Kanye.

48. Lizzo – Like a Girl (2019) Lizzo’s sudden skyrocketing into total superstardom beginning this very year has caused a bit of backlash as some feel jaded by her constant presence, but y’know fucking what, I still love Lizzo and I love the record this came off of. “You go girl!” anthems have existed for a long time now, but I think Lizzo created one of my favorites, because it aligns a lot with me, fundamentally. This song was the soundtrack to me figuring myself out, and I’m glad I could do that to the tune of such a powerful voice and such an unstoppable chorus as this one. This song will always mean a lot to me, and even divorced of how it helped me out in life, it’s just a simple, yet extremely effective song about having confidence in yourself, and even the most jaded pop-hater has to respect that… I hope.

47. Beach House – Myth (2012) so much modern dream pop, including Beach House, annoys the hell out of me because SO MUCH OF IT decides that shallow ideas of “ooooh so preeettyyy” win out in their creative endeavors and they’re completely absent-minded in terms of filling their music with any actual substance or songwriting. “Myth” is a notably big exception, a song that I was genuinely shocked to discover as I write this that this song’s chorus only plays ONCE. That really goes to show the power that this 4-minuter has and the level of songwriting employed to make such a long build-up intriguing the entire time. The music here, meanwhile, is also just breathtakingly gorgeous anyway. Few songs really give off this much space, and Beach House uses their great production to their greatest advantage

46. Declan McKenna – Brazil (2017) Again, I never though these late-2010’s summery indie pop dudes would ever really be my thing, but GOD they can write some damn good songs sometimes. Haven’t listened to any other songs from this guy, and I listened to this one on recommendation from one of my besties, and it was a bit of a grower. It went from just being a catchy lil indie rock song to something a lot more to me. For the type of scene this guy gets put under, this song dishes out a LOT of swagger that reminds you more of the Arctic Monkeys or Strokes than anything else. That’s probably why I love the song so much too, despite it being from 2017 it sounds like a song that NME or Rolling Stone would fall head over heels for in 2004, and I love every second of it.

45. Frank Ocean – Ivy (2016) Frank Ocean has proven to be one of the MVP’s of the decade in spite of not releasing as much star material as Kanye or Kendrick or whoever because what he put out is just that goddamn good, and was his highlight for me from the very beginning. I fell in love with it as soon as I heard that spare, yet spacious backing for his fantastic singing. The emotional punch you get from the song’s climaxes are insane; “WE’LL NEVER BE THOSE KIDS AGAIN” is one of the best lines of the decade, one that alone solidifies Ocean’s importance to me. I hope that he continues to make fantastic music this coming decade if it means we get more music as good as this.

44. Brockhampton – HEAT (2017) The first song off of Brockhampton’s first album, and appropriately the first one to get them major traction and loads of hype in the music-verse. Brockhampton is another group where I had real trouble deciding my favorite song of theirs, but I decided this one was the best. It feels like their mission statement as every single person with a part in it has something to offer, the best of which coming from Dom as well as Ameer (*cough*). This song has a little bit of everything to make for a very angry stew, and it all builds up until Matt Champion offers one last bridge and then sends the song into next-level territory with a beat that is indescribably harrowing. It’s no wonder that people were so excited by these guys off the bat.

43. Car Seat Headrest – My Boy (Twin Fantasy) (2018) I think the remake of Twin Fantasy is better than the original, sue me. This song in particular, to me, is kinda bogged down by the original shit-fi production, while the 2018 version’s more clear recording really gives you the simple, yet extremely effective indie rock sing-along (or scream-along) that it’s meant to be. In general, 2010s indie rock gets a bad reputation by some music snobs for losing its way and abandoning a lot of what made 80s and 90s indie rock so charming and inspiring, but Will Toledo and company stay true the peak of indie rock as a genre and make a song that would’ve been one of my favorite songs of 1994 if it were released that year.

42. Zedd / Matthew Koma / Mirian Bryant – Find You (2014) From the very beginning, many saw Zedd as one of the more soulful and more talented of the stadium EDM DJ’s from this decade, and while he did indeed put out many songs that I love, “Find You” is the one. One of the most common tropes with this type of EDM is the all-encompassing messages such as “Heaven’s got a plan for you” and “You shoot me down but I won’t fall,” but personally, “If you lose yourself, I will find you” is easily the sweetest and most emotionally impactful of these motifs. When one of the two singers (couldn’t care less which one) drops that line, the impending EDM synth avalanche really feels like it’s done with a purpose in a genre where the purpose for the “bigness” of the sound can often be lost. That’s the power of Zedd. This song is a friend.

41. M.I.A. – Born Free (2010) A musician known for being provocative politically as well as musically, it’s no surprise that Born Free was as controversial as it was, and given how talented M.I.A. is, it’s no surprise that song is so good. A lesser artist would rely a lil bit too much on the Suicide sample and just ride off of that, but M.I.A. adds enough to it to make it its own thing. The drumming on this song is insane enough and M.I.A.’s vocals distorted and angry enough to convey the sense of anger and dread that she wants from such a charged song. Despite all this, it’s not that hard to divorce the song from politics and treat it as one of the best songs to completely thrash to of the decade. Extra points for her live version on David Letterman which takes an already up-to-11 song and somehow takes it up to 12.

 

[Best and Worst of Entertainment: The 2010’s Decade End Lists]

Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 80-61

Spoiler

80. OneRepublic – Feel Again (2012) for a band who was America’s favorite whitebread band for a while, I can’t think of any songs from them that I dislike, and this one (“Secrets” too) I even love. What ups this song quality-wise is what made OneRepublic particularly good in the early 2010’s; they had a very earthy good-vibes atmosphere to them and this song is the peak of that sound.

79. Icona Pop / Charli XCX – I Love It (2012) while Charli XCX is the artsy hip pop icon that she is now, for some reason, I couldn’t fully get into it despite how much I respect it and admire her as a performer. Maybe it’s because her first mainstream success was this song with Icona Pop where you just get 2 and a half minutes of completely unhinged euphoria. There aren’t many songs better than this one to make everyone within a 40 foot radius of you completely lose their mind

78. Ski Mask the Slump God – Did You Really (2016) Ski Mask is such a fun, charismatic rapper and I can’t think of much I’ve heard from the guy that I don’t like. I was torn between a lot of his songs for this list but at the end of the day I picked this one because it’s maybe his funniest song I’ve heard in part to the sample (which I refuse to spoil, listen to the song yourself) and because it manages to take such a goofy premise and get a minute and a half of pure stupid fun out of it

77. Rebecca Sugar – Love Like You (2016) this is one of those songs where its attachment to the media it comes from is a big reason why I love it so much. Without the context of Steven Universe, this is still an adorable little piano ballad, but because I will always see it as the closer to a show I was shamelessly obsessed with for a solid year, I only have fuzzy emotions as I listen to it. SPOILER: this isn’t the only ending credit song to a cartoon on my list

76. deadmau5 – Strobe (2010) An artist well-known for being a helping hand for oh so many relentlessly bullied little shits in the early 2010’s, deadmau5 did indeed rule my life in middle school, and I have no shame in acknowledging how good his music can be well after the fact, even if a good amount of it makes me cringe now. this song is seen by many to be his best song, one of those “the artist sucks but this song w o a h” songs, and u can see why. The 3-minute ambient intro is one of those musical moments that can define a musician, and it gets me every time I listen to it. Frankly, this would be higher if it was just the ambient intro

75. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz (2010) five years prior to this song, Sufjan released Illinois, my favorite album upon first listen several years ago and still a solid top-5 candidate to this day; he never released anything that good this decade, but he sure fucking tried, and among the many great songs he put out, this was his decade magnum opus to me: a harmonically bizarre, nearly over-produced, but absolutely explosive journey that takes every single subtle bring-out-the-tissues folk ballad of his this decade and shoots all of them into the fucking sun to the sound of glitch noises and flute trills… “Mystery of Love” would’ve been on this list if it weren’t for this song, by the way

74. Allo Darlin’ – Dreaming (2010) on the opposite end of the spectrum between explosive prog-pop and simple twee ditties is this classic for summer evenings and good memories – Allo Darlin’ are a cute band and this is an especially cute song, a bittersweet little love duet that works equally well for when you’re completely smothered in infatuation and need it reinforced or when you’re down in the dumps and need to be cheered up

73. Cavetown / Chloe Moriondo – Boys Will Be Bugs (2018) being friends with mostly art gays outside of my dumbshit online bubbles, has changed what im like as a person for better or worse, and I’m sure a symptom of this is that I really enjoy myself some Cavetown, a band I prob would’ve just dismissed as shallow bullshit as far as 2 years ago; but I just don’t give a shit anymore and this song is way more relatable than it has any right to be, while simultaneously making me feel coooool I listen to it. It’s another simple indie pop tune upped by a bit of a longer length and some nice drums and hand claps that, despite the simplicity, makes it that much more enjoyable

72. Pascale Cheron – Listening to Rivers (2019) in terms of obscurity/popularity, this song is my list’s wild card by a long shot, because I first found out abt this artist cuz she’s good friends with Kylie and she strongly recommended her to me so I decided to listen to her and YEAH she’s hella talented. This hazy springtime song has meant so goddamn much to me the past few months, one of those songs that really has to be listened to on a rainy late spring day… at least for me.

71. Maroon 5 – Maps (2014) this is completely sacrilegious isn’t it… fuck it, I have to be honest, and this song is pop perfection to me. It’s a peppy, energetic pop rock number among an entire decade of godawful music on this band’s part. I live for the chorus, and while I totally understand why the “youUUU” hook annoys the shit out of some, I appreciate for its goofiness, and at the very worst, it’s a bit of a thorn in the side of mostly note-perfect, satisfying piece of brainless pop

70. Dado Polumenta – Fali Mi Ljubav (2010) Hal shows off her non-Anglo pride ONCE MORE with another Balkan dance-pop song; I have been completely in love with this song for a decade now, because among a pop landscape generally dominated by fairly softer folk-pop numbers, this song took pride in sounding like turn-of-the-decade American dance-pop in that it ABSOLUTELY CRUSHES. It’s very much in the same spirit of peak RedOne/David Guetta, and I highly recommend it to all of you pop dorks on this website, even if it ain’t in English. That hasn’t stopped y’all from liking K-Pop, so…

69. T-Pain / Chris Brown – Best Love Song (2011) yes, chris brown’s name makes me gag too, cuz I’m a decent person, but the very unfortunate feature aside, this is probably T-Pain’s best song if you asked me. I was in love with this song as a kid when it first came out, and it somehow still holds up. The constantly-made-fun-of autotune makes this song particularly charming, and I really like how its mission statement as a song seems to be an old school piano love bad but with that cheesy early-2010’s modern r&b spin. Totally, unrelated, but check out the title and album cover for T-Pain’s 2019 album; im glad he seems to be thriving.

68. Alvvays – Archie, Marry Me (2014) a lot of commentary I had for the Allo Darlin’ song just a couple positions beneath this one can easily be recycled for this one, another adorable pop tune that works best on a summer evening. The key difference is that this one sounds considerably bigger: in part thanks to the fuzzy lo-fi production just adding more to it; in part thanks to an absolutely fantastic singer who has more power to her voice than Allo Darlin’s singer, who while good, you could argue may be underperforming; most importantly, while Dreamin’ is quaint, this song is anthemic. This song seems to know exactly what it’s doing and which directions it wants to go, another one of those “perfect pop songs” if you will. Peak listening for when you’re in love

67. The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die – Heartbeat in the Brain (2013) modern emo, particularly Midwest emo revival stuff like this band, can be seen by some as maybe too convoluted for its own good, but god damn, when it wants to hit, it HITS! Emo’s primary selling point is catharsis, and this song is just that. a long multi-part epic of a song fitting for a band with such a long name, this song is in equal parts super energetic AND utterly gorgeous. Yet another piece for summer and early autumn, I’m glad im recommending this stuff in late December

66. Javiera Mena – Luz de Piedra de Luna (2011) I discovered this song from a random list about dance music on RYM, and I feel guilty for not looking up more about this woman and her music… I love being a lazy fuck. She’s apparently an indie darling in Chile, I can hear just why. I have no idea how detached I am from the music because I don’t know Spanish, but even without that necessary (?) context, this song is still a cooler-than-cool dance-pop statement tailor-made for nights among city lights. When I listen to this song, I become considerably more confident for the ~4 minutes that it lasts

65. Colin Stetson – Reborn (2018) take this with a grain of salt as I am by NO MEANS WHATSOEVER a movie buff like many on this website are, but Hereditary is one of my favorite movies I’ve ever watched, and one of the things about it that cemented my adoration for it was this song. The song is a lot more subdued in the final scene of the movie as it’s… obviously accompanying the movie, but the soundtrack version that you can listen to on Spotify makes oh so clear what a monster it is. Colin Stetson is an absurdly talented musician, albeit maybe a bit gimmicky, and I was really excited to find out he did the soundtrack for Hereditary, and he did not hold back, particularly with this song where he takes his saxophone fuckery down a notch in exchange for soaring, sweeping melody. It was the perfect music to end off its respective film, but it’s also just a fantastic song in its own right

64. Ariana Grande – No Tears Left to Cry (2018) I can understand the Ariana backlash as of recent, as she has shown herself not the most pure pop star out there, but screw it, she’s not the only sketchy pop star on this list, so I will ignore everything surrounding her career to acknowledge how fantastic this song is. I, for one, was in love right away upon first listen after hearing so many people fawn over it. To me, this is Ariana’s “song,” the one that I will personally forever connect her to; this and “God is a Woman.” Both monstrous Max Martin productions that, in my opinion, beat out anything the man worked on at his chart peak back in the TRL days. Really, the only reason I chose this over God Is a Woman is because this song feels more all-purpose in regards to mood while the latter song is one to listen to when you want a shot of pure goddamn confidence and swagger.

63. fun. – Some Nights (2012) one of those songs that Todd was 100% on the money about. While “We Are Young” can wear pretty thin, and is understandably loathed by some of the really snobby music snobs, I struggle to see any of that in this song. As a song, it feels like “everything,” and therefore honestly reminds me of mid-80s art pop giants like Kate Bush and Echo and the Bunnymen – it’s so theatric and insanely well-produced, it almost feels like it was made on an entirely different planet. Nate Reuss’s autotune solo pisses on Beethoven’s grave. I don’t know what I’m talking about.

62. No Doubt – Settle Down (2012) now No Doubt were undoubtedly at their creative peak in the 90s (Spiderwebs runs laps around this song honestly), but that doesn’t mean they have nothing to offer in a post-“Hey Baby” world. My older bro, a big Gwen Stefani fan, bought the album this came from when it came out, and it prompted me to look up this song, and I was hooked. I’m not quite sure if the melody here is really as amazing as it seems or if Gwen Stefani is such a great singer that she can make anything sound great, but the fact of the matter is that a super polished and perfectly crafted song. It may not have the jaggedness of early No Doubt, but I really couldn’t care. Any Gwen is good Gwen.

61. Travis Scott – Antidote (2015) when I first heard this song, I was still a ROCK ROCK ROCK idiot and the new landscape of rap still felt alien to me, but I still liked this song upon first listen. Now long after, now that I think I “get” trap a bit more, it really hits me just how euphoric this song really is. Travis Scott seems to be good at having his songs’ drops and choruses make it feel like you’re miles above the ground. Even after the stupidly energetic initial drop, everything about this song works: I’m in love with the moody atmosphere, the weird melodies, the ad-libs, it all gets me hyped up like not many other hip hop songs can.

 

[Best and Worst of Entertainment: The 2010’s Decade End Lists]

Honestly? I liked this decade.

Not life-wise, we ain't gonna talk about that, but music-wise? I honestly feel like in the near future, this decade, particularly the second half, is gonna be known for a lot of damn good music. I really grew into my own as a music nerd this decade, and I'm more than happy. Therefore, I got a

Top 100 Songs of the Decade!

Am I gonna discuss every single one in depth? Hahahahaha fuck that. To start, I'll give you guys #100 to #81 with quick blurbs for each one. Quick blurbs I think will be my way of doing this up until the #40 point, when I'll start getting more in depth. I think that's apt to start! (loose 1 song per artist clearly)

Spoiler

100 // Childish Gambino // Redbone // 2016 // Glover has had an interesting progression in his music career over the past decade and I'll be 100% honest I had trouble choosing between this and Bonfire but at the end of the day I chose the Critics' Consensus. Predictable
99 // Vampire Weekend // Worship You // 2013 // I only recently learned that this is a very spiritual song, not to much surprise, granted, because this song has a very soaring-above-the-clouds type of energy that feels unstoppable.
98 // Red Velvet // SAPPY // 2019 // For the most part this decade, I was pretty closed-minded on K-Pop, and still am more than I'd like to admit, but I remember looking through random songs that got released this past year and finding this golden slice of jazzy pop perfection and promising myself that I'd listen to more of the genre if more of it were like this... still need to get around to fulfilling that task.
97 // Billie Eilish and Khalid // Lovely // 2017 // I was torn between this song and her other song I absolutely adore, Ocean Eyes, but I eventually picked this one because I like the addition of Khalid PLUS the orchestral swelling featured in the song sometimes makes me feel like my heart is about to pop out of my chest and sometimes that's the primary thing you need in a piano ballad.
96 // Sharon Van Etten // Seventeen // 2019 // I already discussed this song before so lemme just reiterate that the 70s mom rock style that Sharon Van Etten brings to this song + the emotional intensity of her songwriting is untouchable when the only thing that can fit your mood is a blast of pure feminine  energy
95 // Against Me! // Black Me Out // 2014 // One of several MY GENDER IDENTITY IS VALID FUCK OFF anthems that have kept me stable for a while and when I mean anthemic I mean ANTHEMIC as in an eternal scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs chorus that'll make you feel like you're the most powerful motherfucker on the planet and everything will be alright even if both of those things are depressingly untrue
94 // Orianthi // According to You // 2010 // A song based around telling ur ex how much of an asshole he was and how much better your new man is to the sound of late-00's/early-10's jagged pop rock? It's everything I want sometimes, plus I'll love any song that reminds me of being in JC Penney as a kid
93 // Kero Kero Bonito // Only Acting // 2018 // KKB already showed clear talent as an indie-ish electropop band prior to 2018 so when they took their songwriting chops to jagged noise pop last year it blew my fucking mind. This song is maddeningly catchy but for my sake make sure you listen to the "Radio Edit" as the album version cuts it short for 30 seconds of noise and it just really harshes the vibe of a Perfect Pop SongTM
92 // White Lung // Bag // 2012 // STUPIDLY furious but also STUPIDLY anthemic femme noise punk, White Lung were one of my first discoveries in college thanks to a friend who's extremely into fem-punk and all I can say is it's really good stuff when you're completely angry at the world
91 // JPEGMAFIA // Jesus Forgive Me, I'm a Thot // 2019 // I almost feel lame for liking JPEGMAFIA given his core audience but sometimes he just dishes out a song that I can't help but get hyped to every time I listen to it; if it weren't for this weird-ass song, Baby I'm Bleeding would've been on this list instead, but lemme make it clear I love both songs
90 // Big Freedia // Rent // 2018 // Big Freedia is one of the coolest people on the planet and worth way more than a great song, but TALKIN TALKIN TALKIN TALKIN YADDA YADDA YADDA YADDA YADDA is one of the most exhilerating hooks of the entire decade and a good foundation for a peak take-no-bullshit kind of song
89 // Freddie Gibbs and Madlib // Flat Tummy Tea // 2019 // This one of the less acclaimed singles for Freddie Gibbs' 2019 album which is bizarre to me because it's been my favorite of the bunch for a while; the beat switch in the middle was a bit of an acquired state but I grew even to love that. I haven't listened to as much as Freddie Gibbs as i probably should
88 // Neda Ukraden // Da Se Nadjemo Na Pola Puta // 2010 // One of a couple Halibut pre-American-music childhood jams on this list, I don't really know how to articulate the pure nostalgia I get from this song - all I can say is it's a very sentimental song with a chorus that feels huge even if you have absolutely no clue what she's saying
87 // SOPHIE // Immaterial // 2018 // It took a bit for SOPHIE to grow on me but once she clicked she clicked and this cut off of her album is the best thing she has done this decade, certainly the one song of hers that hit me the hardest emotionally. I learned really late that the main hook is ripped from Madonna's Material Girl but quite frankly this song is significantly better and used the hook better too
86 // Britney Spears // Hold it Against Me // 2011 // I really hope the early 2010s' reputation keeps growing as a golden time for anthemic dance-pop cuz music snob circles can't survive off of "Lady Gaga actually good!" alone and I wish they had more appreciation for songs like this. I like Britney Spears but I think this is probably my favorite song of hers if for no other reason than I am a total sucker for this type of pop song (forget that it's a Dr Luke production)
85 // Daft Punk and Julian Casablancas // Instant Crush // 2013 // This isn't the only case of a song w/ Julian Casablances that's significantly better than anything the Strokes ever wrote will show up on this list, but it is the first. I'm glad Daft Punk still have the songwriting chops they do to this day, as they transitioned into this decade so well. Nothing they did this decade, though, can top this lowkey dance-pop ditty that has no business being as emotionally powerful as it is
84 // Kid Cudi // CONFUSED! // 2015 // This is one of the weirdest picks I have for this list by a big amount considering the fact that 2015 Kid Cudi is still a huge laughing stock among dumbass music snob circles on the internet, and while most of it is deserved, Kid Cudi somehow managed to really channel a 90s alt rock aesthetic I am in love with for this song. It actually feels like the earnest throwback the guy was looking for and it was actually successful... I struggle to understand my adoration for this stupid song either way
83 // Nicki Minaj // Starships // 2012 // Todd can suck a fat one for his opinion on Starships, this song is a journey. The majority of it is a great sunny pop song which already would've made it a contender for my top 100, and then genius RedOne adds in the stupidly energetic club drops and while some may see it as jarring, those moments completely make the song for me. Play this song for me when I'm in a good mood and I will probably lose my shit
82 // Clams Casino // Motivation // 2011 // I'm not super big on cloud rap or anything but sometimes you hear a song that really hurls you into the world that bigger fans of the genre than me see when they listen to it. This is a quintessential winter song to me, specifically one of those songs that you have to listen to upon the first major snowfall to really appreciate the change in weather in full. That's what I did a few days ago.
81 // Dean Blunt // 50 CENT // 2014 // This type of super hazy, mildly psychedelic sound seems to work the best either deep in the summer or deep in the winter, and this song in particular is very much the latter. Dean Blunt is a very talented dude I need to listen to more of, and the female vocals in particular (by Joanne Robertson) give the song a very special atmosphere which is perfectly fit for a winter night under city lights; precisely what you get when you find fan uploads of this song on YouTube.

 

[Wumbo Ranks Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Charts! (Ahhh, the deed is done.)]

#3 and #1 broke my heart, but I forgive you cuz you put Lean Back on the list.

[Clappy vs Billboard Hot 100]

You could probably make a "We Didn't Start the Fire" parody based off of everyone who worked with Lil Nas X this year.

[Squidward Chat!]

Episode 9:

 

: Wow SpongeBob, I didn't you realize you had such good connections!

: I sure do, and I am more than happy to help you out, Mini Squid! You know... I wasn't a fan of you taking over at first, but you've been doing such an amazing job and Squidward is making more money than ever! Thank you, Mini Squiddy.

: No problem at all, SpongeBob. I knew you two would come around to the idea. I'm gonna go and call the number you gave me now. I just hope he has the time to be our guest for the next episode.

: Oh trust me Mini Squid, he'll have time.

[The Day After]

 

MINI SQUIDWARD CHAT! WITH YOUR HOST, MINI SQUIDWARD!

: Welcome back, you lovely viewers! How are you all doing tonight?

-rapturous cheering-

: I'M DOING GREAT, MINI SQUID!

: WHOOOOOOO!

: I hope you're all ready for a VERY special guest tonight!

-cheering-

: YYEEAAAAA- SPONGEBOB LET ME GO

: Before we get to our surprise guest, let's start with the news!

: ALRIGHT SPONGEBOB, I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU! WHAT DO YOU NEED THIS TIME!?

: I needed to take you out here where it's quieter to remind you that Mini Squid is taking advantage of you!

: You keep saying that over and over, SpongeBob, but even if he is, I'm making more money than ever while doing it! Why should I be bothered by it?

: Squidward ol' buddy, are you really okay with Mini Squid's crew and audience taking advantage of your house and constantly interrupting your beauty sleep?

: SHUT UP!

: Are you really okay with Mini Squid doing so well by stealing from you? He stole your jokes! He stole your job! He stole your standing ov-

: -sobbing-

: Sq- Squidward, are you okay?

: FINE, YOU WIN! I've been trying my best to be okay with this for weeks now, but making more money isn't worth him stealing my spotlight. Why did we even bother quitting the Krusty Krab to do this entire project anyway?

: I never quit Squidward, that was just y-

: SpongeBob, I change my mind. I'd much rather be a wage slave under the weight of Mr. Krabs' grimy claws than deal with Mini Squid stealing my glory for even one more minute. It's hopeless, though. I can't kick him out, especially not his entire crew. Mini Squidward won. -sobs again-

: It's okay Squidward, I knew you'd come around. It's not over, though! I want to get rid of Mini Squid as much as you do, so I had to use my connections.

: sniff W-what do you mean?

: Oh my gosh, he's here! Look up, Squidward!

: Why shoul- OH MY NEPTUNE!

: Yup! He's made a full recovery! I hope Mini Squid is ready for a very special guest today.

 

To be continued...

[Clappy vs Billboard Hot 100]

gee i wonder who it could be, i hope it's not wumbo again

[Wumbo Ranks Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Charts! (Ahhh, the deed is done.)]

I see you had enough tact to not include the music video that was eventually made for Ahab the Arab.

Jesus fuck

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

(NOTICE: Due to a glitch in the system, I am manually restoring this post; every other post is gone for now, I am sorry in advance)

 

2. "You know, if I were to die right now in some sort of fiery explosion due to the carelessness of a friend, well, that would just be okay."

Dying for Pie, 512 points
31 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 3 #1's @Eric Swalwell @Katniss @ForgottenOne) (+1)

We have finally reached the finish line. As last year's champion, Chocolate With Nuts, fell, you'll notice that of the two episodes that beat it out, this one's kind of the black sheep. In 2019, Dying for Pie is the highest it has ever been, which is amazing for multiple reasons. For one, it's not the type of episode to just stay perched in the top 3 over and over again. It's a top 10 regular, but it's been as low as #9, so seeing a relative underdog beat out an established legend is so satisfying, even if relative to the entire top 50, it doesn't mean that much. The unmatchable duo of Chocolate With Nuts and (cough) has now officially become a holy trinity with Dying for Pie, as I highly doubt it's gonna budge any time soon. That's especially true due to the fact that this episode has the most entries out of ANY other episode, and the most lists out of any episode ever by default.

The other big reason I'm happy about this episode's rise is simple: it's one of my favorite episodes ever. Sure, it's a funny episode, but let's face it, that's not why a lot of people rank it so high. The quote I chose for this entry says more than anything I could ever say. I don't think a single episode can make me so emotional. The climax of this episode makes for one of THE saddest moments in the entire show, and the lows of the episode mix perfectly well with the hilarious highs as Squidward experiences so much emotional range throughout the episode. The position for this episode is perfect, as it was my personal #2 as well. As a matter of fact, this top 50 and my top 25 share the exact same top 2 episodes in the same order. What is #1? What is my #1? Well... you know.

 

1. "Now let's make Squidward proud."

Band Geeks, 527 points
29 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 3 #1's @kev @Sweat @4EverGreen) (+1)

The list's first ever official #1 in 2013 has had an interesting (and symmetrical) arc. Started off at #1, dropped to #2, dropped down to #5, jumped back UP to #2 in 2018, and here it is. Back where it started, and back where it deserves. It's only fitting that Band Geeks returned to its rightful spot at #1 the year I chose to host the list. I think it's only fitting to repost the write-up I made for this episode from 2018's list:

"There are many reasons why I adore Band Geeks, and why I eventually realized it is my favorite episode of all time after giving up on trying to be interesting. There's no way I can form an essay about it so I'm just gonna make a list.

1. This is a very nostalgic episode for me. It is by no means a new development that I adore it so much. I've held it very near and dear to my heart since before I was a grade schooler, and that attachment will always cover the episode in a thick layer of pure comfort and happiness.

2. I'm biased towards its subject matter. I'm a band guy at heart and I absolutely love performing music, so if nothing else, Band Geeks hits that sweet spot for me and only made me appreciate the episode more over time.

3. This episode is an absolutely amazing look into Squidward as a character. Yes, Squidward was known as this artsy dreamer for ages by this point, but only in this episode has it come into fruition so beautifully. This is quite possibly Squidward's very best episode solely for how well-written he is and how genuinely passionate he is about making his whole vision work. Even if he didn't win in the end, I really appreciate that.

4. As I already mentioned in the previous point, Squidward won! Now this isn't the only time Squidward gets his way obviously, but this is the one time where it came off as satisfying as it could. Squidward wasn't just satisfied, he was ecstatic. He really did achieve something wonderful in this episode, and seeing him beat that stupid Squilliam is great.

5. This episode is hilarious. Not a single frame is used any less than to its absolute best. This episode is filled with absolutely perfect comedic timing, from Plankton's harmonica solo to the band playing 'loud' to everything, the episode just gets some laughs out of me, and in my opinion, 'funny' is the primary thing I look to in a good episode.

6. On the other side of the coin, this episode can be devastating. Squidward's speech where he admits defeat in this episode is one of the most truly heartbreaking moments in the entire show. It helps a lot that it comes from a character who was always an obvious underdog, so when he begins to make real progress and it begins to get crushed, it's easy to empathise with him genuinely. Anyone who thinks that kids' cartoons can't pack an emotional punch need to see this episode, bonus points being with context of how Squidward is as a character.

7. This episode just feels huge. They could've chosen not to make this episode into an every-character-in-the-show, completely bombastic masterpiece, but they did. This is less an episode and more of an event when you watch it. Not many episodes, even the best ones, have that quality.

8. The ending. Come on. I know its status as one of the greatest SpongeBob moments in history or whatever can get tiring, but I firmly believe that it's the case. As a matter of fact, everything from Squidward's "thanks for nothing" speech gets my heart pumped. SpongeBob's speech is great and it just keeps building up afterwards until Sweet Victory. It's the very best ending in the show's history. It kicks infinite amounts of ass, and beyond that, Squilliam truly feeling defeated and Squidward knowing that he one, mainly with the very last frame. My god. It feels euphoric just talking about it.

Overall? This episode, like I said, is an event. Many episodes give me enjoyment, but not a single one up to this level. From the title card to Squidward's freezeframe at the end as Sweet Victory fades away, this episode is a journey from start to finish. Just about everything good about this show, especially everything that led up to this, is showcased. The show's sense of humor, its worldbuilding, its characterization, and its genuine emotion are all kicked into high gear in this episode. There's a reason this episode has its reputation, and it is what it is: my favorite episode of all time." 

Well guys, that's the list! HUGE thanks to everyone who submitted their own top 25. I am extremely grateful that I had an opportunity to host such a big tradition on SBC, especially as I loved reading the list topics in my lurking years on this site. Will I do it again? I have no clue, but it was my pleasure to host this year. 

 

 Well, there's one last thing. Here's the complete list data!

https://pastebin.com/q1kYGTL7

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

(NOTICE: Due to a glitch in the system, I am manually restoring this post; every other post is gone for now, I am sorry in advance)

HONORABLE MENTIONS!

61. "Now be careful with that stuff, boys. It stains clothes."

Pranks a Lot, 70 points
4 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #3 @4EverGreen) (-27)

 

60. "All ye must do is tend to my every whim and tickle my fancy on demand."

Squidward, the Unfriendly Ghost, 72 points
6 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #5 @kylie) (-2)

 

59. "Nobody gives a care about the fate of labor as long as they can get their instant gratification."
 
Squid on Strike, 76 points
7 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #7 @E.V.I.L. ) (NEW)

 

58. "If we keep this up, neither of us will win the award."
 
Employee of the Month, 77 points
4 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #3 @SI-LLY) (-18)

 

57. "My name tag is out there somewhere. Lost... hungry... who will help it?"
 
Missing Identity, 77 points
5 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #3 @Steel Sponge) (-25)

 

56. "Don’t you have a paper to write?"
 
Procrastination, 78 points
8 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 2 #10's @Klu @OWM) (NEW)

 

55. "So, if I can't get you to come to the bath, I'll just have to bring the bath to you."
 
Gary Takes a Bath, 79 points
4 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 2 #1's @AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH @Hayden) (NEW)

 

54. "SpongeBob needs us, and more importantly, I need him to stop imitating me customers!"
 
Mimic Madness, 79 points
7 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #2 @ForgottenOne) (-23)

 

53. "Befriend the SpongeBob, then when the time is just right, take the Krabby Patty!"
 
F.U.N., 84 points
10 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 2 #11's @Steel Sponge @Clappy) (-5)

 

52. "You mean suckers throw in money down a hole for fun?"
 
Wishing You Well, 85 points
9 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #7 @kylie) (+1)

 

51. "Don't worry, Squidward, we'll find our way out. And then we'll have the best eleventy-seventh anniversary ever."
 
Truth or Square, 86 points
5 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #1 @Cosmix humungosaur) (NEW)

 

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

4. "We've got a lot to do now that we've summoned Santa Claus. We must ready ourselves for his arrival."

Christmas Who?, 430 points
28 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #1 @Josh the trash) (+1)

With its lowest ever position being #6 in 2015, Christmas Who? is yet another episode whose heels are dug into the highest tiers of the top 50 and is not planning to move anytime soon. A neat little tidbit about the top 5 on this list is that the last episode, Krusty Krab Training Video, has the most episodes in the top 5 while Christmas Who? has the least. It's the only episode in the top 5 without multiple #1's, but it makes up for it by having 5 other top 5 spots on people's lists. Half-hour specials can be risky, so it says a lot about pre-movie SpongeBob that they could pull off their first one and make it so strong and emotional. Granted, it's a Christmas special, but SpongeBob does it better than most. While I did not put it on my list, I totally understand other people's adoration. Christmastime means a lot to some people, and the fact that this episode was made to be so heartfelt and touching probably resonates with so many fans of the show.

 

3. "Let's make a pact right now that we will stay focused on selling at the next house."

Chocolate With Nuts, 491 points
28 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 4 #1's @NegiSpongie @Night-Waker @The last carotte @SOF) (-2)

Along with Krusty Krab Training Video, here comes another "fallen legend"... except arguably even more drastic as this was #1 just last year. Ever since 2015 (we don't talk about 2013), this episode has been alternating between #1 and #2 without really any indication of it budging, but here it is at #3. The backlash against some of the show's established canon is slow, but it seems to have some kind of effect. Actually no, that's not fair at all... the episode is still #3! Anyway, consider this the second year in a row where Chocolate With Nuts is the champion of comedy-centric episodes. Who could question it? I didn't put it on my top 25, but I would be complete moron to ignore how much this episode means to the show's greater reputation. I don't think many episodes, if any, are as quotable as this one, nor are there many as many scenes that have been a part of pop culture for years. It's a simple "SpongeBob and Patrick doing goofy things episode," but so many people see it as a perfection of that formula, and I see it. If it stayed #1, I really would not have complained, but sadly, two other episodes beat it out this year. Find out what order they are in on Thursday, but for now, stay tuned for honorable mentions tomorrow!

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

6. "Insultin' a man's ship be worse than insultin' his mother!"

Shanghaied, 391 points
23 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 2 #1's @Patty Rose @EmployeeAMillion) (+1)

Heyo! At this point, it should be clear that the rest of these episodes are regulars of the top 20, but that's what this is. Outside of 2015 and 2016, it's been in the top ten twice prior as well, with this being the highest it's ever been! It's also the beginning of the six-episode stretch all the way up to #1 where every single episode has been on more than half of the lists. Shanghaied has built a huge reputation for being one of the best purely comedy-centered episodes in the show's history. EVERY single character here has perfect comedic timing, in part due to all of them acting like complete morons. I have fully embraced the comedic journey this episode has to offer, and put it in my own list at #7, so awful close to its placement on the list this year. Also, it has some of the funniest Patchy segments the show has ever had, which as far as I'm concerned, is extremely important.

 

5. "Now that you understand POOP, I bet you think you're ready to make a Krabby Patty."

Krusty Krab Training Video, 409 points
28 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 5 #1's @JCM @almy @CDCB @Matt0417 @Less_SpongeBob) (-1)

Never on this list has a position been so bittersweet. Just look at it. First episode to hit the 400 milestone, something that ONLY #1 hit last year. Five #1's. 28 lists. A top five regular, an episode that's been #1 on the list before. All of these ridiculous accolades, yet... this is the lowest the episode has ever been. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. That said, this episode still being in the top 5 is great news and any less would be something I just cannot wrap my head around. This episode is goddamn wonderful. Another legend in the "comedy-centric" category of episodes, one of the most creative of the bunch. This episode is super fresh with its bizarre format, yet everything works. Every joke hits, every character interaction sparks joy. This episode was #15 on my list, but considering so many of you put it way higher, it's not saying much now, is it?

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

Hey y'all, I don't have time this morning for list commentary. I may fill it in tonight, but for now, y'all deserves to see the episodes anyway. Here are #8 and #7.

 

8. "But this is the wilderness! It just doesn't seem to fit the camping spirit."

The Camping Episode, 346 points
20 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #1 @Clappy) (+1)

 

7. "It's really nice of you to help me in my time of need. I'll try not to be a burden."

Can You Spare a Dime?, 348 points
18 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #1 @President Squidward) (+11)

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

10. "Hold it right there, Doodle. I brought you into this world, and now I’m gonna take you out."

Frankendoodle, 298 points
19 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 4 #3's @NegiSpongie @CDCB @Matt0417 @Coffee_lover) (0)

Wham! Bam! Top ten! For the 20 year edition of the list, we begin the home stretch the exact same way we did last year: Frankendoodle. This episode has a strange trend because it's been in the top 20 since 2015, yet... wasn't on the list at all in 2013! The first list is such a glitch compared to the other ones, I swear. Either way, this episode did make the top 10 for the second year in a row, with a whopping number of people that put it at its peak. Actually, there are 3 more top-5 entries besides the ones listed above, so it's clear to see why it made the top 10 again. As someone who also put it in my top 10 (#9), I am more than happy at its refusal to budge. This, for one, is a super nostalgic episode for me and one of my favorites growing up, but it feels like a journey of an episode otherwise. Not that many SpongeBob episodes, especially in pre-movie, could be considered a "thriller" of sorts, and this episode pulls that off perfectly. DoodleBob is the perfect creepy, ambiguous villain, and his interactions with SpongeBob and Patrick lead to both hilarity and, occasionally, genuine suspense.

 

9. "We did it! We painted the whole house and without getting a drop of paint on... FLAPPIN' FLOTSAM, WHAT'S THAT!?"

Wet Painters, 308 points
19 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #1 @OWM) (-3)

Already, we have the first regular of the top 10 since 2013! As a matter of fact, this is the lowest it has ever been on the list. Does this mean it has a chance of leaving the list for the first time ever in 2021? Heck, I don't know, but I would be pretty sad if it did. One, because I like the fact that it's been in the top 10 since the beginning and don't want it to break that streak. More importantly though... it's just a great episode! This is one of FOUR episodes in the top 10 that I didn't put on my own top 25, but let me make it clear how painful of a cut it was. This episode is great. It's one of those episodes where the writers take a very bare-bones plotline with minimal amount of characters, and they wring as much comedy and suspense out of it as they possibly can. It's kind of a childish plot, but that's totally the point. We have all had those moments as kids, where we completely screw up and we go into full-on panic mode before our parents/teachers/whatever discover our mess. It's a great episode to watch as a kid, and doesn't lose any of its charm as you grow older. Oh yeah, another milestone: 300+ points! Only the top 4 last year hit that milestone, if you want yet another gauge in how huge the amount of participation was in this year's list.

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

12. "And I curse this Krabby Patty and all who enjoy them to an early and well-deserved grave!"

Just One Bite, 280 points
20 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 2 #1's @Klu @Wintermelon43 ) (+9)

As I finish off everything that isn't the top 10, Just One Bite deserves some love for being the highest top 20 debut on the list! 2019 was the first ever year it even made it in, and only the second year it was in the top half. Outside of a fluke #26 at 2013, Just One Bite climbed and climbed consistently since 2015. For me personally, and probably for some others who ranked it high, Just One Bite's leap this year feels almost triumphant. I truly, deeply hope that it can somehow snag a spot in the top ten in a few years because this is among my absolute favorite episodes in the show's history. At #3 on my list, it's my absolute favorite episode outside of the top 10 (#2 and #1, you'll see eventually.) From the very beginning as a wee lad, I was totally in love with this episode. It was, and still is, one of the funniest episodes that the show has to offer. I love myself some Squidward episodes, and his character here is top notch. It makes for one of the most sentimental episodes in the show's catalogue, too. Squidward's adoration for the Krabby Patty is obviously played partially for laughs, but at times, you genuinely feel for him. It's just an "everything" episode, one I have very fond nostalgia for, and as far as I'm concerned, one of the best episodes the SpongeBob crew have ever summoned.

 

11. "Of course not. Nobody has a spatula for a hand. It was all a joke."

Graveyard Shift, 291 points
24 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #2 @Matt0417) (-3)

And here it is. The last episode before the elusive, exciting top 10. Actually, some would probably argue that this episode's mild drop is kind of tragic, because this episode has been in the top 10 itself ever since 2015. Sadly, its golden streak broke this year and JUST missed the cut. That said, this episode remains a milestone and a half because it is THE first episode in the top 50 where more than half of the list submitters put it on. It's such a weird outlier too, because the only other episode to reach that are the top 6, which makes Graveyard Shift's placement at #11 all the more baffling. Me personally, I don't see it as a massive loss that it left the top 10. While I love the episode and put it (low) on my top 25, there are episodes in the top 10 I love way more, but I'm still happy this stayed in the top 20. It's a hilarious and genuinely kind of spooky episode. When I was a kid, Nosferatu scares the piss out of me (and still sorta does), but he just adds to the charm of this episode. Stay tuned for the top 10!

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

14. "What do you mean, you drove him away. It's right there in black and white. See, right there. And there."

Have You Seen This Snail?, 260 points
17 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #2 @Klu) (+12)

There you go. The other one of the big two season 4 specials. The highest season 4 episode on the list, and officially SBC's favorite post-movie episode this year. Unlike Dunces and Dragons, though, which had a constant rise ever since landing on the list, Have You Seen This Snail has been all over the place. At highest, it's been at #9, and #26 at the lowest. Unfortunately, it did not jump back into the top 10 year, but it did come back into the top 20 after spending a year JUST below the top half. And for the record, I fully agree with SBC's consensus on the episode. This is my favorite post-movie episode as well, and made it onto #12 on my list. It's one of those episodes that's an "experience," one that just slams with you with so many different emotions... mostly sadness. As far as I'm concerned, I don't think the SpongeBob crew can ever make a better Gary-centric episode. This just hits everything right on the spot, and makes for one of the most heartwarming episode in the show's history.

 

13. "Well...You backed up. And you know what? I think we're out of gas. And you know what else? We're in the middle of nowhere!"

Pizza Delivery, 262 points
18 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 2 #2's @CakeCup @Renata Klein) (+1)

At #14 was SBC's favorite post-movie episode. Now, at the flipside at #13 is SBC's favorite season 1. Yup, any episodes on the list outside of the golden stew of season 2 and season 3 ends here. This is another fully canonized regular of the top 20, but strangely enough, it has never been in the top 10! It has been floating around 11-20 every since 2013, so I'd like to think the episode is comfy where it is. While this episode didn't make it on my top 25, it's surely among my favorite season 1 episodes as well. (Not #1 though. That honor goes to Squeaky Boots.) Its honor as SBC's favorite of season 1 makes a lot of sense, though, as just like the episode above, it has a little bit of everything. A lot of the gags and lines here are some of the most classic of all of pre-movie, and seeing the evolution of Squidward and SpongeBob's interaction throughout the episode begins merely funny but ends up being really cute. There aren't many moments in the show that are sadder than SpongeBob being abused by the ungrateful customer, nor are there many moments as satisfying as Squidward bludgeoning him with the pizza.

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

16. "Everything's chrome in the future!"

SB-129, 240 points
19 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #2 @WhoBob) (+12)

For better or for worse, I don't think season 1 of SpongeBob is known for taking a crazy amount of risks or doing anything out there. SB-129, meanwhile, is a huge exception. This episode debuted in 2015 at #28, fell down to #44, rose back up to #28, and now it has a secured spot in the top 20! What I think is especially interesting about SB-129 this year, though, is the fact that the number of lists nearly tripled, from 7 to 19. The rise of the love of SB-129 is a welcome surprise, as this is one of the best episodes of season 1. Like I said, it's one of the coolest and most creative concepts of any episode from that season, a season that was generally based around building character interaction. It's a total trip of an episode, and a thoroughly enjoyable watch once you account for the real empathy you feel for Squidward as he breaks down.

 

15. "We just got a call about two ghouls burying a stiff over by Shallow Grave Road."

Nasty Patty, 258 points
20 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #3 @AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH) (-4)

Nasty Patty, despite having never made the top 10, has been a regular of the top 20 since 2013. It's been in positions as high as #11 and as low as #19, so it's apt that it's at the midpoint between its peak and nadir this year. It also has the highest list count on the top 50 so far, ever so close to being in half of the top 25's that y'all (including me!) submitted. To this day, it's still kind of hard to believe that this episode got greenlighted. The surface level public impression of SpongeBob is obviously squeaky-clean humor and good vibes, but those who actually grew up with the show knew dang well how dark the show could be. Very few children's shows have the guts to not just make an episode where two of the main characters think they killed someone, but to make it genuinely funny. The dark humor in this episode is always welcome, and it's one of my favorite episodes in the show's history.

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

18. "These strangers have come to rescue us, like in the prophecy."

Dunces and Dragons, 224 points
18 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #1 @jack_of_all_traids) (+5)

Dunces and Dragons' history on this list is almost heartwarming. It first appeared on the list in 2015 and just consistently kept on making huge leaps all the way up to 2019, where it made the top 20 for the first time ever. As love for season 4 kept rising, this episode has risen along with it, and it feels kinda triumphant that it finally secured a spot so high. Granted, I may show a bit of bias as this is one of my favorite episodes of the show, and my second favorite of post-movie. The big two season 4 specials have a nearly legendary status, and this one takes "legendary" to a new level. SpongeBob's take on the medieval hero's journey archetype made for so many opportunities for hilarious scenes and touching moments that a decision to make it ANY less than a half-hour special would have been a grave mistake. Plus, Squidly is untouchable.

 

17. "dolphin noise"

Sailor Mouth, 233 points
17 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank 2 #3's @jack_of_all_traids @The last carotte) (+5)

Here's another episode that has only went uphill since it made it on the list! It made it onto the honorable mentions in 2015, leaped up to #26 in 2016, and began making small jumps until it made it into the top 20 this year. On the emotion/laughs spectrum of great SpongeBob episodes, Sailor Mouth joins episodes such as Krab Borg and Chocolate With Nuts on the extreme end of complete hilarity. Watching this episode feels a lot like watching an episode of a mid-90's Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network show thanks to all the filthy subject matter that doesn't even attempt to try to fly over the radar. It's arguably one of SpongeBob's more "controversial" moments, but it's also one of the show's funniest. Not that many episodes capture the carefree spirit of classic SpongeBob like this one does.

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

20. "If you want a Krabby Patty, you'll have to rent a room and order room service."

Krusty Towers, 219 points
17 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #3 @Clappy) (-1)

We start off the top 20 with Krusty Towers, a fairly legendary episode on this list. It's one of only two post-movie episodes to have ever made the top 10 prior to 2019, and the only one to have been in the top 10 twice. Oh, how legends fall. After its place in the top 10 in 2013 and 2015, it did fall out, with 2019 being the lowest the episode has ever been. It goes to show how the masses' opinion on the post-movie canon is still very much in flux and will probably be like that for a while. That said, it's thankfully still in the top 20! Personally, it's not an episode I love, nor is it one that I would even consider among my favorite season 4 episodes, but SBC's love for it is completely understandable. I was initially going to say that it has a pre-movie energy, but that would be completely unfair. Season 4, or at least the first half of it, has its own unique vibe, character interactions and sense of humor to it that I feel is unlike much before or after. Krusty Towers is a great example of that season 4 formula that so many initially had an unfair allergic reaction to.

 

19. "Attention climbers, please hold on! The saws are on the way!"

Idiot Box, 224 points
17 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #5 @Matt0417) (-3)

Idiot Box is yet another episode that could reasonably be seen as "canonized," having been a regular in the top 20 since 2013, even having been in the top 10 twice! This is a case where an episode has thrived on the list despite having only having on top-5 rank at #5! While that fact (especially since Idiot Box's arguably biggest fan on SBC, Cha, didn't submit this year) did make it drop at the lowest it has ever been as well, it still hangs in there thanks to the huge amount of entries with Idiot Box on them. It's just an episode that a whole lot of people like a lot, and for good reason. While this episode is super funny, it also has some spooky undertones to it. Are the magic sounds from the box actually somehow there, or is it fully Squidward's imagination? The extremely blurred lines make for a classic Squidward performance. A "Squiddy completely loses his marbles" classic.

[SBC's Top 50 Best Episodes Ever! (20 Year Anniversary Edition!)]

22. "Come on SpongeBob, let's go knock each other's brains out!"

Snowball Effect, 185 points
13 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #2 @Mambo No. 5 Bob the Builder) (+3)

Here's an interesting first for 2019's edition of the list. This is not just a regular on the top 50, but also the first episode to have showed up in the top half every single time. A top 25 regular! Heck, in 2016, it was as high as #10! Unfortunately, 2 years later, it fell hard down to #25, but here it is with a small rebound. For many, this is one of the best slices of interaction between the three residents on Conch Street, making for a hilarious episode. Most importantly is Squidward's role, though. Pre-movie SpongeBob really liked plots where Squidward begins stuck-up but slowly takes his inner child too far. Idiot Box, The Paper, my personal favorite being Squidville, but I can totally see why many consider this one of the best among those kinds of episodes. The real question, though, is whether the episode would be higher if it had the deleted scene of the snowman torture dungeon.

21. "It's finally all mine. The patties, the wealth, the notoriety!"

The Algae's Always Greener, 209 points
13 out of 44 lists (Highest Rank #1 @SquiddyFace) (-9)

Let's face it, using any other picture here would have been a mistake on my part. The Algae's had a fun trend throughout its stint as a list regular, as (except for this year), its trend has been consistently upward. Starting at #40 in 2013, it kept climbing and climbing up to an amazing #12 last year. Unfortunately, its golden streak is over as of 2019, where it fell down a considerable amount. If nothing else, though, it holds a very impressive milestone regardless, as the first 200+ point episode on the list! A 200+ entry just outside of the top 20 is amazing, as just last year, that milestone wasn't reached until #8. It really goes to show how relentless the community gets when it comes to things like this. While I never put this episode on my list, I appreciate it a lot. It's a very interesting concept, and a very sweet moment for Plankton by the end, as he learns to be grateful for some aspects of his original situation. Great episode to lead into the top 20.