How is it possible that an animated show for kids is possibly the best show on TV? I still don't know, but let's play some songs from it. It's Music Monday, and we're talking about Steven Universe.
This post has two distinct target audiences: Folks who have seen all of the episodes, and folks who don't intend to watch the show. Because the songs are an intrinsic part of SU, and here be spoilers. So many spoilers. All of the spoilers. Are we clear on this? SPOILERS. If, partway through this post, you are charmed by this lovely show and want to watch it, stop reading immediately. Bookmark this post, maybe, and come back to it once you've caught up. Each episode is 11 minutes long. You can do it. I will, however, try to limit the spoilers per season. As in, I won't spoil season 3 when talking about a season 1 song.
Season 1
It makes sense to start with the opening titles song. That's where the show starts, after all. This song presents the main cast, and is cute. This is We Are The Crystal Gems:
Sample lyric:
We are the Crystal Gems
We'll always save the day
And if you think we can't
We'll always find a way
Steven's dad, Greg Universe - AKA Mr. Universe - is never what you expect, and in the second episode, we get to know a bit about his musical past by hearing his old song *** Let Me Drive My Van (into Your Heart)***:
Sample lyric:
I know I'm not that rich
I'm trying to get my start
So let me drive my van into your heart
Let me drive my van into your heart
The episode "A Giant Woman" is a huge milestone for the show, as it is the first time we encounter the concept of fusion. And even though we don't understand it yet when it happens, Steven sings about it in the episode's titular song A Giant Woman:
Sample lyric:
All I wanna do is help you turn into a giant woman,
A giant woman!
All I wanna be is someone who gets to see a giant woman.
There are songs in this show that have the same impact each time you hear them. And then there are songs like this one, from the episode "Coach Steven." As Steven is enthusiastic about Garnet and Amethyst fusion, Sugilite, Pearl wishes he could learn to be strong In The Real Way:
Sample lyric:
Why do you have to look up to her
Aside from in a literal sense?
Don't you know that a power that big
Comes with a bigger expense?
In Steven and the Stevens, our hero forms a band... with a bunch of time travel clones of himself. As one does. So, of course, they sing Steven and the Stevens:
Sample lyric:
Can't you see it in my eyes
I'm the one, I'm the— ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR
I'm not like the other guys
(he's not like anybody, well..)
That's not completely right
There's a few that I'm just like
After the whole clone thing falls apart, Steven takes the stage with his gem family, in the happy/sad Steven And The Crystal Gems:
Sample lyric:
Steven and the Crystal Gems
Come on, now, don't be shy (Ah, ah, ahh)
I learned to stay true to myself
By watching myself die...
Steven always try to be a good friend, and in Island Adventure, he tries to help his friends Sadie and Lars by taking them to a distant island. And he sings Be Wherever You Are
Sample lyric:
Look at this place, look at your faces.
I've never seen you look like this before.
Isn't it nice to find yourself somewhere different,
Whoa, why don't you let yourself just be wherever you are.
Season 1's finale, Jail Break, is a huge turning point in the series. This is the episode where we discover that Garnet, de facto leader of the Crystal Gems, is a fusion. And as she fights the evil Jasper, she sings about it in Stronger Than You:
Sample lyric:
The two of us ain't gonna follow your rules.
Come at me without any of your fancy tools.
Let's go, just me and you.
Let's go, just one on two.
Since Stronger Than You is such an iconic song for the show, I'm also going to share this extraordinary live performance of it, by Garnet actress Estelle, which I also shared in my previous post about the show. This clip shows pretty much everything I love about SU fandom:
Season 2
Following the traumatic events of Jail Break, Steven struggles with the thought of sharing what happened with his human best friend, the awesome Connie. He settles on the wrong choice, the very opposite of the songs title, Full Disclosure:
Sample lyric:
Everybody tells me life is precious
On the planet Earth, and that means you
And I have to protect you
What if somehow you get hurt
Fortunately, Steven does end up sharing everything that happened with Connie. This leads to Connie deciding to train to protect Steven. In this song, Pearl trains her, but is kinda mixed up about whether she's training her to protect Steven or his late mother, who Pearl loved. This is Do it For Her
Sample lyric:
You do it for him
And you would do it again
You do it for her, that is to say
You'll do it for him.
And speaking about Steven's mom, Rose Quartz, the former rebel leader who gave up her existence to create our hero, she shows up in a flashback and sings a duet with Greg as Pearl seethes, and then retaliates. This is What Can I Do For You?
Sample lyric:
Human man
You are so much fun
I hadn't planned
On finding you quite this entertaining
In "Sadie's Song," we discover Steven's friend Sadie loves to sing. But when she has stage fright, Steven takes the stage, in her outfit. It's awesome. This is Haven't You Noticed (I'm a Star)
Sample lyric:
Everybody needs a friend,
And I've got you and you and you
So many, I can't even name them,
Can you blame me? I'm too famous.
In "The Answer" we get a flashback, telling the origin of Garnet, in which her constituent parts, Ruby and Sapphire sing about discovering fusion - and each other. This is Something Entirely New:
Sample lyric:
And it wasn't quite me
And it wasn't quite you
I think it was someone
Entirely new
By "It Could've Been Great," former antagonist Peridot is integrating into the group, with the help of a song featuring lyrics we've heard Steven sing before, because they are such a core of what the show's about. This is Peace and Love (On Planet Earth):
Sample lyric:
I think you're all INSANE!
But I guess I am too...
Anybody would be
If they were stuck on Earth with you.
Season 3
Previous SU episodes have had multiple songs, but none have had as many as Mr. Greg, one of the show's best episodes. I'll only share the best two. The first is a song where Pearl comes to terms with losing Rose Quartz to Greg, and then to Steven. This one song gives us as much insight into Pearl as any 20 full episodes of the show. It is heartbreaking. This is It's Over, Isn't It?:
Sample lyric:
It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over?
It's over, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it over?
You won, and she chose you, and she loved you, and she's gone.
It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?
The second song is just as amazing. This is the song where Steven helps Pearl and Greg bridge their differences through the love they both have for him, and had for his mom. This is Both of You:
Sample lyric:
I know you're trying to avoid it but I don't know why.
You might not believe it.
You might not believe it but you got a lot in common, you really do.
You both love me and I love both of you.
In "Greg The Babysitter" we get another song flashback to the days when Greg dated Rose, specifically when he realized that he actually needs a job, leading to his car wash business. This is I Think I Need a Little (Change):
Sample lyric:
And it's a full-time job admiring
All the ways that you're inspiring
If I had my way, I'd do it all day
The only problem is it doesn't pay
The show's closing song is played in snippets, a line every episode. But in season 3 finale, Bubbled, we get the full version for the first time. This is Love Like You:
Sample lyric:
If I could begin to be
Half of what you think of me
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love
Season 4
In season 2, Connie started to learn how to fight. But having combat instincts can be dangerous in a school setting, as she finds out. It's a song about anxiety, and it is deadly accurate. This song is also the first time in this post - though definitely not in the show - where we meet Connie and Steven's fusion, the amazing Stevonnie. This is Here Comes A Thought:
Sample lyric:
Something I did
that failed to be charming.
Things that I said are
suddenly swarming
Season 4 allows us to see more of the other gems than ever. And in this song, one of the rulers of the gems, Yellow Diamond, sings to another one, Blue Diamond, in an attempt to get her out of her thousands of years of grief over losing Pink Diamond. This is What's the Use of Feeling (Blue)?
Sample lyric:
You've got to be a leader, Blue!
Yes, of course, we still love her
And we're always thinking of her
But now there's nothing we can do
Season 5
In season 2, we learned about Sadie's love of singing, as well as her stage fright. In "Sadie Killer," she invents a performance persona, and forms a horror rock band. Now may be a good time to mention that Sadie is played by Kate Micucci, one half of previous Music Monday topic Garfunkel and Oates. This is The Working Dead
Sample lyric:
We are the working dead
And we lurch for minimum wage
But I'd really rather be
Eating your brain
After forming Sadie Killer and The Suspects in "Sadie Killer," the group has its first big show in the appropriately named "The Big Show," and they sing G-G-G-Ghost:
Sample lyric:
Can't you see that I exist?
And I don't need an exorcist
To let me out
Look at me and I'll appear
I skipped her intro song back in season 1, but Lapis Lazuli is one of my favorite characters on the show. She's a genuinely tragic figure, who tries to be brave despite horrific trauma. She gets a spotlight in That Distant Shore:
Sample lyric:
I know that there's something residing
A terror deep inside me
I couldn't understand how you could be so bold
This last song I'll feature was aired just a couple of months ago, and includes some massive spoilers. I want to stress, once again, that you shouldn't watch this if you're not caught up and think you may watch the show. You don't want this spoiled. This is a song about denial. Denial of those spoilers I mentioned. This is Let’s Only Think About Love:
Sample lyric:
And I think that we can all agree
That is a little bit upsetting
I'd rather think about a wedding!
Let's think about cake, let's think about flowers
Let's think about dressing up and dancing around for hours
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