Steven Universe is at once one of the more popular shows Cartoon Network has, and one of the more quixotic. Created by Rebecca Sugar, it looks like kiddie fare, but is rich with a sweeping story arc of galactic scope, and deep emotional dives into family, relationships, love and self worth.

One of the hallmarks of the series is that it is resplendent with fabulous music, most of it written by creator and show runner Rebecca Sugar herself.

With Steven Universe: The Movie fast approaching, let’s take a look back at some of the great songs we’ve been blessed with on this show.

Pause the SCIFI.radio player at the upper right before watching any of these videos.

20. Ruby Rider

Featured in “The Question”, Ruby Rider is a Ruby solo as Ruby goes off trying to make sense of herself and figure out who she is as an individual rather than part of a fusion. It’s classic country sound make it a really fun, enjoyable song to sing along too. It’s also nice to know that the end result is Ruby realizing that this Ruby Rider still needs her Sapphire. 

19. For Just One Day Let’s Only Think About(Love)

After the major bombshell that Rose was Pink Diamond, everyone is in emotional disarray. But for just one day, our friends take a moment to think about something else: the marriage of Ruby and Sapphire. While the song takes a moment to touch on everything that has happened, it also gives the message that you can choose to focus on the good things instead of the bad. 

18. Something Entirely New

A Ruby and Sapphire duet, this song comes after they first fuse and get stranded on earth. It’s a sweet back and forth as they make sense of the unique fusion they created together, ending with them fusing again into Garnet.

17. Comet

While we hear Greg sing prior to Comet, this is the song he’s singing when he first meets Rose. Young and full of confidence, he sings of fame he has yet to obtain. While he never hits the status of fame he sings of, he meets the love of his life and takes off on an entirely different adventure.

16. Peace and Love On the Planet Earth

While it’s a seemingly nonsense song, we get to watch Peridot learn more about life on earth. Specifically, we watch Peridot learn more about one of life’s greatest treasures: music.

15. The Working Dead

The first song done by Sadie and the Suspects highlights Sadie’s frustration working her dead-end job at The Big Donut. While the song likely goes over the heads of the younger viewers of the show, many of us have certainly felt the grind of being the Working Dead.

14. What’s the Use of Feeling(Blue)?

The tongue in cheek song that features legend Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond is sung during the episode That Will Be All. In this episode, we get a somewhat private moment between Blue and Yellow where we get to see how people handle grief differently. While Blue is desperate to preserve everything of Pink’s, Yellow wants to destroy the thing she feels destroyed Pink: the Earth. 

13. I Could Never Be(Ready)

From Three Gems and a Baby, this sweet little song sung by Greg highlights the thing we are never truly ready for: parenthood. It also briefly highlights never being prepared for the loss of a loved one with the line “Things start and things end and isn’t it lovely in theory”. While the song is less than a minute long, that’s all that is needed to get the sweet message across. 

12. Do It For Her

In Sworn to the Sword, Pearl trains Connie in sword fighting. They sing Do It For Her during their training, where it’s made clear that Pearl is training Connie to be Steven’s own pearl. You get a real insight into what Pearl felt her role was in Rose’s world as she tries to instill the same self-sacrificing ideals in Connie. Luckily in the episode, Steven puts a stop to this as he insists that he and Connie will fight together side by side, but we still get this powerful song.

11. Both of You

Steven does what Steven does best: resolving conflict with the people he loves. Steven, seeing how much Greg and Pearl are hurting over their loss of Rose, he puts them together reminding them that he loves them both and wants them to talk it out. Greg and Pearl finally work out their differences, and finally grieve together rather than grieving apart.

Come Back Tomorrow for our conclusion of the Steven Universe Top 20!

Come back tomorrow for the conclusion of our Top 20 as we continue our look back at the music that made us fall in love with Steven Universe!

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