Maroon 5 Look Set To Perform Song From SpongeBob SquarePants At Super Bowl

Ahead of their performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday evening, it looks like Maroon 5 have got a rather bizarre surprise in store for viewers.

The band will perform alongside Travis Scott and Big Boi at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgie, and after a huge - and utterly bizarre - online petition, received more than a million votes, it's looking like they are going to play a song from psychedelic kids' TV show SpongeBob SquarePants.

The petition came about because of the death of SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg at the end of last year. In the aftermath of his sad passing a Change.org petition was started entitled "Have 'Sweet Victory' Performed at the Super Bowl".

'Sweet Victory' is a song from a 2001 episode of the show in which SpongeBob and his fellow members of the Bikini Bottom Super Band (don't even ask) perform at half-time of the 'Bubble Bowl' (seriously, don't ask).

Let's face it, even by SpongeBob SquarePants' standards it's pretty out there. It was featured in an episode called 'Band Geeks'.

The song was originally licensed by APM Music, who are understandably chuffed that it is getting a new lease of life.

APM's president, Adam Taylor, recently said: "We are truly thrilled that 'Sweet Victory,' a production music song, has crossed over into the mainstream of America's consciousness, and has become an iconic, 'Can-Do,' rock anthem, thanks to the remarkable creativity of the late Stephen Hillenburg and composers David Glen Eisley and Bob Kulick."

Righto, then.

Whilst it seems as if they'll probably not play the whole of the song, it's a nice tribute to Hillenburg and the mad genius of SpongeBob.

Anyway, Maroon 5 and the rest will probably just be happy to get away from the controversy surrounding their performance at the NFL's premiere event.

Following the protests of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who chose to kneel for the national anthem in protest at perceived police brutality against people of colour, several artists turned down the opportunity to play at the interval of the game.

It has been reported that artists such as Rihanna, Jay Z, and Cardi B rejected advances from the organisers.

PJ Morgan, one of the band's keyboard players, addressed the controversy, saying: "There was conflict just because of all the rhetoric and all that I've seen around it.

"I guess I had to come to the conclusion that you can be employed by a corporation and still support the things that are being fought against. I can clearly say I am against police brutality against black and brown people at a higher rate, and I am for peacefully protesting.

"I stand for those things strongly, but I also think there are people who are employed by the NFL, who play football every week and support what Kaep stands for and those two things as well. I think we can perform for the NFL and the players can play for the NFL and we can support Kaep at the same time"

Super Bowl LIII kicks off at 11:30pm GMT on Sunday 3 February.