Sugar, Sugar
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| "Sugar, Sugar" | ||||||||||||
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| Single by The Archies | ||||||||||||
| from the album Everything's Archie | ||||||||||||
| Released | 1969 | |||||||||||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||||||||||
| Genre | Bubblegum pop | |||||||||||
| Length | 2:48 | |||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Andy Kim Jeff Barry |
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| Producer | Jeff Barry | |||||||||||
| The Archies singles chronology | ||||||||||||
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"Sugar, Sugar" is a pop song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim. It was a four-week 1969 number-one hit single by fictional characters The Archies. Produced by Jeff Barry, the song was originally released on the album Everything's Archie. The album is the product of a group of studio musicians managed by Don Kirshner. Ron Dante's lead vocals were accompanied by those of Toni Wine (who sang the line "I'm gonna make your life so sweet"), Andy Kim, and Ellie Greenwich. Together, they provided the voices of the various Archies using multitracking. Ray Stevens, the comic singer, provided the hand claps to the song[citation needed].
The Archie’s "Sugar, Sugar" was the 1969 number one single of the year. According to Billboard magazine, this is a feat yet to be duplicated by any other fictional band[citation needed]. It spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 from September 20, 1969 and eight weeks at the top of the UK singles chart. The song lists at #63 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] It also peaked at one in the South African Singles Chart.[2]On February 5, 2006, "Sugar, Sugar" was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, as co-writer Andy Kim is originally from Montreal, Quebec.
"Sugar, Sugar" is considered the canonical example of the bubblegum pop musical genre[citation needed]. Rumors have circulated that the song was earlier offered to The Monkees even sparking additional rumors that it was recorded using session musicians with Davy Jones providing all the vocals, but never released. Don Kirshner himself says in an interview on "Popular Song: Soundtrack of the Century episode Modern Pop", that Mike Nesmith put his fist through the wall of the Beverley Hills hotel refusing to do "Sugar, Sugar".[3] Jones confirmed that Kirshner had offered it to them, but stated they turned it down, and he never recorded it [4]. The band thought it seemed cheesy and at that point they were looking to mature their sound.
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[edit] Covers
- In 1970, singer Wilson Pickett hit the U.S. Top Forty with his own version of the song.
- In 1970, Bob Marley And The Wailers released their version of the song as a Jamaican only single. It was later included on the third volume in the Complete Wailers series.
- Tom Jones included the song on his 1970 album "Tom".
- In 1971 in the UK a heavy version of the song was recorded by Jonathan King under the name Sakkarin. It peaked at #12 in the UK singles chart.
- In 1980, co-composer Andy Kim recorded "Sugar, Sugar" as a track on his Baron Longfellow LP.
- A live punk rock version is included on the 1981 LP Live At The Whisky, First Show Ever by The Germs.
- Studio group Stars on 45 included it in their Beatles-heavy, 1981 "Stars on 45 Medley".
- A cover of Sugar, Sugar, performed by Mary Lou Lord with Semisonic, is included on the 1995 tribute album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, produced by Ralph Sall for MCA Records. [5]
- A version is included on Big Youth’s 3-CD-Box-set Natty Universal Dread 1973–1979 released in 2001.
- Blue Orchids covered the song on their "Bud" album, released in 2004.
- Praga Khan covered the song on their Electric Religion album, also released in 2004.
- Pop-rap artist Nitty sampled "Sugar, Sugar" for his 2004 single "Nasty Girl".
- A version by Skott Francis was used as background music for a TV advert for Head & Shoulders shampoo in the UK.
[edit] Trivia
On September 4, 2006, Dante and Wine performed the song together on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. This was the first time they had publicly performed the song together. They performed it again at one of Toni Wine's performances at the Genghis Cohen in West Hollywood.
President George W. Bush has said "Sugar, Sugar" is one of his favorite songs. The song played in Jenna Bush's wedding party in May, 2008.[6]
In the TV Movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back again (VHS reissued title, Return to Riverdale), the now-older Jughead plays the original version of the song to his son; later he uses it to bridge the 'age gap' between them when he finds out his son is shy around girls — the two perform a 'rap' version of the song.
[edit] In pop culture
The song is featured in The Simpsons episodes "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood" and "Sweets and Sour Marge". In the former, Homer has a hallucination about dancing ice cream cones during a heat wave while listening to the song on Rod Flanders' personal stereo, but as the batteries run down, the song gradually slows down and stops and the ice creams melt, ending his dream.
English hard rock band Def Leppard got the idea for their 1987 hit "Pour Some Sugar on Me" from the song.[citation needed]
This song can be heard in the Dreamworks Film Bee Movie while Barry, played by Jerry Seinfeld, is dreaming.The song was used during a TV spot for the Kevin Smith film, Zack and Miri Make A Porno.[citation needed]
The song was adapted for a TV commercial for Equal brand artificial sweetener in the late '80s -- "Sugar (no no no no no no)/Now there's Equal (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)".
| Preceded by "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single September 20, 1969 (four weeks) |
Succeeded by "I Can't Get Next to You" by The Temptations |
| Preceded by "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" by Bobbie Gentry |
UK number one single October 25, 1969-December 13, 1969 |
Succeeded by "Two Little Boys" by Rolf Harris |
| Preceded by "Hey Jude" by The Beatles |
Billboard Hot 100 Number one single of the year 1969 |
Succeeded by "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel |
[edit] References
- ^ "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (70-61)" (in en). Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-70.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
- ^ South African Singles Chart
- ^ Source: Ron Dante. Ron Dante also clarifies this on a DVD called "Archie's Funhouse", a three-disc set that features Ron Dante in a bonus segment.
- ^ Source:David "Davy" Jones in conversation 12/27/2008 Las Vegas, NV
- ^ CD liner notes: Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records
- ^ Thaindian News. "Bush's daughter's wedding". http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/daughters-wedding-was-awfully-special-george-bush_10047800.html.
- The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, fifth edition.
- "Sugar, Sugar" Songfacts.
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