Sugar, Sugar
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"Sugar, Sugar" was a 1969 number-one hit single, originally released on the album Everything's Archie, supposedly by fictional characters The Archies, actually the product of a group of studio musicians managed by Don Kirshner, after The Monkees rejected it. Produced by Jeff Barry and written by Barry and Andy Kim, "Sugar, Sugar" is considered a canonical example of the bubblegum pop musical genre.
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.
"Sugar, Sugar" was the number one single of 1969, according to Billboard, a feat yet to be duplicated by any other fictional band. 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 following year, in 1970, singer Wilson Pickett hit the U.S. Top Forty with his own version of the song. Later, it was covered by Tom Jones, Ike & Tina Turner and Bob Marley & the Wailers. Studio group Stars on 45 included it in their 1981 "Stars on 45 Medley". Blue Orchids covered the song on their "Mystic Bud" album, released in 2004. Praga Khan covered the song on their Electric Religion album, also released in 2004.
In 1980, co-composer Andy Kim recorded "Sugar, Sugar" under the name Baron Longfellow, as a track on his self-titled LP. On February 5, 2006, "Sugar, Sugar" was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, as Andy Kim is originally from Montreal, Quebec.
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.
| Preceded by "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single September 20, 1969 |
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 21, 1969 |
Succeeded by "Two Little Boys" by Rolf Harris |
[edit] References
- The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, fifth edition.
