wilson pickett, “sugar sugar”
from: Single, 1970
Cover versions of popular music are a big part of the genre. Type in, “Top Ten Cover Versions”, and you may be staggering out of the rabbit hole an hour later.
“Sugar, Sugar” was written by Andy Kim and Jeff Barry. The first recording was released in 1969 by The Archies, a virtual band of actual studio musicians managed by Don Kirshner. Seeing the success of the Monkees, Kirshner endeavored to fabricate an act with minimum commitment from the performers and a significant interest in the product. (The Monkees turned down an offer to record “Sugar, Sugar”.)
The ubiquity of Archies Comics and “The Archie Show”, a popular cartoon of the time, provided more than enough branding for “Sugar, Sugar” on Kirshner’s Calendar label. (Such branding is a good example of what is known in economics as, “externalities”. Look it up.) The Archies rendition featured Toni Wine and Ron Dante on vocals. Per wiki, “it is the most popular bubblegum pop single of all time”.
Enter Wilson Pickett. He removed the comma and his “Sugar Sugar” reached # 4 on Billboard’s R&B chart in May 1970. Pickett’s rendition was recorded on Atlantic records, with production credits going to Dave Crawford, Jerry Wexler, Rich Hall and Tom Dowd. The soulful cover version has the added fun of Pickett, likely winking at his listeners, in full embrace of a bubblegum classic.
I get a kick out of imagining how it all went down. Wexler calls Kirshner regarding the rights. Kirshner wisecracks, “who do you have in mind, Jerry, Aretha?”. Wexler responds, “no, Wilson Pickett”. Kirshner swallows his spoon. “Please, Jerry, I don’t think America’s ready for this.”
Let’s all listen to a softer side of “Wicked” Wilson Pickett. Sugar, Sugar is written in the key of D major.
-Steve Hart-
The Archies 1970 tv show characters
“Pop music is aspirin and the blues are vitamins.
”
Peter Tork of the Monkees
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