In 1972, a rearranged version of the instrumental was recorded by Kingsley's First Moog Quartet. This was intended for the namesake album (First Moog Quartet) which had been otherwise a re-release of the 1970 First Moog Quartet album with the same name. The 1972 version of the instrumental had the current title "Popcorn".[10] In the same year, Stan Free, a fellow member of the First Moog Quartet, re-recorded another instrumental, based on the 1972 version, with his own band Hot Butter.[11] This was released as a single and became a hit in mainland Europe, spending several weeks at No. 1 in several countries on the continent, including France (4 weeks at the top) and Switzerland (10 weeks), ultimately becoming the biggest-selling single of 1972 in both countries. "Popcorn" was also a No. 1 hit in Germany (3 weeks), the Netherlands (7 weeks) and Norway (9 weeks).
Record World said that the "catchy tune played out in intricate synthesizer counterpoint expands on a musical idea first brought out in the popular percolater commercials on TV."[12]
In 2005, Crazy Frog released a cover of "Popcorn", the remix of which was arranged by Jamba!, and also marketed as a ringtone. The song differs from Crazy Frog's debut release "Axel F" in that it does not contain the trademark "Crazy Frog sound" by Daniel Malmedahl.
The single was a hit in various countries, particularly in France, where it enjoyed its greatest success. Replacing Crazy Frog's own song "Axel F" at No. 1 on 24 September 2005, the track remained at the top spot for seven weeks, with its best weekly sales of 71,777 copies in its second week.[40] Certified diamond status just three months after its release by the SNEP, as of August 2014, this version of "Popcorn" is the 40th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 458,000 copies sold.[41] The track also topped the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and Spain.[42]
The music video, CGI-animated, was produced by Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist of TurboForce3D and features Crazy Frog causing chaos at the undersea labs of the drones. A significantly shortened version of this video was also used for the Frog's version of "U Can't Touch This".
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Legacy and influenceedit
French electronic composer and musician Jean-Michel Jarre recorded a 1972 version under the pseudonyms Pop Corn Orchestra and Jammie Jefferson. Later he was inspired by this song to compose his 1976 biggest hit Oxygène (Part IV).[79][80] In early 2019, when Kingsley died, the experimental composer Blanck Mass chose "Popcorn" as one of the 10 most influential compositions of his career.[81]
Other versionsedit
The 1972 cover by the Popcorn Makers reached No. 7 on the German charts and No. 1 on the Dutch Charts.[82][83] The version with vocals by French band Anarchic System was released in 1972 and reached at No. 13 on the German charts, No. 10 on the Dutch charts and No. 1 on the Ultratop 50.[84][85][86]
In 1987, the French M & H Band (sole member Mark Haliday), released a version of "Popcorn" which peaked at No. 8 on the Norwegian charts and at No. 20 on the Swedish charts.[87][88] This single's release was accompanied by the first purpose-produced music video.[89] Canadian group the Boomtang Boys covered "Popcorn" in 1999, their version peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, where it stayed for 9 weeks.[90][91] It also reached No. 10 on RPM's Canadian dance chart.[92] Richárd Moldován known as Richi M released in the 2000 year a cover version which reached at No. 9 on the Swedish charts.[93]
In popular cultureedit
In a comical reference, a version of the song was included in the 2010 skit by The Muppets called "Pöpcørn: Recipes with The Swedish Chef."[94] In 2022, Swedish singer Tove Lo sampled the Hot Butter version in her single "2 Die 4".[95]
^Kelman, John (26 June 2011). "Jokleba: Jokleba! / Nu Jok?". All About Jazz. Retrieved 26 April 2014. Jørgensen skews a familiar bit of Gershon Kingsley's 1969 synthpop hit, "Popcorn"
^McQuillen, James (7 May 2011). "'Sordid Lives' opera review: an irreverent (and fun) arrow straight into the heart of good taste". The Oregonian. Retrieved 26 April 2014. Hot Butter's cover of the synthpop hit "Popcorn"
^"Gershon Kingsley - Popcorn | The Story Behind The Song".
^Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2002). Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Harvard University Press. p. 200. ISBN 0-674-00889-8.
^"Советская электронная музыка | Музыка". Мир фантастики и фэнтези (in Russian). 18 February 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^Whitburn, Joel (1991). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990. Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-089-X. [page needed]
^Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "Intermission (Time for Popcorn)". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 18. ISBN 0-306-80741-6.
^Alexed, Johan (15 June 2021). "Hot Butter – Popcorn". Popmuzik (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 March 2022.
^Pareles, Jon (15 December 2019). "Gershon Kingsley, Master of Electronic Sounds, Dies at 97". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
^"Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 20 May 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
^"Go-Set National Top 40". Go-Set. 11 November 1972. Retrieved 19 July 2013 – via Pop Archives.
^"Australia No. 1 hits -- 1970's". World Charts. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
^"Hot Butter – Popcorn" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
^ ab"Hot Butter – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
^"CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 14, 1972". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012.
^"The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 21 October 1972. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
^"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1970s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
^"TOP – 1972". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 26 April 2014.
^"Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1972" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
^"Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1972" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
^"Top 100 Hits for 1972". The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
^"The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1972". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 14 August 2012.
^ ab"The Rundown on Barclay Records" (PDF). Record World. 24 February 1973. p. 44. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
^Ahmad, Azeem (25 July 2005). "Crazy Frog – Presents Crazy Hits". musicOMH. Retrieved 26 April 2014. Up next is Popcorn, which for the best part of a minute is just a bad serving of trashy euro-dance.
^Likeadream (8 January 2006). "Chiffres de ventes hebdomadaires Singles – Edition 2006". Charts in France (in French). Pure Charts. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
^"Top 100 des singles les plus vendus du millénaire en France, épisode 7 (40-31)". Charts in France (in French). Pure Charts. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
^Gopinath, Sumanth (2013). "The Annoying Thing: Crazy Frog and the Strange Career of a Sample". The Ringtone Dialectic: Economy and Cultural Form. MIT Press. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-0-262-01915-6.
^"ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2005". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on 8 May 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
^"ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Dance Singles 2005". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
^"Jaaroverzichten 2005" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
^"Rapports annuels 2005" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
^"Year End European Hot 100 Singles Chart 2005 01 – 2005 52" (PDF). Billboard. VNU Media. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
^"Classement Singles – année 2005". Snepmusique.com (in French). Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
^"TV Clubs 2005". Yacast.fr (in French). Click on TV Clubs 2005. Archived from the original on 15 January 2007.
^"New Zealand single certifications – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
^"Jean-Michel Jarre". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^"To «Pop corn» (1969), είναι το πιο αναγνωρισμένο και το πιο αγέραστο electro-pop κομμάτι στην ιστορία της μουσικής". Lifo (in Greek). 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^"Synth pioneer and maker of 'Popcorn', Gershon Kingsley, dies age 97". DJMag.com. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^"Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^Hung, Steffen. "The Pop-Corn Makers - Pop Corn". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^"Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^Hung, Steffen. "Anarchic System - Pop Corn". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^"Anarchic System - Pop Corn". ultratop.be. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^"Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^"swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
^M&H Band - Popcorn (original full video), retrieved 18 August 2022
^"Hot Dance Music > Club Play". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 11. 13 March 1999. p. 39. ISSN 0006-2510.
^"The Boomtang Boys: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2021.