Han’s Worst Hits – has so far not had an entry from the 60’s- it’s time to dab a bit into that decade with “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies. Sugar Sugar went to #1 for four weeks in the United States and eight weeks at #1 in the UK. For the entire year of 1969 it was the #2 most successful chart single in both the US and the UK.
Sugar, Sugar was written by songwriter Jeff Barry who had previously had a part in writing such classics as “Da Do Ron Ron’, “And Then He Kissed Me”, “River-Deep Mountain High”, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, and one of the great rock and roll classics “Be My Baby.” The song was co-written by Andy Kim who would later have a big hit in the 70’s with Rock Me Gently.
The Archies were a fictional band made up of Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper. The song was actually sung by Ron Dante with Toni Wine on duet and background vocals. Don Kirshner was the man behind this. This is pure ‘bubblegum’ music. It might have been catchy but so is the flu. Listening to this song too often was said to give you cavities. Terrible stuff. And for the revisionists who claim the 60’s were so cool- a reminder that it wasn’t as cool as they thought- with this being the second most popular song of 1969.
slicethelife 
I will say this for it. It is one of the most catchiest songs ever…ever. I refuse to click on the youtube link because if I do…I will be humming it, singing it, or thinking it the rest of the day…dam it’s too late.
Hey, now. I love this song. It’s a precursor to all the Donny Osmond stuff. Memories of childhood… Hush, Steve. 😁🤗
This song brings back so many memories. It was the summer my parents got divorced and us kids and my mom moved out of the house and into a new neighborhood. It was a time my sibs and I found a neighborhood full of kids our age and we had great times. This song reminds me of that summer and the crush I had on a boy named Doug who lived the next block down.
That is something about songs and memories- the other day I mentioned to my sister-in law that You Light Up My Life- was terrible but she loved it because she had a memory of the song- it wasn’t like she loved the song itself but the memory associated with the song.
exactly ❤ i think our brains store things through our senses
Deep? No. Amazing lyrics? No. Subtle, complex musical structure? No. But it is a simple, catchy, pop tune and that’s all it set out to be. When I think 60’s music I think first of White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane, and this not at all, but they were never meant to compete. There’s a reason this song was attributed to the fictional cartoon characters.
Comic books were like today’s video games in the late 1960s. Maybe that might explain this somg’s popularity. So many were reading this comic strip then.
Good point they had a combination going- music and comics and comics were big back then.
I loved this song back then, and love it to this day. Guess some of my music taste is in my ass…
A lot of people liked it- it went to #1. you are among the majority I would guess…and again it is miles better than Yummy Yummy Yummy.. or anything Styx ever did!!
I agree it’s nothing more than ear candy and a guilty pleasure, but it’s harmless and so damn catchy, and doesn’t try to be anything more. It’s not repulsive or disappointing like so many of your other “Worst Hits” like “You’re Having My Baby” & “I Just Called to Say I Love You”