Popcorn (instrumental)

"Popcorn" (originally spelled "Pop Corn") is an early synth-pop instrumental, composed by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 and first appearing on his album Music to Moog By. It was recorded at the Audio Fidelity Records label in New York City.

For other topics, see Popcorn (disambiguation). For the James Brown instrumental, see The Popcorn.

"Popcorn"
Single by Gershon Kingsley
from the album Music to Moog By
Released	1969
Genre	Synth-pop[1][2]
Length	2:24
Label	Audio Fidelity New York City
Songwriter(s)	Gershon Kingsley
Producer(s)	Herman D. Gimbel
Gershon Kingsley singles chronology
"Sheila" (1969) "Popcorn" (1969) "Twinkle, Twinkle" (1969)

The title may refer to the short staccato or sharp "popping" sound used, or to pop music and its being "corny", i.e., kitschy.[3] The title is generally written as one word, although some single sleeves (such as the one illustrated) present it as two words, "Pop Corn".

In 1972, a re-recording of "Popcorn" by the band Hot Butter was a huge hit in many countries. The track has since been covered by a great number of artists.

Original version

Composer Gershon Kingsley (of Perrey and Kingsley) first recorded "Popcorn" for his 1969 album Music to Moog By. In 1971 the track was rerecorded by Kingsley's band First Moog Quartet; later he released a version under the name of The Popcorn Makers and this was the version that hit most successfully on the charts.

There were two 7" covers, both released in 1972 under Musicor Records and Stateside Records labels.

Hot Butter version

"Popcorn"
Single by Hot Butter
from the album Hot Butter
B-side	"At the Movies"
Released	1972
Genre	Synth-pop[4]
Length	2:30
Label	Interfusion (AUS) Musicor (US and Canada)
Songwriter(s)	Gershon Kingsley[5]
Producer(s)	Bill Jerome Steve Jerome
Hot Butter singles chronology
"Popcorn" (1972) "Skokiaan" (1973)
Audio sample
"Popcorn" file help

In 1972, Stan Free, a fellow member of the First Moog Quartet, rerecorded "Popcorn" with his band Hot Butter, from the album Hot Butter.

This version of "Popcorn" became the second primarily electronic-based piece of music to reach the American popular music charts, three years after "The Minotaur" by Dick Hyman & His Electric Eclectics. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Easy Listening chart, and had even greater success in Australia, topping the charts for 8 weeks. It proved equally as popular in mainland Europe, spending several weeks at No. 1 in numerous European countries, including France (4 weeks at the top) and Switzerland (10 weeks), ultimately becoming the biggest-selling single of 1972 in both countries. (In the former, this version of "Popcorn" is the 131st best-selling single of all time, with sales of approximately 900,000 copies).[6] "Popcorn" was also a No. 1 hit in Germany (3 weeks), the Netherlands (7 weeks) and Norway (9 weeks).

Track listings

7" single

1. "Popcorn" – 2:30
2. "At the Movies" – 2:31

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1972–1973) Peak position Australia (Go-Set National Top 40)[7] 1 Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 10 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[10] 2 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 15 France (IFOP)[12] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 12 New Zealand (Listener)[17] 3 Norway (VG-lista)[18] 1 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[19] 13 Spain (AFYVE)[20] 13 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 1 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 5 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 9 US Billboard Easy Listening[23] 4 US Cash Box[24] 11 US Record World[25] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1972) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[26] 3 France (IFOP)[27] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[28] 5 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[30] 28 US Cash Box[31] 70

Crazy Frog version

"Popcorn"
Single by Crazy Frog
from the album Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits
B-side	"Who Let the Frog Out?"
Released	22 August 2005
Genre	Eurodance[32]
Length	3:12 (album version) 2:46 (radio edit)
Label	Ministry of Sound
Songwriter(s)	Gershon Kingsley
Producer(s)	Erik Wernquist
Crazy Frog singles chronology
"Axel F" (2005) "Popcorn" (2005) "Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This" (2005)

"Popcorn" was covered by Crazy Frog in 2005, and this remixed version was released on 22 August that year. Jamba! once again arranged the remix, and also marketed it as a ringtone. The song differs from the debut release "Axel F", as 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 7 weeks (with its best weekly sales of 71,777 copies in its second week).[33] Being 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.[34] The track also topped the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and Spain.

The music video was animated using computer-generated imagery, the music video was produced by Kaktus Film and Erik Wernquist of TurboForce3D, where Crazy Frog is seen causing chaos at the underwater sea labs of the drones.

Track listings

UK

1. "Popcorn" (radio mix)
2. "Popcorn" (radio mix instrumental)
3. "Popcorn" (potatoheadz mix)
4. "Popcorn" (radikal mix)
5. "Popcorn" (resource mix)
6. "Popcorn" (video)

Australia

1. "Popcorn" (radio mix)
2. "Popcorn" (potatoheadz mix)
3. "Popcorn" (resource mix)
4. "Who Let the Frog Out?"

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[35]	Gold	35,000^^
France (SNEP)[36]	Diamond	471,816[37]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2005–2006) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[38] 11 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[39] 19 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[40] 11 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[41] 1 Denmark (Tracklisten)[42] 9 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[43] 4 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[44] 12 France (SNEP)[45] 1 French Digital Singles Chart[46] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[47] 35 Greece (IFPI)[48] 12 Hungary (Dance Top 40)[49] 37 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 14 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[50] 39 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[51] 1 Norway (VG-lista)[52] 12 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[53] 16 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[54] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[55] 9 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[56] 6 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[57] 12 UK Indie (Official Charts Company)[58] 5

Year-end charts Chart (2005) Position Australia (ARIA)[59] 79 Australia (Dance Singles)[60] 8 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[61] 86 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[62] 23 France (SNEP)[63] 6 French Club Chart[64] 49 French Digital Singles Chart[37] 16 New Zealand (RIANZ)[65] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[66] 51 Chart (2006) Position Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[67] 85

See also

• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s
• List of number-one singles of 1972 (France)
• List of number-one hits of 1972 (Germany)
• List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1972
• List of number-one singles from 1968 to 1979 (Switzerland)
• List of Ultratop 40 number-one singles of 2005
• List of number-one singles of 2005 (France)
• List of number-one singles in 2005 (New Zealand)
• List of number-one singles of 2005 (Spain)

References

1. 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"
2. 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"
3. Documentary, interview with Kingsley.
4. "Hot Butter: "Popcorn"". Keyboard. Vol. 21. 1995. p. 30. ISSN 0730-0158.
5. "ACE Repertory: Gershon Kingsley". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
6. "Les Meilleures Ventes Tout Temps de 45 T. / Singles". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
7. "Go-Set Australian charts – 11 November 1972". Go-Set. Poparchives.com.au. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
8. "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1970's". World Charts. Archived from the original on 24 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
9. "Austriancharts.at – Hot Butter – Popcorn" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
10. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 4182." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
11. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8257." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
12. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hot Butter – Popcorn". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 July 2013. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Hot Butter"
14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Popcorn". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Hot Butter - Popcorn" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Hot Butter – Popcorn" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
17. "Search listener". Flavour of New Zealand. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
18. "Norwegiancharts.com – Hot Butter – Popcorn". VG-lista. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
19. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (H)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
20. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Hot Butter – Popcorn". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
23. "Hot Butter – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
24. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending OCTOBER 14, 1972". Archived from the original on 8 September 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
25. "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 21 October 1972. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
26. "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.
27. "TOP – 1972" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
28. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1972" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
29. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1972" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
30. "Top 100 Hits for 1972". The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
31. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1972". Archived from the original on 14 August 2012.. Cash Box magazine.
32. 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.
33. Likeadream. "Chiffres de ventes hebdomadaires Singles – Edition 2006" (in French). Charts in France. Pure Charts. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
34. "Top 100 des singles les plus vendus du millénaire en France, épisode 7 (40-31)" (in French). Charts In France. Pure Charts. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
35. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
36. "French single certifications – Crazy Frog – Popcorn" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
37. • "Les 100 Singles les plus vendus en France en 2005" (in French). IFOP. Fanofmusic.free.fr. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
    • "Les 20 Singles les téléchargés en France en 2005" (in French). IFOP. Fanofmusic.free.fr. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
38. "Australian-charts.com – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
39. "Austriancharts.at – Crazy Frog – Popcorn" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
40. "Ultratop.be – Crazy Frog – Popcorn" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
41. "Ultratop.be – Crazy Frog – Popcorn" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
42. "Danishcharts.com – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". Tracklisten. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
43. "Hits of the World > Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 117 no. 44. 29 October 2005. p. 85. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
44. "Crazy Frog: Popcorn" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
45. "Lescharts.com – Crazy Frog – Popcorn" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
46. French digital download - Ifop.com (Retrieved 16 December 2007)
47. "Offiziellecharts.de – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
48. "Top 50 Singles: Εβδομάδα 30/10–6/11" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on 6 November 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
49. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
50. "Dutchcharts.nl – Crazy Frog – Popcorn" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
51. "Charts.nz – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
52. "Norwegiancharts.com – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". VG-lista. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
53. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
54. "Spanishcharts.com – Crazy Frog – Popcorn" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
55. "Swedishcharts.com – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
56. "Swisscharts.com – Crazy Frog – Popcorn". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
57. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
58. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
59. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2005". ARIA Charts. ARIA. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
60. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Dance Singles 2005". ARIA Charts. ARIA. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
61. "Jaaroverzichten 2005" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
62. "Rapports annuels 2005" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
63. "Classement Singles – année 2005". Snepmusique.com (in French). Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
64. 2005 French Airplay, TV and Club Charts - Yacast.fr (in French) (Retrieved 19 January 2007)
65. "End of Year Charts 2005". RIANZ. NZ Top 40. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
66. "Årslista Singlar – År 2005". Hitlistan.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 29 February 2012.
67. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2006". Hitparade.ch. (in German). Retrieved 7 March 2020.

External links

• Popcorn Song - An informative page on the several versions of Popcorn with dates and artists
• 79 Versions of Popcorn - As advertised, this page contains links to 79 versions of the song. This page contains all of those versions remixed into one 12-minute piece.
• Kingsley performs "Popcorn" on an acoustic piano
• Lyrics of Crazy Frog version at MetroLyrics