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".[12] 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.[13] 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).
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.[42] 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.[43] The track also topped the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and Spain.[44]
The animated music video 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 influence
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)".[80][81] In early 2019, when Kingsley died, the experimental composer Blanck Mass chose "Popcorn" as one of the 10 most influential compositions of his career.[82]
Other versions
The 1972 cover by the Popcorn Makers reached No. 7 on the German charts and No. 1 on the Dutch Charts.[83][84] 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.[85][86][87]
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.[88][89] This single's release was accompanied by the first purpose-produced music video.[90] 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.[91][92] It also reached No. 10 on RPM's Canadian dance chart.[93] Richárd Moldován known as Richi M released in the 2000 year a cover version which reached at No. 9 on the Swedish charts.[94]
↑ 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"
↑ Pinch, Trevor; Trocco, Frank (2002). Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Harvard University Press. p.200. ISBN0-674-00889-8.
↑ 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.
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