Last night, I finished a very long and exhaustive project picking my top 40 all-time favorite and essential singles. "Sugar Sugar" was a shoo-in.

From "Jingle Jangle":

"So darlin' don't be weepin'
And please don't you be sleepin'
When I come creepin' down the hall"

... and those stalker lyrics were sung by 'Veronica'!

Also from Ohio Express:

"Yummy, ymmmy, yummy, I got love in my tummy."

and from "Chewy Chewy":

"Do it to me, Chewy, chew me out of my mind."

Yeah, the sexual revolution was ON, baby!

BP, that is one of the greatest books on popular music out there and it explodes a lot of silly myths about music and creativity and what makes a good record. And the Archies are cool, but dig Crazy Elephant, and the Lemon Pipers. And there's a good case to be made that glam rock is nothing but bubblegum with distorted guitars and androgyny. And of course glam led to punk, but the bubblegum punk connection is more obvious than that. (since they're simple and direct, bubble gum songs work great as punk, like this number, often covered by the Replacements live.

Many of 1910 Fruitgum Co's songs had simple distorted guitar parts with a driving straight-8th bass line. I will upload some as soon as I get a better connection.

I'm really enjoying the book a lot. And Crazy Elephant have always gotten props from me for namechecking my hometown at the beginning of their song. :)

I agree--it's a great book.

Sounds like a good read.

The greatest bubblegum punk song ever. At least, the one I'm most obsessed with this week.

"Teenage Kicks" damn near made my Top 40 list.

I saw Andy Kim perform "Sugar, Sugar" at a bizarre industry party a couple of years ago. I didn't know much about him before that night but damn, the guy knows how to write a pop song.

The same night, Burton Cummings did a set while totally gee-gongered. I mean, totally rambling on tangents, practically faceplanting on the keyboard wasted. (Earlier that night he had received some kind of lifetime-achievement award at the Canadian songwriters' hall of fame so I guess he was going balls-out.) It was (darkly) hilarious and occasionally troubling.