"Popcorn" is an early synth-popinstrumental, 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. The title may refer to the short staccato or sharp "popping" sound used, or to pop music and its being "corny", i.e., kitschy. The title is generally written as one word, although some single sleeves present it as two words, "Pop Corn". In 1972, a re-recording of "Popcorn" by the bandHot 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 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
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 BillboardHot 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 and Switzerland, ultimately becoming the biggest-selling single of 1972 in both countries.. "Popcorn" was also a No. 1 hit in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
"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. 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. 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.
Also particularly interesting is the cover version of the Italian pop group La Strana Società from 1972, whose ensemble included Umberto Tozzi, who was still unknown at the time, but which would later achieve world fame with hits such as "Gloria", "Tu" and "Ti Amo".
