"
Build Me Up Buttercup" is the name of a song written by
Mike d'AboMike d'Abo is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of Manfred Mann.-Biography:...
and
Tony MacaulayTony Macaulay is an author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter, though it was the latter that made him a household name early in his career.-Career:...
, and released by
The FoundationsThe Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" and written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" The...
with
Colin YoungColin Young was born in Barbados in 1944, and in the mid-sixties, he came to England for a holiday with his father and he decided to stay. He was a former bookkeeper who prior to joining The Foundations was lead singer of a group called The Tonicks....
singing the lead vocals in 1968. This was the third major hit for the Foundations. Colin Young replaced
Clem CurtisClem Curtis is a singer and former lead vocalist of sixties British soul group soul group The Foundations.-Early years:...
in 1968 and this was the first Foundations hit that he sang on. It reached number 2 on the UK charts and number 3 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100.
It was re-recorded in or around the late 1980s when original Foundations members Clem Curtis and
Alan WarnerAlan Warner is a musician.As a boy he originally wanted to play trumpet but ended up with a toy accordion...
teamed up to recut this as well as other hits of The Foundations.
"
Build Me Up Buttercup" is the name of a song written by
Mike d'AboMike d'Abo is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of Manfred Mann.-Biography:...
and
Tony MacaulayTony Macaulay is an author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter, though it was the latter that made him a household name early in his career.-Career:...
, and released by
The FoundationsThe Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" and written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" The...
with
Colin YoungColin Young was born in Barbados in 1944, and in the mid-sixties, he came to England for a holiday with his father and he decided to stay. He was a former bookkeeper who prior to joining The Foundations was lead singer of a group called The Tonicks....
singing the lead vocals in 1968. This was the third major hit for the Foundations. Colin Young replaced
Clem CurtisClem Curtis is a singer and former lead vocalist of sixties British soul group soul group The Foundations.-Early years:...
in 1968 and this was the first Foundations hit that he sang on. It reached number 2 on the UK charts and number 3 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100.
It was re-recorded in or around the late 1980s when original Foundations members Clem Curtis and
Alan WarnerAlan Warner is a musician.As a boy he originally wanted to play trumpet but ended up with a toy accordion...
teamed up to recut this as well as other hits of The Foundations.
In 2003 Colin Young recorded an updated version of the song backed by a choir of policemen from the Surrey police force. The proceeds from the sale of the CD go to Milly's Fund. The fund is a trust set up in memory of murdered school girl
Amanda DowlerAmanda Jane "Milly" Dowler was an English schoolgirl who was murdered on the way home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey...
. Apparently the song was a favourite of hers.
The song was used in the 1983 film
Luggage of the Gods!Luggage of the Gods!' is a 1983 American comedy film. In the movie, cavemen living in a mountainous region of Latin America are completely disconnected from the modern world. They speak a simple constructed language, similar to that used in the 1981 movie Caveman. They worship and greatly fear...
, and featured again in movies twice in the 1990s and once in 2007. It was covered by rock band The Goops in 1995 for the soundtrack of
MallratsMallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's "View Askewniverse" series of interlocking films set mostly in New Jersey, although the movie was filmed in the Eden Prairie Center, which is located in Minnesota...
, with the
music videoA music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
featuring
View AskewniverseThe View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media,...
characters
Jay and Silent BobJay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most films, comics and television by Kevin Smith, which began in Clerks....
. Three years later, it was included (as its original version) in the 1998 film
There's Something about MaryThere's Something About Mary is a 1998 romantic comedy film, directed by the Farrelly brothers, Bobby and Peter. Starring Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Ben Stiller, it is a combination of romantic comedy and gross-out film....
. The actors of the film also made a video for the song, with all the main actors miming to the words in character. It was also covered by The Frantic in 2007 as a bonus track on their album Audio & Murder. This version is popularly thought to have been done by both
NOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles.The band was formed by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterward. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out...
and
The DonnasThe Donnas are an American all-female hard rock band from Palo Alto, California. They draw inspiration from The Ramones, AC/DC, and Kiss. Rolling Stone has stated that "the Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not catharsis, fun rather than rage". MTV has...
.
Single releases
- The Foundations - "Build Me Up Buttercup" / "New Direction" PYE 7N 17636 - 1968 (7")
- Dominic - "Build Me Up Buttercup" / "To Be Too Much In Love" CNR(NL)142.010 - 1982
- Shirley Scott - "Build Me Up Buttercup" / "Buttercup Jam" - Music Works BMC 3545 - 1982
- Torch - 1. Build Me Up Buttercup (Club Mix), 2. (Instrumental) / 1. (Radio Edit), 2. (Underground Mix) - Pacific Records SAT-1XX - 1983 (12")
- Colyn Young & The Offbeats - "For Milly's Fund" - "Build Me Up Buttercup" / "Buttercup Too" / "No Man Is An Island" - Ripe Music RIPEMCD1 - 2003 (CD Single)
Cover versions
- Andy Paul, a Cypriot Eurovision artist, covered this song in 1985. The Valentines also performed the song on Australian television with Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was an Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
on backing vocals.
- Other cover versions include: The Four Tops in 1972, David Johansen New York Dolls
The New York Dolls are an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1971. In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, continue on today and have released two records of new material...
as a 1982 live recording, The Partyboys in 2003, and McFlyMcFly are a BRIT Award winning pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band members are: Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd...
and BustedBusted were a BRIT Award winning English pop band consisting of James Bourne, Charlie Simpson, and Matt Willis. They sold over 3 million albums worldwide, winning two BRIT Awards, Record Of The Year and performing on several sellout arena tours....
in 2005.
In 2006, a rap remake was released by
RhymefestChe Smith, known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006...
with
Ol' Dirty BastardRussell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard . He was one of the founding members of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan.Ol' Dirty Bastard simultaneously brought a measure of humor and a touch of the absurd to the Wu-Tang Clan...
on the chorus for Rhymefest's critically acclaimed album,
Blue CollarBlue Collar is the debut album by Grammy Award winning songwriter, Rhymefest. It was released July 11, 2006 on J Records, and includes the single "Brand New," which features Kanye West.-Track listing:-Bonus tracks:...
(2007).
- The Boston College Marching Band
The Boston College Marching Band, also known as the "Screaming Eagles" Marching Band or BCMB, is the marching band for the Boston College Eagles.-The Band:The Boston College Marching Band has over 180 members, under the direction of David Healey...
performs "Buttercup" at Boston College EaglesThe Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East; in addition skiing, fencing, and sailing are also non-ACC...
football games with the student section, the SuperfanSuperfan may be:* "Superfan", name of social media site SuperFan.com* "Superfan", nickname for football enthusiast Giles Pellerin* "Superfan", nickname for NBA basketball enthusiast James Goldstein...
s, singing along. The students of University of WisconsinThe Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
sing this song at every other home football game. The Thames Valley UniversityThames Valley University is a British university based on campuses in Slough and Reading in Berkshire, and Ealing and Brentford in west London...
(Reading campus) rugby team also sing it at every game. Shamrock Rovers F.C.Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a football club from Dublin, Ireland. They play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish footballing history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 15 times and the FAI Cup a record 24 times...
adopted it in the early 70's.
- The Goops covered the song for the Kevin Smith movie Mallrats
Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's "View Askewniverse" series of interlocking films set mostly in New Jersey, although the movie was filmed in the Eden Prairie Center, which is located in Minnesota...
- This song is also in the game Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol.
- In October 2008, Eddie Money
Eddie Money is an American rock singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...
released a cover of the song on his album Wanna Go BackWanna Go Back is Eddie Money's eleventh album, released in 2007. In it, Money sang cover versions of popular songs from the 1960s. His daughter, Jesse Money, performed on three tracks from the album.-Track listing:...
.
- Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz is an American singer-songwriter, born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Mraz's stylistic influences include reggae, pop, rock, folk, jazz, and hip hop....
performed a cover of the song during his concert tour in late 2008, with heavy audience participation. (Various fan videos of these performances are available on YouTubeYouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google...
.)
- Rapper B.o.B
Bobby Ray Simmons , also simply known as Bobby Ray, formerly B.o.B, is an American recording artist and producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records...
recently sampled the chorus for his song "Don't Break My Heart".
- The Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly-built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK...
play the song after an opposing pitcher is relieved after Sweet Caroline"Sweet Caroline" is a pop song written and performed by Neil Diamond and officially released on September 16, 1969, as a single. There are three distinct mixes of this song. The original mono 45 mix had a loud orchestra and glockenspiel compared to the stereo version on the Brother Love's...
. The song can also be played during extra innings to fill up time.
- Clem Curtis has an alternative version, "Buttercup Slow version" that can he heard at his My space sitehttp://www.myspace.com/clemcurtis
- American Singer Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson , better known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American singer-songwriter and musician...
covered the song on her june 2009 Europe Tour
- Mike d'Abo
Mike d'Abo is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of Manfred Mann.-Biography:...
regularly performs a live version with The ManfredsThe Manfreds are a British pop group, formed in 1991 as a reunion of former members of the 1960s pop group Manfred Mann, however without their eponymous founder Manfred Mann himself.-Personnel:*Paul Jones - vocals, harmonica...
- The long island band Stereo Skyline is performing a cover of this song during their Let's Make a Mess Tour
Let's Make a Mess Tour is a tour with headliners Hey Monday. The lineup include The Friday Night Boys, This Providence, Stereo Skyline and The Bigger Lights....
- Julia Nunes also performed a cover version of the song on her ukelele in one of her videos on YouTube.
Further reading