Sugar Baby Love
Encyclopedia
"Sugar Baby Love", recorded in autumn 1973 and released in January 1974, is a bubblegum pop
song, and the debut single of the Rubettes. Written by Wayne Bickerton
and Tony Waddington and produced by Wayne Bickerton, engineered by John Mackswith
at Lansdowne Recording Studios, "Sugar Baby Love" was the band's one and only number one single in the UK, spending four weeks at the top of the chart in May 1974.
in the early 1960s. Their biggest success had been writing "Nothing But A Heartache
", a US hit for The Flirtations in 1968. In the early 1970s, they came up with the idea for a rock 'n' roll musical
. They co-wrote and produced a demonstration recording
of "Sugar Baby Love", originally intending to submit it for the Eurovision Song Contest
but instead offering it to Showaddywaddy
, who turned it down. It has also been suggested that the song was originally offered to former Move
singer Carl Wayne
, but he also turned it down. They then offered it to the demo musicians, provided that they would become an actual group. The musicians agreed, became The Rubettes
, and "Sugar Baby Love" became a UK #1 hit in 1974, also reaching #37 in the US charts. It also reached #1 in Germany
, Switzerland
, the Netherlands, Austria
, Belgium
and Australia, and #2 in South Africa.
Bickerton said:
campaign for safe sex
. The 3 minute video, directed by Wilfrid Brimo, was awarded a Silver Lion
prize at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
in June 2006.
The song was covered in Japanese by Wink in 1988 and Yoko Ishida
in 2001, the latter for the anime series A Little Snow Fairy Sugar; an English version by Ishida also appeared as a bonus track on the U.S. version of her CD "Sweets
".
The song was covered by Bulgarian vocal quartet Tonica in 1974. The cover, titled "Svetlina(Light)", was the B-side to Tonica's first single.
The song was used in the beginning of the 1994 Australian movie Muriel's Wedding
. It has also been used as an opening title for the Greek humour / satire show Radio Arvyla
.
The song was also used in the beginning of the 2005 Irish film Breakfast on Pluto
.
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
song, and the debut single of the Rubettes. Written by Wayne Bickerton
Wayne Bickerton
Wayne Bickerton is an English songwriter, record producer, and music business executive. He became well known, with Tony Waddington, as writer and producer of a series of UK chart hits in the 1970s for The Rubettes, and is now a leading figure in SESAC, the Society of European Stage Authors &...
and Tony Waddington and produced by Wayne Bickerton, engineered by John Mackswith
John Mackswith
John Anthony Mackswith is a British Sound engineer.Since the late 1960s, he has engineered the recordings of an array of notable performers at Landsdowne Studios & Utopia Studios in London and at various studios in Israel, New York, Canada and the Netherlands....
at Lansdowne Recording Studios, "Sugar Baby Love" was the band's one and only number one single in the UK, spending four weeks at the top of the chart in May 1974.
Recording details
Bickerton and Waddington had been writing songs together since they were both members of the Pete Best Four in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in the early 1960s. Their biggest success had been writing "Nothing But A Heartache
Nothing But A Heartache
"Nothing but a Heartache" is a song originally released on the Deram Records label in 1968 by The Flirtations. Written by Wayne Bickerton and Tony Waddington - the team who'd be responsible for The Rubettes successs in the 1970s - "Nothing But a Heartache" just missed the UK Top 50 with a #51...
", a US hit for The Flirtations in 1968. In the early 1970s, they came up with the idea for a rock 'n' roll musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
. They co-wrote and produced a demonstration recording
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of "Sugar Baby Love", originally intending to submit it for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
but instead offering it to Showaddywaddy
Showaddywaddy
Showaddywaddy are a 1970s pop group from Leicester, England. They specialised in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s and early 1960s, and dressed as Teddy Boys.-History:...
, who turned it down. It has also been suggested that the song was originally offered to former Move
The Move
The Move, from Birmingham, England, were one of the leading British rock bands of the 1960s. They scored nine Top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any success in the United States....
singer Carl Wayne
Carl Wayne
Carl Wayne was a British singer and actor. He is best remembered as the lead vocalist of Birmingham rock group The Move during the 1960s.-Early days:...
, but he also turned it down. They then offered it to the demo musicians, provided that they would become an actual group. The musicians agreed, became The Rubettes
The Rubettes
The Rubettes were an English pop band assembled in 1973 by the songwriting team of Wayne Bickerton, then the head of A&R at Polydor Records, and his co-songwriter, Tony Waddington, after their doo-wop and 1950s American pop-influenced songs had been rejected by a number of existing acts...
, and "Sugar Baby Love" became a UK #1 hit in 1974, also reaching #37 in the US charts. It also reached #1 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Netherlands, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Australia, and #2 in South Africa.
Bickerton said:
"We had Paul DaVinci singing in that incredibly high falsetto voice and then a vocal group sings 'Bop-shu-waddy' over and over for about 3 minutes. Gerry Shury, who did the string arrangements, said, 'This is not going to work: you can't have a vocal group singing 'Bop-shu-waddy' non stop.' A lot of people said the same thing to us and the more determined I became to release it. The record was dormant for 6 or 7 weeks and then we got a break on Top Of The PopsTop of the PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
and it took off like a rocket and sold 6 million copies worldwide. Gerry said to me, 'I'm keeping my mouth shut and will concentrate on conducting the strings.'"
Later uses
In 2006, the song was used in the French-based AIDESAIDES
AIDES is a French community-based non-profit organisation that was founded in 1984 by Daniel Defert following the death of his lifelong companion Michel Foucault...
campaign for safe sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...
. The 3 minute video, directed by Wilfrid Brimo, was awarded a Silver Lion
Silver Lion
The Leone d’Argento refers to a number of awards presented at the Venice Film Festival. The Silver Lion is awarded irregularly and have gone through several changes of purpose. Until 1995, Silver Lions were infrequently awarded to a number of films as second prize for those nominated for the...
prize at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...
in June 2006.
The song was covered in Japanese by Wink in 1988 and Yoko Ishida
Yoko Ishida
is a Japanese singer, employed by Hyper Voice. She is known for having performed theme songs for anime shows such as Prétear, Ai Yori Aoshi and the Ah! My Goddess TV series, as well as for having sung for the Para Para Max CD series....
in 2001, the latter for the anime series A Little Snow Fairy Sugar; an English version by Ishida also appeared as a bonus track on the U.S. version of her CD "Sweets
SweetS
was a Japanese idol group. Put together through auditions, the group debuted in 2003 on the avex trax label. Although the group met minor success, they disbanded after three years with the release of a final single in June 2006....
".
The song was covered by Bulgarian vocal quartet Tonica in 1974. The cover, titled "Svetlina(Light)", was the B-side to Tonica's first single.
The song was used in the beginning of the 1994 Australian movie Muriel's Wedding
Muriel's Wedding
Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian-French romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by P. J. Hogan. The film, which stars actresses Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambition is to have a glamorous wedding and improve...
. It has also been used as an opening title for the Greek humour / satire show Radio Arvyla
Radio Arvyla
Radio Arvyla is a Greek live parody show hosted by ANT1 in Thessaloniki. It first aired on April 2008. It is hosted by Antonis Kanakis, Giannis Servetas, Stathis Panagiotopoulos and Christos Kiousis. It mainly shows parodies as well as jokes and videos which are sent by the viewers and shortly...
.
The song was also used in the beginning of the 2005 Irish film Breakfast on Pluto
Breakfast on Pluto (film)
Breakfast on Pluto is a 2005 comedy-drama film directed by Neil Jordan and based on the novel of the same name by Patrick McCabe, as adapted by Jordan and McCabe...
.