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".[10] 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.[11] 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).
Record World said that the "catchy tune played out in intricate synthesizer counterpoint expands on a musical idea first brought out in the popular percolater commercials on TV."[12]
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.[40] 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.[41] The track also topped the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and Spain.[42]
The music video,
CGI-animated, 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).[79][80] In early 2019, when Kingsley died, the experimental composer
Blanck Mass chose "Popcorn" as one of the 10 most influential compositions of his career.[81]
Other versions
The 1972 cover by the Popcorn Makers reached No. 7 on the
German charts and No. 1 on the
Dutch Charts.[82][83] 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.[84][85][86]
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.[87][88] This single's release was accompanied by the first purpose-produced
music video.[89] 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.[90][91] It also reached No. 10 on
RPM's
Canadian dance chart.[92] Richárd Moldován known as Richi M released in the 2000 year a cover version which reached at No. 9 on the
Swedish charts.[93]
In popular culture
In a comical reference, a version of the song was included in the 2010 skit by
The Muppets called "Pöpcørn: Recipes with
The Swedish Chef."[94] In 2022, Swedish singer
Tove Lo sampled the
Hot Butter version in her single "2 Die 4".[95]
^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.