The song went on to reach gold status, selling nearly 1 million copies in 1969 alone. 1 in countries around the world such as Belgium, South Africa and the U.K. 1 on the Billboard charts in the U.S., but it is also the only group to reach such heights without ever performing the song live onstage. The Archies is not only the first fictitious band to reach No. 'Sugar, Sugar' would spend 22 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, four of those weeks - Sept. Once radio did start playing it, there was no looking back. 'As if it didn't mean anything, there was no value to it.' 'I had no idea what was going on except a lot of people were putting the song and the record down, as if it was fluff,' Kim says. Kim says at first, stations wouldn't play it. Initially released on May 24, 1969, the song didn't hit it big until July, when it was rereleased on Calendar/Kirshner Records. 'Sugar, Sugar,' which was co-written by Andy Kim and Jeff Barry, who also lent their talents for the background vocals, was the fictional group's most successful song. Some of these songs were released as real-life albums and singles. The group of friends would appear in the show as the band The Archies and perform songs. The Archie Show, which launched in the fall of 1968, followed the misadventures of Riverdale High School's Archie Andrews and his friends: Reggie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead. 'Betty had a lower voice Veronica had a higher voice.' 'Ronnie was Archie and I was Betty and Veronica,' she says. Singer-songwriter Toni Wine, pictured here in 1972, sang the roles of Betty and Veronica on 'Sugar, Sugar.' 'It was very catchy, it had a great hook, it was very singable and we laughed - we had a good time doing it,' Toni Wine, one of the real singer-songwriters behind The Archies' hit, says.Īs Wine explains, she and singer Ron Dante were doing commercials and background voice work in New York when legendary music producer Don Kirshner, who also produced for The Monkees, brought them onto the project. 1 on Billboard's Year-End Countdown in 1969. 'Sugar, Sugar' by The Archies - yes, from the comics - was named No. It was also a great year for music - but who knew that the year that produced songs like 'Fortunate Son,' 'Age Of Aquarius' and 'Everyday People' would crown a bubblegum pop tune by a fictional cartoon band as its top song of the year? The Stonewall Riots invigorated the gay-rights movement, Woodstock brought nearly 1 million people together to celebrate peace, love and music, and Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. By and large, 1969 was a transformative year in the U.S.

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