# Sugar, Sugar
**"Sugar, Sugar"** is a 1969 bubblegum pop song written by [Jeff Barry](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-barry) and Andy Kim and recorded by [The Archies](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-archies), the fictional cartoon band from [Archie Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/archie-comics), whose records were made in the studio by session singers and musicians.[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) It was the best-selling single of 1969 in the United States, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, and it also reached number one in the United Kingdom.[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) • [2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Writers | Jeff Barry and Andy Kim; produced by Barry[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) |
| Release | May 24, 1969; rereleased in July on Calendar/Kirshner Records[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) |
| US chart | Entered the Hot 100 July 26, 1969; number one from September 20 for four weeks; 22 weeks on the chart[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) |
| UK chart | Peak position 1 (eight weeks at number one); 26 weeks on the chart from October 11, 1969[3](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/archies-sugar-sugar/) |
| Year-end status | Billboard's number one single of 1969; the Billboard book of number-one hits records over three million copies sold[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) |
| Real voices | Ron Dante (lead), Toni Wine (Betty and Veronica), Andy Kim and Jeff Barry (background vocals)[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) |
| Notable cover | Wilson Pickett recorded the song on November 19, 1969[4](https://musicbrainz.org/work/3818fa67-c508-3499-9d18-0fd9a2b443ce) |
## Background and recording
The Archies were created for *The Archie Show*, the [Saturday-morning cartoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/saturday-morning-cartoon) launched in the fall of 1968, in which the comic-book characters [Archie Andrews](https://www.edgepedia.org/archie-andrews), Reggie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead performed as a band; some of the show's songs were released as real singles and albums.[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) Music supervisor Don Kirshner, who had also produced for the Monkees, asked Jeff Barry, the producer of the Monkees' "[I'm a Believer](https://www.edgepedia.org/im-a-believer)", to write and produce the Archies' records.[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) The group's first single, "Bang-Shang-a-Lang" (September 1968), reached number 22 on the Hot 100; the follow-up, "Feelin' So Good (Skooby-Doo)", did not crack the top 50.[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf)
"Sugar, Sugar" was the third single, written by Barry with Andy Kim, a Canadian artist who had been recording for Barry's Steed label.[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) Ron Dante sang lead, and Toni Wine, whom Dante describes as singing both Betty (a lower voice) and Veronica (a higher voice), joined him; Barry and Kim contributed background vocals.[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) The backing tracks were recorded by session musicians, with saxophonist Artie Kaplan contracting the players and playing baritone sax under the keyboard riff.[5](https://musicbase.net/the-archies) Wine recalled the session as lighthearted: "It was very catchy, it had a great hook, it was very singable and we laughed, we had a good time doing it."[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true)
## Chart run
The single first appeared on May 24, 1969, but radio stations initially would not play it; Kim later described the record being dismissed "as if it was fluff".[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) After a rerelease in July on Calendar/Kirshner Records, it entered the Hot 100 on July 26, 1969, and reached number one eight weeks later.[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) It held the top spot from September 20 to October 11 and spent 22 weeks on the chart, more weeks in 1969 than any other song, and [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) named it the year's number one single.[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) • [6](https://davesmusicdatabase.blogspot.com/2019/09/50-years-ago-archies-top-chart-with.html) The Recording Industry Association of America certified it as a million-selling single by August 30, 1969, and the Billboard book of number-one hits records total sales of over three million copies.[7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Radio-Programming/The-Book-of-Golden-Discs-Murrells-2nd-1978.pdf) • [1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf) Other accounts put sales lower: the Sugar Association says "nearly one million copies", and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame says the single had sold a million copies in the US by September 1969.[8](https://www.sugar.org/blog/sugar-sugar-making-our-lives-so-sweet-for-over-50-years/) • [9](https://www.cshf.ca/2023-blog-sugar-sugar/)
In the United Kingdom the song entered the Official Singles Chart on October 11, 1969, reached number one and stayed there for eight weeks within a 26-week chart run.[3](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/archies-sugar-sugar/) It also hit number one in Belgium, South Africa, and Canada.[2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) • [9](https://www.cshf.ca/2023-blog-sugar-sugar/)
## A first for a fictional band
The Archies were the first fictitious band to reach number one on the [Billboard charts](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-charts) in the United States, and NPR's retrospective notes they are also the only group to reach that position without ever performing the song live onstage.[8](https://www.sugar.org/blog/sugar-sugar-making-our-lives-so-sweet-for-over-50-years/) • [2](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true) An animated music segment for the song was created for *The Archie Comedy Hour* on CBS in 1969.[10](https://bangagong.com.au/sugar-sugar-the-archies/)
## Covers and later recognition
[Wilson Pickett](https://www.edgepedia.org/wilson-pickett) recorded a cover on November 19, 1969, and other versions followed by [The Wailers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-wailers) (1969 to 1970), [Chet Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/chet-baker) (1970), Jimmy Smith (1970), The Germs (1977), and David Hasselhoff with Steve Cropper (2019).[4](https://musicbrainz.org/work/3818fa67-c508-3499-9d18-0fd9a2b443ce) The song carries the ISWC T-070.244.045-6 and runs about 2 minutes 48 seconds in the original recording.[11](https://secondhandsongs.com/work/15385/versions) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/work/3818fa67-c508-3499-9d18-0fd9a2b443ce)
Later rankings place it high among retrospective lists: number 90 on Billboard's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs and number 155 on Billboard's 500 Best Pop Songs (as of October 2023), number 6 on Paste's 50 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of All Time, and number 18 on Rolling Stone's 50 Best Tunes by Made-Up Musicians.[12](https://musicbrainz.org/release/ab0f4dbc-c598-4483-9310-e88d7151d8e1) The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted the song, which had passed 300 million streams on Spotify by the time of its 2023 tribute.[9](https://www.cshf.ca/2023-blog-sugar-sugar/) Andy Kim went on to a number one of his own with "Rock Me Gently" in 1974.[1](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf)
## References
1. [The Archies, "Sugar, Sugar" entry, The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (1988), World Radio History](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Billboard-Book-of-Number-One-Hits-1988--221117.pdf)
2. [50 Years Later, The Archies' 'Sugar, Sugar' Is Still 'Really Sweet', NPR via WPSU](https://www.wprl.org/npr-music/2019-09-20/50-years-later-the-archies-sugar-sugar-is-still-really-sweet?_amp=true)
3. [SUGAR, SUGAR by ARCHIES, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/archies-sugar-sugar/)
4. [Song "Sugar, Sugar", MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/work/3818fa67-c508-3499-9d18-0fd9a2b443ce)
5. [The Archies, Musicbase](https://musicbase.net/the-archies)
6. [Today in Music (1969): The Archies top the chart with "Sugar Sugar", Dave's Music Database](https://davesmusicdatabase.blogspot.com/2019/09/50-years-ago-archies-top-chart-with.html)
7. [The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed., 1978), World Radio History](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Radio-Programming/Radio-Programming/The-Book-of-Golden-Discs-Murrells-2nd-1978.pdf)
8. ["Sugar, Sugar": Making Our Lives So Sweet For Over 50 Years, The Sugar Association](https://www.sugar.org/blog/sugar-sugar-making-our-lives-so-sweet-for-over-50-years/)
9. [Andy Kim's "Sugar, Sugar" Is Still a Monster Hit Today, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame](https://www.cshf.ca/2023-blog-sugar-sugar/)
10. [Sugar Sugar: THE ARCHIES, Bang a Gong](https://bangagong.com.au/sugar-sugar-the-archies/)
11. [Cover versions of Sugar, Sugar written by Andy Kim, Jeff Barry, SecondHandSongs](https://secondhandsongs.com/work/15385/versions)
12. [Release "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/ab0f4dbc-c598-4483-9310-e88d7151d8e1)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 1960s and 1970s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license