Build Me Up Buttercup Explained

Type:single
Artist:the Foundations
Album:Build Me Up Buttercup (U.S.)
The Foundations (U.K.)
B-Side:New Direction
Released:8 November 1968 (UK)
3 December 1968 (US)
Recorded:1968
Genre:
Length:3:00
Producer:Tony Macaulay
Prev Title:Any Old Time
Prev Year:1968
Next Title:In the Bad Bad Old Days
Next Year:1969

"Build Me Up Buttercup" is a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by The Foundations in 1968 with Colin Young singing lead vocals. Young had replaced Clem Curtis during 1968, and this was the first Foundations hit on which he sang.

It hit No. 1 on the Cash Box Top 100[3] and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1969. It was also a No. 2 hit in the United Kingdom, for two non-consecutive weeks, behind "Lily the Pink" by the Scaffold. It was quickly certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over a million US copies.

In popular culture

"Build Me Up Buttercup" is featured in the 1998 romantic comedy film There's Something About Mary,[4] the pilot episode "Truth Be Told" from the first season of the ABC TV spy drama series Alias, and the episode "Art Imitates Art" from the fourth season of the CBS TV detective series Elementary. This song was played during the final scene of the second to last episode of Fuller House. The track also features in the 2020 film The Kissing Booth 2,[5] as well as in a series of 202021 Geico commercials.[6]

The song is played at every home game by the Wisconsin Football Team.[7] It previously was also played at every Los Angeles Angels home game during the seventh-inning stretch, before being eventually phased out for a rotation of variety of other songs.[8]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1968–1969)Peak
position
Argentina [9] 14
Australia (Go-Set)[10] 1
Australia (Kent Music Report) 2
Belgium (Wallonia)[11] 49
Canada RPM Top Singles[12] 1
Netherlands[13] 9
New Zealand4
Norway[14] 3
South Africa[15] 3
UK Singles (OCC)2
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16] 3
U.S. Cash Box Top 1001
West Germany[17] 24

Year-end charts

Chart (1969)Rank
Australia 22
Canada[18] 13
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[19] 5
U.S. Cash Box[20] 9

Personnel

Other versions

A version by British trio Partyboys reached No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003.[21]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Unterberger, Richie. Various Artists - Soulful Pop (1996). Bogdanov. Vladimir. Erlewine . Michael . Erlewine . Stephen Thomas . Unterberger . Richie . Woodstra . Chris. January 1, 1997. AllMusic Guide to Rock. Miller Freeman, Inc.. San Francisco. 1091.
  2. Book: Doggett, Peter. Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone - 125 Years of Pop Music. 1 January 2015. The Devil's Interval. 427. The Bodley Head. London. 978-1-847-92218-2. 22 February 2025.
  3. Web site: Top 100 1969-03-08 . . 29 May 2016 .
  4. Book: Pollock, Bruce. 2005. Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Routledge. 44. 978-0415970730.
  5. Web site: The Kissing Booth 2 soundtrack: Every song played in the sequel. Morris. Lauren. July 22, 2020. Radio Times. December 20, 2021.
  6. Web site: Dehler Park one of multiple Billings locations used in Geico ads. Kordenbrock. Mike. May 4, 2021. Billings Gazette. December 20, 2021.
  7. https://uwalumni.com/news/build-me-up-buttercup/
  8. Web site: Bollinger . Rhett . 2021-02-11 . A brief history of Angel Stadium's music . https://web.archive.org/web/20250329182330/https://www.mlb.com/news/angel-stadium-music-history . 2025-03-29 . 2025-04-09 . MLB.com . en.
  9. Cash Box - International Best Sellers. Cashbox. 29 March 1969. 26 July 2023. 56.
  10. Web site: Go-Set Australian charts - 12 March 1969. www.poparchives.com.au.
  11. https://www.ultratop.be/fr/song/3b54/The-Foundations-Build-Me-Up-Buttercup Ultratop website
  12. Web site: Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 24 February 1969 . 15 September 2019.
  13. https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Foundations&titel=Build+Me+Up+Buttercup&cat=s Dutch Charts website
  14. https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Foundations&titel=Build+Me+Up+Buttercup&cat=s Norwegian Charts website
  15. Web site: South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs (A-B). www.rock.co.za.
  16. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002
  17. https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=The+Foundations&titel=Build+Me+Up+Buttercup&cat=s Norwegian Charts site as above
  18. Web site: Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 2 October 2016.
  19. http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/19.htm
  20. Web site: Top 100 Year End Charts: 1969 . . 20 May 2016 .
  21. Web site: Build Me Up Buttercup 2003 | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. Official Charts.

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