Candy Pop Songs Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Archies

Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, 'Sugar Sugar' was performed by the fictional animated band The Archies, who appeared on the popular cartoon 'The Archie Show'. 'Sugar Sugar' was not the first single released by The Archies, but it was by far the most successful.

It is also widely considered to be one of the most commercially successful bubblegum pop singles of all time, reaching the top of the singles charts in the USA and UK. A group of session musicians were brought in to record the song as The Archies, using multi-track recording techniques to recreate the sound of the band from the television show.

As well as being available in standard vinyl formats, a number of singles by The Archies were issued on the back of cereal boxes. These cardboard discs were embossed directly onto the back of the cereal box and could be cut out and played.

Answer: Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright was born in New York in 1973 but moved to Canada with his mother when he was a small child following his parents' separation. Rufus' parents are Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, both of whom enjoyed successful folk music careers, and his younger sister is Martha Wainwright whose music has enjoyed considerable critical acclaim. Rufus began performing music as a child, usually accompanied by his mother and other family members. 'Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk' is an excellent example of Wainwright's elegant baroque pop, replete with his suave vocal delivery and lush orchestration.

Answer: Millie Small

The song, which was originally entitled 'My Girl Lollypop', was written by Robert Spencer, a member of the Doo-wop band The Cadillacs and was first recorded, under the revised title 'My Boy Lollypop' by fourteen-year-old singer Barbie Gaye in 1956. Though Gaye's version was a modest local success, it was Millie Small's 1964 recording of the song which would become a worldwide best-seller and is the most recognisable version of the song. Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, came across the song when he was looking for suitable tracks for his new signing, the Jamaican teenage singer Milly Small, to perform.

The spelling of 'Lollypop' was altered to 'lollipop' for Small's rendering of the song. Not only is 'My Boy Lollipop' considered to be the first commercial ska hit, but it is also credited with launching the extremely successful career of Island Records.

Answer: Bis

Bis formed in Glasgow in 1994 and comprised three teenage school friends, Manda Rin (Amanda MacKinnon), John Disco (John Clark) and Sci-fi Steven (Steven Clark). They were known for their spiky and poppy sound and released several EPs in the 1990s which met with modest chart success. 'Sweet Shop Avengerz' discusses the band's love of sweets while taking a swipe at capitalism in the process. 'Kandy Pop', which partially inspired both my FT user name and the title of this quiz, is probably Bis' best-known song in the UK.

They performed it live on 'Top of the Pops' and the 'Secret Vampire Soundtrack' EP, on which it featured, reached number twenty-five in the UK singles chart. Bis are probably best known outside the UK for providing the music for the closing credits of the popular cartoon series 'The Powerpuff Girls'.

Answer: Hot Butter

'Popcorn' was composed and originally recorded by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 and was recorded by a few other acts over the next couple of years but it is Hot Butter's 1972 recording which became the definitive version and is the recording with which most people are familiar.

It was an early synthpop hit and the distinctive popping sound, created by the Moog synthesizer, is instantly recognisable.

Answer: Babybird

Stephen Jones began writing and recording solo work under the name Babybird in the late 1980s. In 1995 he formed a touring band in order to perform the songs he had written. In 1996 Babybird released the album 'Ugly Beautiful' which featured the hit singles 'You're Gorgeous', 'Candy Girl', 'Goodnight' and 'Cornershop'.

After the poor sales of the band's third album, 2000's 'Bugged', the band were dropped by their record label and split shortly afterwards. Although Babybird are now mainly remembered for their biggest hit 'You're Gorgeous', Babybird's body of work is very impressive. Stephen Jones' darkly beautiful pop songs are extremely compelling and show him to have been a far-more imaginative and creative composer than many of his male Britpop contemporaries.

Answer: Tori Amos

Born Myra Ellen Amos in 1963, Tori Amos is a supremely talented classically trained multi-instrumentalist who began her pop career in the 1980s with the short-lived band Y Kant Tori Read. Amos began her solo pop career in 1992 with the release of her debut album 'Little Earthquakes' which earned her a global fanbase.

Her second album, 1993's 'Under the Pink', spawned the hit single 'Cornflake Girl' and 1996's 'Boys for Pele' became her biggest commercial success, reaching number two in both the British and American album charts. 'Raspberry Swirl' is taken from Amos' fourth studio album 'From the Choirgirl Hotel' and earned her her first Grammy nomination for an individual song, though she had already earned several nominations for her albums.

Answer: Helen Love

Helen Love, named after the band's lead singer, principal songwriter and only permanent member, released a string of limited edition singles throughout the 1990s on the independent label Damaged Goods. These singles and their B-sides were collected on the albums 'Radio Hits' volumes one, two and three.

Although the band enjoyed only very minor chart success when their 1997 single 'Does Your Heart Go Boom' reached number seventy-one in the UK singles chart, their infectiously catchy bubblegum punk pop earned them a cult following and regular airplay on BBC Radio 1 from the likes of John Peel and Steve Lamacq.

Helen Love are known for their preoccupation with Joey Ramone who is mentioned in many of their songs.

Answer: Bow Wow Wow

Bow Wow Wow formed in 1980 when legendary impresario Malcolm McLaren poached the three members of Adam Ant's backing band to form his new group. After six months of auditioning the then thirteen-year-old Annabella Lwin was recruited as the band's lead singer and their line-up was complete.

Their 1982 single 'Go Wild in the Country' was their first UK top ten single and their highest charting British hit. 'I Want Candy' was released later in 1982 and became the band's biggest American hit while also giving the band another top ten hit in their home land.

Answer: Hole

This question is the only one in the quiz in which the song being asked about does not feature a sweet food stuff in the title, but I am so fond of this lyric that I decided to include it anyway! 'Doll Parts' was taken from Hole's second album, 1994's 'Live Through This' and is a beautiful song about desire and insecurity. Main singer and songwriter, Courtney Love, formed the band in Los Angeles in 1989 when she met Eric Erlandson who would become the other permanent member of the band. Hole released their debut album 'Pretty on the Inside', in 1991 and have gone on to become one of the most commercially successful female-fronted alternative rock bands.

Despite having recorded a number of acclaimed albums and excellent singles, Hole's musical legacy has been somewhat overshadowed by the attention paid by the media to Courtney Love's private life, particularly her marriage to fellow grunge musician Kurt Cobain who died in 1994.

This is a great pity since I personally vastly prefer Hole's musical output to the majority of their grunge contemporaries and feel that they rarely receive the praise they deserve.