In 1968, Filmation produced "The Archie Show", a Saturday morning cartoon based upon the Archie comics. Jeff Barry and Don Kirshner, two of the producers credited with the success of The Monkees, signed on to produce recordings to be "performed" by the Archies for the show. Aside from being featured in "song of the week" sequences on the TV show itself, there were also five Archies LPs released between 1968 and 1971, and several singles, including four Top 40 hits. The most successful of the Archies' hits was "Sugar, Sugar", a number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit which became the top-selling song of 1969. "Sugar, Sugar" remains the only number-one American pop hit by a fictitious group. The other three Archies hits were "Bang-Shang-A-Lang" (1968), "Jingle Jangle" (1970), and "Who's Your Baby?" (1971); their other singles include "Feelin' So Good" (1969), "Inside Out, Upside Down" (1969), and "Get on the Line" (1970). Many of the Archies' songs, including "Sugar, Sugar", were composed by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim, and several songs were compositions The Monkees had turned down.
Ron Dante provided the male lead vocals for the Archies recordings, with Toni Wine, and later Donna Marie and Merle Miller, providing the female leads. "The Archie Show" remained on the air under various names and in various formats until 1978, although the Archies studio musical group ceased to make new commercial recordings after 1971.
A complete reissue of the Archies albums was released in 2016, containing 60 tracks. However, the only hit by them, "Sugar, Sugar," gets a significant number of listeners.
Sugar Sugar
The Archies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are my candy girl
And you got me wanting you
Honey, ah sugar sugar
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you
I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you
(I just can't believe it's true)
I just can't believe the one to love this feeling to
(I just can't believe it's true)
Ah sugar, ah honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you
Oh honey, ah sugar sugar
You are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you
When I kissed you, girl, I knew how sweet a kiss could be
(I know how sweet a kiss can be)
Like the summer sunshine pour your sweetness over me
(Pour your sweetness over me)
Oh sugar, pour a little sugar on it honey
Pour a little sugar on it baby
I'm gonna make your life so sweet, yeah yeah yeah
Pour a little sugar on it, oh yeah
Pour a little sugar on it honey
Pour a little sugar on it baby
I'm gonna make your life so sweet, yeah yeah yeah
Pour a little sugar on it honey
Ah sugar, ah ah ah honey honey
Ah, ah you are my candy girl
And you've got me wanting you
Oh honey (honey, sugar sugar)
Ah sugar sugar (honey, honey, sugar sugar)
You are my candy girl
The Archies' "Sugar Sugar" is a classic pop hit about the sweetness of love. The song's lyrics are simple yet effective in conveying a message of infatuation and admiration. The song starts with the repeated phrases "Sugar, ah honey honey" and "Honey, ah sugar sugar," establishing the song's central theme of sweetness. The chorus then declares, "You are my candy girl, and you've got me wanting you," emphasizing the singer's desire for the object of their affection.
The verses of "Sugar Sugar" continue to describe the singer's feelings, expressing their disbelief at the loveliness of loving someone and their romantic view of shared sweetness. The lyrics make use of metaphors, comparing the pleasures of love to that of summer sunshine and the sweetness of candy. The song culminates in the bridge, with the repetition of "Pour a little sugar on it honey," as the singer promises to make their loved one's life sweet.
Overall, "Sugar Sugar" is a playful and catchy song that celebrates the joy of love and the desire for sweetness in relationships. The lyrics may be simple, but they effectively convey the song's message through a combination of straightforward declarations and imaginative metaphors.
Line by Line Meaning
Sugar, ah honey honey
Addressing a loved one with endearment, comparing them to a sweet treat like sugar or honey.
You are my candy girl
Affirming affection towards the said loved one and expressing how sweet and delightful their presence is.
And you got me wanting you
Acknowledging how irresistible and desirable the person's company is and how it makes one yearn for them.
Honey, ah sugar sugar
Repeated endearment for the same person, affirming their sweetness.
I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you
Expressing disbelief of the beauty and pleasantness of the sensation of being in love with someone as sweet as the person being referred to.
(I just can't believe it's true)
Reiterating the magnitude of the feeling of disbelief towards the pleasantness of being in love.
I just can't believe the one to love this feeling to
Expressing amazement at the realization that the feeling of love is mutual, and the beloved feels the same way.
When I kissed you, girl, I knew how sweet a kiss could be
Recalling the ecstasy felt when sharing a kiss with the aforementioned person, emphasizing how pleasurable it was.
(I know how sweet a kiss can be)
Reiterating the extent of the knowledge of the sweetness of a kiss shared with the beloved.
Like the summer sunshine pour your sweetness over me
Requesting the beloved to share their sweet presence with the person singing, and to give them the same intense and delightful sensation that comes with being in the sun on a summer day.
(Pour your sweetness over me)
Further reiterating the request for the beloved's sweet presence to be shared with the person singing.
Oh sugar, pour a little sugar on it honey
Inviting the beloved to share more of their sweet presence like adding sugar to something that has already been made sweet.
Pour a little sugar on it baby
Further emphasizing the request for the loved one to add more sweetness to their presence like adding sugar to enhance the desired taste of a dish.
I'm gonna make your life so sweet, yeah yeah yeah
Promising to add the same amount of sweetness to the beloved's life that they have added to the singer's life.
Ah sugar, ah honey honey
Continued endearment for the beloved.
You are my candy girl
Reiterating how precious and delightful the beloved's presence is.
And you've got me wanting you
Reiterating how irresistible the beloved's presence is and how it makes the singer long for them.
Oh honey (honey, sugar sugar)
Endearment combined with a plea to share more of the beloved's sweetness.
Ah sugar sugar (honey, honey, sugar sugar)
Repetition of the affectionate endearment towards the same person.
You are my candy girl
Final assurance of the beloved's endearment towards the singer, as well as the sweetness of their presence and how much it is cherished.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Andy Kim, Jeff Barry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
A great song by The Archie's that's still great more than 50 years after it came out.