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.
Bang Shang a Lang
The Archies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to escape the city heat
I saw her from the corner of my eye, eye, eye
Yes she looked so good I thought I'd die
My heart went bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
Bang shang a lang, bang, bang
My heart went bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
Bang shang a lang, bang, bang
Something said I shouldn't waste no time
If I'm ever gonna make her mine
I walked right up and say how do you do, do, do
She said I bet I do as good as you
My heart went bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
Bang shang a lang, bang, bang
My heart went bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
Bang shang a lang, bang, bang
I remember when I held her tight
Felt like holding dynamite now
What's that ringing in my ear
Tell me ain't those bells I hear
Bang, bang, shang a lang
Bang, bang, shang a lang
Bang, bang, bang
Shang a lang lang
Bang, bang, bang
Shang a lang, lang
Now she's gonna spend her life with me
Then we'll be as happy as can be
Because I love her more than I can tell, tell, tell
Sunday afternoon we'll hear the bells
And they'll go bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
Bang shang a lang, bang, bang
And they'll go bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
Bang shang a lang, bang, bang
The Archies' song "Bang Shang a Lang" is a catchy tune about falling in love at first sight. It tells the story of a man who is walking down the street and sees a beautiful woman. He is instantly attracted to her and his heart starts to flutter. He can't resist the urge to go up and talk to her, and it turns out they have a lot in common. As they spend more time together, their love grows stronger and they eventually decide to spend their lives together.
The lyrics are full of playful wordplay and catchy hooks, which make it a fun and upbeat song to sing and dance to. The chorus in particular is incredibly catchy, with its repetition of "Bang shang a lang". This phrase has become synonymous with the song, and it is often used as a way of referring to it.
Overall, "Bang Shang a Lang" is a classic example of 1960s bubblegum pop. It is fun, upbeat and incredibly catchy. Its lyrics are simple yet effective, and its melody is infectious. It is a song that has stood the test of time and remains popular to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
I recall just walking down the street
I remember strolling along aimlessly
Trying to escape the city heat
Attempting to get away from the heat brought about by the urban environment
I saw her from the corner of my eye, eye, eye
I spotted her as she came into my range of vision
Yes, she looked so good I thought I'd die
I was so struck by her appearance that I felt like I might keel over
My heart went bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
My heart started racing, going thump-thump-thump
Something said I shouldn't waste no time
A feeling in my gut told me not to waste a moment
If I'm ever gonna make her mine
If I anticipate winning her affection
I walked right up and said how do you do, do, do
I strolled up to her and greeted her with a simple 'hello'
She said I bet I do as good as you
She responded with a flirty, confident response
My heart went bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
My heart palpitated with excitement
I remember when I held her tight
Recalling the moment when I embraced her tightly
Felt like holding dynamite now
I felt like I was grasping a powerful force
What's that ringing in my ear
I hear a buzzing noise in my ear
Tell me ain't those bells I hear
I wonder if the sound is from church bells ringing in the distance
Now she's gonna spend her life with me
She's going to commit to a lifelong partnership with me
Then we'll be as happy as can be
We'll experience maximum happiness together
Because I love her more than I can tell, tell, tell
I adore her more than I can express in words
Sunday afternoon, we'll hear the bells
On a lazy Sunday afternoon, we'll both hear the wedding bells
And they'll go bang shang a lang, bang shang a lang
The bells will ring out wildly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFF BARRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Sugar, Sugar
A great song by The Archie's that's still great more than 50 years after it came out.