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.
Jingle Jangle
The Archies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sing me, sing me baby
Oooh ... ooh
(Chorus)
La da da da da da da (sing me sing me sing me)
La da da da da da da (sing the Jingle Jangle song)
La da da da da da da (sing me sing me baby)
Ever since I met ya
I couldn't want ya better,
I couldn't love you stronger if I tried.
It's my true heart I'm showin'
Or my nose would be growin'
You know that it gets longer when I lie
Singin' (repeat chorus)
Bein' kinda pretty
And down here in the city
Find it isn't easy to be smart.
When tryin' to untangle
The Jingle from the Jangle
It's easy if you listen with your heart.
Singin' (repeat chorus)
We'll make the winter springtime
And Jingle Jangle singtime
Right on through the summer and the fall.
So, darlin', don't be weepin',
And please don't you be sleepin'
When I come a-creepin' down the hall
To sing ya:
La da da da da da da (sing me sing me sing me)
La da da da da da da
Whoa ... come on (well come on) gonna get it together
Well, come on (well come on) ooh, yeah yeah yeah,
Well, come on (well come on) gonna get it together
Well, come on (well come on)
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on
(Repeat chorus and fade)
The Archies' song "Jingle Jangle" is a cheerful, upbeat tune about the joy of singing and sharing it with others. The lyrics talk about how the singer's love for someone is so strong that they couldn't love them any more, and that their love is genuine and not false. The singer also talks about how it's sometimes difficult to make sense of things, particularly in the busy city, but that if you listen with your heart, it becomes clearer. They go on to say that they want to keep the joy of singing going all year round, so that even in winter, it feels like springtime.
The lyrics of "Jingle Jangle" are particularly interesting because of their simplicity and directness. The song is essentially a love letter in song form, with the singer expressing their feelings for someone else. The use of the phrase "Jingle Jangle" is particularly interesting, as it implies a sense of chaos or confusion that needs to be untangled. However, the singer suggests that if you listen with your heart, everything will become clear.
Line by Line Meaning
Sing me, sing me, sing me
Please sing for me.
Sing me, sing me baby
My desire is for you to sing for me, baby.
La da da da da da da (sing me sing me sing me)
I want you to sing for me repeatedly.
La da da da da da da (sing the Jingle Jangle song)
Please sing the Jingle Jangle song for me.
Ever since I met ya
Since the first moment I met you.
I couldn't want ya better,
I couldn't wish for anyone better than you.
I couldn't love you stronger if I tried.
I am already loving you to the best of my capacity.
It's my true heart I'm showin'
I am proving my love is genuine.
Or my nose would be growin'
I am not lying.
You know that it gets longer when I lie
My nose would grow if I was being insincere.
Bein' kinda pretty
You look quite beautiful.
And down here in the city
Being here in the city.
Find it isn't easy to be smart.
It is challenging to be knowledgeable.
When tryin' to untangle
When one tries to separate.
The Jingle from the Jangle
Differentiating between Jingle and Jangle.
It's easy if you listen with your heart.
It is simple if you pay attention using your heart.
We'll make the winter springtime
Together, we will make a dreary winter season bloom into spring.
And Jingle Jangle singtime
We will make music and celebrate.
Right on through the summer and the fall.
We will continuously celebrate through summer and autumn.
So, darlin', don't be weepin'
Don't cry, my love.
And please don't you be sleepin'
Please stay awake, my love.
When I come a-creepin' down the hall
When I sneak into the hallway.
Repeat chorus and fade
The chorus is repeated and fades out.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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.