The Not-Pop Jukebox

There exists for me an entire range of songs that, when heard in crystal-clear digital format, confuse my nostalgia. Sugar, Sugar lands squarely in this set by virtue of having been included on a record that I’ve had since I was about seven (and that I still play, lo! these many years later).

I know the songs on that hunk of well-worn vinyl by heart, including every hiss, pop, and scratch-induced skip. I know exactly when Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini will stick and unconsciously head toward the turntable to give it a bump.

So when I hear songs like Purple People Eater, Winchester Cathedral, and, yes, Sugar, Sugar I fully expect those “flaws” to happen. It’s somewhere between disorienting and fascinating to hear these songs as they probably sounded the day I got that record. It’s fun to learn the verses that have been missing a few words my entire life!

And that, my dears, is why I am posting such a cutesy pop song of yore like Sugar, Sugar. I recently came in to a digital stash of such hoary old gems and I’ve been wallowing in Wierdsville. I thought you might like a little visit, yourselves. That and I’d love to hear the Cocktail Slippers cover this song.