"Build Me Up Buttercup" is a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by The Foundations in 1968 with Colin Young singing lead vocals. Young had replaced Clem Curtis during 1968, and this was the first Foundations hit on which he sang.
| "Build Me Up Buttercup" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of side-A labels of the UK vinyl single | ||||
| Single by the Foundations | ||||
| from the album Build Me Up Buttercup (U.S.) The Foundations (U.K.) | ||||
| B-side | "New Direction" | |||
| Released | 8 November 1968 (UK) 3 December 1968 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1968 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Tony Macaulay | |||
| The Foundations singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
It hit No. 1 on the Cash Box Top 100[1] and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1969. It was also a No. 2 hit in the United Kingdom, for two non-consecutive weeks, behind "Lily the Pink" by the Scaffold. It was quickly certified gold by the RIAA for sales of over a million US copies.
In popular culture
"Build Me Up Buttercup" is featured in the 1998 romantic comedy film There's Something About Mary[2], the pilot episode "Truth Be Told" from the first season of the ABC TV spy drama series Alias, and the episode "Art Imitates Art" from the fourth season of the CBS TV detective series Elementary. The track also features in the 2020 film The Kissing Booth 2,[3] as well as in a series of 2020–21 Geico commercials.[4]
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[18] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[19] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Personnel
- Colin Young – vocals
- Alan Warner – lead guitar
- Peter Macbeth – bass guitar
- Tim Harris – drums, percussion
- Tony Gomez – keyboards
- Mike Elliott – tenor saxophone
- Eric Allandale – trombone
- Mike d'Abo – piano
Other versions
A version by British trio Partyboys reached No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart in 2003.[20]
A fast-paced version by The Goops was used as part of a promotional tie-in music video for the 1995 film Mallrats. The music video shows the two main characters, Jay and Silent Bob, with a turntable playing the original song by the Foundations before smashing the turntable and beginning the version of the song by The Goops. This video was later included as a bonus feature in later DVD an BluRay home releases of Mallrats.[21]
It was covered by the Australian group The Valentines in a live TV appearance in 1969.[citation needed]
Covered by David Johansen on Live it Up in 1982.