Today’s classic song of the day is “Build Me Up Buttercup” by the Foundations. Released as a single in late 1968, it peaked (in early 1969) at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Cash Box Top 100. It was also a top ten hit in Australia (#1), Canada (#1), Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, and the UK.
“Build Me Up Buttercup” is a bouncy little tune that was written by Mike d’Abo and Tony Macaulay. If you follow this blog at all, you’ve probably heard of Tony Macaulay; he wrote or co-wrote a bunch of late-60s/early-70s hits, such as “Baby Now That I’ve Found You” for the Foundations, “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” for Edison Lighthouse, “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All” for the 5th Dimension, “Baby Take Me in Your Arms” for Jefferson, “Baby Make it Soon” for Marmalade, “Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling” for the Fortunes, “Don’t Give Up on Us” for David Soul, and “Smile a Little Smile for Me” for the Flying Machine. Mike d’Abo was also a pro songwriter, writing or co-writing tunes like “Handbags and Gladrags” for Rod Stewart and “Mighty Quinn” for Manfred Mann.
The Foundations were a British soul band who debuted in 1967, had a number of UK-only hits (as well as the global hit, “Build Me Up Buttercup”), and then disbanded in 1970. The group had an interesting ethnic mix, with members of white British, Sri Lankan, and West Indian descent.
Which leads us to today’s daily bonus video of the day, the Foundations performing “Build Me Up Buttercup” live on the West German television program, Beat-Club. Groovy!
