'Build Me Up Buttercup' by The Foundations: The making of the Brit soul classic

7 October 2024, 12:46

The story behind the much-loved 1960s hit.

Soul music was born in the USA but in the 1960s its influence exploded over the pop world, and here in the UK we weren't immune.

Countless British groups absorbed the soaring and era-defining sound, and among them were The Foundations.

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With various (and significant) lineup shifts over the years, The Foundations enjoyed a decade-long career, though most of their hits came in their first few years.

But do you know which of their singers took the lead on 'Build Me Up Buttercup', who wrote the song, and what other sixties classic kept it from the top of the charts?

Read on for everything you might ever want to know about one of the great evergreen hits of the 1960s.

Who wrote 'Build Me Up Buttercup'?

The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup (Lyric Video)

'Build Me Up Buttercup' was written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay. If those names seem familiar, it's for very good reason.

Not only was Mike d'Abo the singer in Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, replacing Paul Jones in the role, but he was also the sole writer of 'Handbags and Gladrags', which became a hit for Chris Farlowe, Rod Stewart and Stereophonics.

A NINE-TIME Ivor Novello winner, Tony Macaulay already had history with an earlier incarnation of The Foundations, co-writing 'Baby Now That I've Found You' with John Macleod. That song went all the way to number one.

Macaulay is the writer of the 5th Dimension's '(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All', Davis Essex's 'Don't Give Up on Us' and the co-writer (and producer) of Edinson Lighthouse's massive 'Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)', among many others.

Who sung 'Build Me Up Buttercup'?

'Build Me Up Buttercup' was performed, as everyone knows, by The Foundations.

But as for who The Foundations were, we have to dig a little deeper.

The group formed in 1966 as an ethnically diverse eight-strong collective hailing from Britain, the West Indies and Sri Lanka.

After failing to land Rod Stewart and an early run with Arthur Brown (yes, that Arthur Brown, shortly before he went off to form The Crazy World of Arthur Brown), the first stable lineup of The Foundations was: Eric Allandale, Pat Burke, Clem Curtis, Mike Elliott, Tony Gomez, Tim Harris, Peter MacBeth, Alan Warner.

The lineup had a fair bit of success in their first couple of years, including the number one single 'Baby Now That I've Found You', which Tony Macauley had written with John Macleod, and the debut album From the Foundations.

Then in September 1968, as well as saxophonist Mike Elliot quitting the group, lead singer Clem Curtis also departed.

Warren Davis and Colin Young auditioned as his replacement, and it was the latter who won the job and joined by early October.

He made his live debut with the group at a live show in Aberdeen, and the first single he sang on was... 'Build Me Up Buttercup'.

What is 'Build Me Up Buttercup' about?

The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup (1969)

'Build Me Up Buttercup' isn't a particularly oblique song, and the lyrics are pretty straightforward.

It's about that old pop concern - unrequited love and disappointment.

The real kicker here is that that she keeps on flattering and promising to call, but always flakes at the last moment ("Why do you build me up... just to let me down?").

Where did 'Build Me Up Buttercup' get in the charts?

The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup (Original 1968 Version) [Official Audio]

'Build Me Up Buttercup' went all the way to number two in the UK singles charts, only being kept off the top by The Scaffold's equally wonderful 'Lily the Pink'.

In the US it topped the Cash Box chart and went to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It's gone double platinum in the UK and gold in the US.

Who has covered 'Build Me Up Buttercup'?

Build Me Up, Butter Cup - The Goops (Mallrats Music Video)

Not the easiest song to cover, but a fair few have tried over the years.

That includes the likes of Bobby Vinton and David Johansen, as well as The Goops, Frank Turner, Lo Ya Tengo, and The Overtones.

Partyboys even charted at number 44 with their version in 2003.

What movies and TV shows have featured 'Build Me Up Buttercup'?

There's Something About Mary - Ending Credits - SONG: Build Me Up Buttercup ARTIST: The Foundations

As well as being an evergreen hit that finds its way onto oodles of 1960s compilations (and is frequently heard here on Gold), 'Build Me Up Buttercup' has popped up on countless movies and TV shows over the years.

Perhaps most famously, 'Build Me Up Buttercup' featured prominently in 1998 gross-out-rom-com There's Something About Mary and more recently in 2020 movie The Kissing Booth.

It also popped up in TV shows Alias and Elementary, and the The Goops cover we mentioned above was in the Kevin Smith movie Mallrats.