Popcorn (instrumental)
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"Popcorn" is a famous early synthpop instrumental. Composer Gershon Kingsley (of Perrey and Kingsley) first recorded it for his 1969 album Music To Moog By. Stan Free rerecorded the instrumental under the alias "Hot Butter" in 1971. The record was one of a rash of Moog synthesizer-based releases that characterised "synth-pop" of the 60's and 70's. It has been then covered by various artists, including Aphex Twin, Jean-Michel Jarre, M&H Band, DJ Fantomas, Gigi D'Agostino, Afrosound, The Treble Spankers The Boomtang Boys, Crazy Frog, and Liars. It has also been remixed by Hexstatic on the [[Pick'n'Mix: An Assortment To Suit All Tastes|Pick 'n' Mix]] album.
The title refers to the short staccato, or sharp "popping", sound used:
- ["Popcorn"] ([file info])
- *
- * Problems listening to the file? See [Media helpmedia help].
Part of the song's fame comes from the rumor that the characteristic main melody was in fact written by a computer program created to compose music #redirect [[Template:Fact]]. While the statement seemed credible around the time (computer's relation with music was still something rather obscure), it is now assumable that the whole song was created and arranged by Kingsley.
Appearances
Games
- Popcorn was used as background music in the original CGA version of the classic computer game Digger.
- Popcorn was used in the arcade version of the Sega game Pengo, but for the Atari 2600 console version, to avoid royalties, Atari created its own music.
- Popcorn was used in the Commodore 64 game Trollie Wallie, along with two songs by Jean-Michel Jarre.
- Popcorn can be heard in Dance Dance Revolution 3rdMIX under the title "VOL.4".
- Popcorn was used as background music in the first few levels of a Pacman clone released in the 90s for the PC, Pako 2.
Movies
- ''Shriek of the Mutilated (1974)
- Detroit Rock City (1999).
- Dick (1999).
- Drowning Mona (2000).
- Special (2006).
Television appearances
- Featured in an advertisement on the BBC Freeview channel CBeebies, and the Freeview channel E4.
- Popcorn was the theme for the Michigan State Lottery's televised number drawings in the 1970's.
- Popcorn is used in a Spanish car commercial for the Renault Clio.
- Popcorn was used in a advertisement for lipstick colour types for Boots, with different colours changing on the screen rapidly, in sync with every note in the song.
- Popcorn was also used as the theme for "Snipets", a children's educational program that usually lasted 3-5 minutes, and ran during the early 1970's.
- Popcorn as background music in Pampers Commercial (USA) in 2001.
- Pinky plays the song by slapping his cheeks in an episode of Pinky and the Brain.
- Popcorn is used as the background music used in a video for Crazy Frog.
- Popcorn is commonly used in YTMND sites as theme music, and though included in the YTMND Soundtrack, it is listed as created by Kraftwerk
External links
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