Wednesday I covered their other song Baby Now That I’ve Found You and this is their other big hit…Build Me Up Buttercup that was the biggest hit of their career. It’s one of those 60’s pop hits that I can’t help but like. The song peaked at #3 in the Billboard 100 in 1969.
The Foundations sounded like they were straight out of Motown but they were actually formed in London and consisted of members from the West Indies, Britain, and even Sri Lanka.
From Songfacts
This was written by Mike D’Abo and Tony Macaulay. D’Abo was lead singer of Manfred Mann, and Macaulay was a successful songwriter who also wrote The Foundations hit “Baby Now That I’ve Found You” as well as songs by The Hollies, Andy Williams and The New Seekers.
David Essex, who was unknown at the time but went on to success with “Rock On,” was offered this song, but he turned it down as he didn’t like the title.
This was featured in the 1998 film There’s Something About Mary.
This was featured in the 2001 pilot episode of the spy drama Alias, “Truth Be Told,” when Sydney Bristow’s (Jennifer Garner) ill-fated boyfriend sings it on the campus lawn before he proposes to her.
Build Me Up Buttercup
Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin’
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don’t break my heart
“I’ll be over at ten”, you told me time and again
But you’re late, I wait around and then (bah-dah-dah)
I went to the door, I can’t take any more
It’s not you, you let me down again
(Hey, hey, hey!) Baby, baby, try to find
(Hey, hey, hey!) A little time and I’ll make you mine
(Hey, hey, hey!) I’ll be home
I’ll be beside the phone waiting for you
Ooo-oo-ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin’
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don’t break my heart
You were my toy but I could be the boy you adore
If you’d just let me know (bah-dah-dah)
Although you’re untrue, I’m attracted to you all the more
Why do I need you so
(Hey, hey, hey!) Baby, baby, try to find
(Hey, hey, hey!) A little time and I’ll make you mine
(Hey, hey, hey!) I’ll be home
I’ll be beside the phone waiting for you
Ooo-oo-ooo, ooo-oo-ooo
Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around
And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby
When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still
I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin’
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don’t break my heart
I-I-I need you-oo-oo more than anyone, baby
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don’t break my heart
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I will forever associate this song with the movie. Isn’t that funny how that happens? Any members still alive?
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A few of them are…there were many…I should have metioned that Arthur Brown was in this group originally. He had a big hit…called “Fire” under the name ” the Crazy World of Arthur Brown”…Its different for sure.
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Love this song.
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A fun, upbeat tune.
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Great tune! Always liked it but might’ve had to ‘phone a friend’ if who recorded it was a question in ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’
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lol… I know….something I didn’t mention is Arthur Brown was in this band of “Fire” fame.
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This track would be a hit in any decade…. Timeless classic
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It has that universal appeal about it.
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I really does….a masterpiece. You know, it reminds me of sha la la la le from the small faces. juat a little…must be that vocal.
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I would have sworn it was Motown though…
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Love this.
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It is a nice pop song. I thought they were from Motown not London.
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I didn’t know they were from London but, Motown…nah. Not enough ‘funk’…😄
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I like Stax more…
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I had to look that up.
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Sorry….yea Stax was where the Soul with a kick came from. I like the artist Motown had like Smokey, Temptations, and others but the production was really polished.
Oh I checked the spam…there was nothing.
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I read where they had Booker T. & the MGs and, Otis Redding. Wow. Shame they struggled. Mammoth in Chapel Hill had similar problems. They were part of the East Coast grunge/alternative scene.
Must be this damn hinky phone app. 🙄
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Yes Stax were stacked…pardon the terrible pun… The Beatles wanted to record there to get that sound.
The biggest black eye on them to me is they signed Big Star and folded soon after…one of the reasons that band never got to the masses.
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Well, Atlantic Records & CBS Records didn’t help. Labels are at the mercy of distributors if they aren’t big enough to do it themselves. From my reading, Atlantic Records still holds most of Stax copyrights.
Remember that money we were talking about?
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Yep!
I think it was CBS Records that backed out of a distribution deal with Stax that brought the end…Clive Davis was fired from CBS and the deal was dead when that happened.
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