The Supremes - Buttered Popcorn.

Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson
The Supremes

The Oscars are over, and now it's time to catch up on the academy award-winning movies that you missed, at the theater or on DVD. Either way, the best way to enjoy a good movie is with some greasy, sticky, gooey, salty buttered popcorn. Just ask The Supremes.

Hip-O Select recently released The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 1: 1959-1961, which contains every single and B-side released by Motown in that period. You'll find this track on it, as well as the alternate version (extended version with the brass turned up and guitar quieted). This track was their second single, released in July 1961, and it went all the way up to number...nothing. It went nowhere. It's one of the few songs featuring lead vocals from Florence Ballard, the original lead singer of the Primettes, who changed their name to the Supremes. Florence has a harsher, more aggressive voice than Diana Ross, and it fits the suggestive lyrics better than Diana's would have:

When I asked him what was happenin’ in the world today
He said more butter, more butter, more butter, more

My baby likes buttered popcorn
He likes it greasy
And sticky
And gooey
And salty
I said what do you like
He says you know what I like
I like buttered popcorn

Florence Ballard died of a coronary thrombosis at 32.

The Supremes - Buttered Popcorn (mp3)

If you want to compare this with the alternate version, send me an e-mail and I'll send you the other track.