Sugar Man (song)

"Sugar Man" is a song written and recorded by Sixto Rodriguez in August–September 1969 and released on his debut studio album, Cold Fact, in 1970.

"Sugar Man"
Single by Rodriguez
from the album Cold Fact
A-side"Sugar Man"
B-side"Inner City Blues"
Released1970
RecordedAugust–September 1969
Length3:45
LabelSussex
Songwriter(s)Sixto Rodriguez
Producer(s)
Rodriguez singles chronology
"I'll Slip Away"
(1967)		 "Sugar Man"
(1970)		 "Inner City Blues"
(1970)

The song was banned by the South African government in the 1970s because of drug references in the lyrics, with records scratched to prevent radio airplay.[1]

Covers

In 1998 the band Just Jinjer played the song in concert while supporting U2, and included a recording on their 2001 Greatest Hits album.[2]

In 2013, during their first-ever shows in South Africa, the birthplace of lead singer Dave Matthews, Dave Matthews Band covered the song. They also included it on setlists throughout their 2014 Summer Tour.[3] On June 21, 2022 at Pine Knob Music Theatre, Matthews met Rodriguez for the first time, and covered the song again in his honor.[4]

Samples

In 2001 Nas sampled the song in "You're Da Man" on his album Stillmatic.[5]

Remixes

David Holmes

In 2003 DJ and producer Holmes remixed the song for his album Come Get It I Got It.[1]

Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP
"Sugar Man"
Single by Yolanda Be Cool and DCUP
Released28 November 2014
Length3:03
Label
Songwriter(s)Sixto Rodriguez
Producer(s)
  • Yolanda Be Cool
  • DCUP
Yolanda Be Cool singles chronology
"All That She Wants"
(2014)		 "Sugar Man"
(2014)		 "Soul Makossa (Money)"
(2015)

A remix of "Sugar Man" by Australian band Yolanda Be Cool and producer DCUP was released on 28 November 2014 by Australian independent label Sweat It Out.[6] The song peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Charts and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments exceeding 70,000 copies.[7]

Background

Following the success of "We No Speak Americano" in 2010, Matt Handley and Andrew Stanley (Yolanda Be Cool), and Duncan Maclennan (DCUP) found themselves in huge demand, travelling the world performing. Handley said, "We always intended to do more tunes together, but we just never seemed to be able to be in the same room for long enough. Then Duncan moved to Melbourne and for a while, I guess we just did our own thing." Maclennan takes up the story, "As much as we wanted to do more tunes together, apart from finding the time, we also knew that finding a sample with the same magic as 'Americano' was a must. We didn't want to just put out tunes for the sake of it. Fast forward to now, and it just felt right to get back in the studio. We had been passing sample ideas back and forth for a while and we all just fell in love with 'Sugar Man'. It felt right."[8]

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Sugar Man" was first released on YouTube on 25 November 2014 with a total length of three minutes and fourteen seconds.[9]

Track listing
Digital download[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Sugar Man" (radio edit)3:03
Digital download — Remixes[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Sugar Man" (club mix)5:51
2."Sugar Man" (Vanilla Ace & Dharkfunkh Remix)6:51
3."Sugar Man" (Generik Remix)6:31
4."Sugar Man" (Mason Remix)5:40
5."Sugar Man" (Indian Summer Remix)4:16
6."Sugar Man" (POOLCLVB Remix)4:43
7."Sugar Man" (original mix)4:01

Charts
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 15

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[7] Platinum 70,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Country Release date Format Label
Australia 28 November 2014[10] Digital download Sweat It Out! (SWEATDS138)

Movies
  • The 2006 film Candy features the song.
  • The 2012 BAFTA and Academy Award winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man features the song and its name references the song.[1]

References
  1. Griffiths, Sarah Jane (2012-07-26). "Discovering 'Sugar Man' Rodriguez". BBC. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  2. "Just Jinger's Sugar Man". Sugar man. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  3. "DMBAlmanac.com²". Dmbalmanac.com. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  4. "Dave Matthews Sings Sixto Rodriguez's Praises During Concert: 'He Was as Important to Me as Bob Dylan'". Billboard.
  5. Brian Currin. "Rodriguez – The Music: "...You're Da Man, Sugar Man..."". Sugarman.org. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP cover Rodrigueszs Sugar Man". themusic.com.au. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  7. "ARIA Australian Top 20 Dance Tracks". ARIA Charts. 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  8. "Yolanda Be Cool / Sugar man". soundcloud.com. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  9. Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP - "Sugar Man" [Official Video] - YouTube
  10. "Sugar Man– Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP". iTunes Store. Apple. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  11. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP – Sugarman". discogs.com. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  12. "Yolanda Be Cool & DCup – Sugar Man". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
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