| "Pac-Man Fever" | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Pac-Man_Fever_by_Buckner_and_Garcia_1981_US_vinyl_A-side.jpg) A-side label of U.S. vinyl single | |
| Single by Buckner & Garcia | |
| from the album Pac-Man Fever | |
| B-side | "Pac-Man Fever" (Instrumental) |
| Released | December 1981 |
| Recorded | 1981 |
| Genre | Pop rock, novelty |
| Length | 3:48 5:51 (extended 12-inch version) |
| Label | Columbia/CBS 18-02673 (7-inch single) 44-02762 (12-inch single) |
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Buckner Gary Garcia |
| Producer(s) | Buckner & Garcia |
"Pac-Man Fever" is a hit single by Buckner & Garcia. Capitalizing on the video game craze of the early 1980s, the song, about the classic video game Pac-Man, peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in March 1982.[1]
That same month, it was certified Gold by the RIAA for over one million units shipped to retailers;[2] the single sold 1.2 million copies by the end of 1982,[3] and 2.5 million copies in total as of 2008.[4] VH1 ranked it at number 98 on their list of 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.
A follow-up release in May 1982, "Do the Donkey Kong", just missed the Billboard chart, ranking number 103.
This song was featured in the South Park episode "Splatty Tomato" as well as the Family Guy episode "The D in Apartment 23," both aired in 2017.
This song was also referenced in The Simpsons episode "A Tale of Two Springfields."
- ^ "Pac-Man Fever". Time. 1982-04-05. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Pac-Man Fever Archived 2015-09-04 at the Wayback Machine. RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- ^ "Ode to Joystick". SPIN. 20 (9). SPIN Media: 86. September 2004. ISSN 0886-3032.
- ^ Turow, Joseph (2008). Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis. p. 554. ISBN 978-0-415-96058-8. Retrieved 29 January 2012.