CBS News’ Bob Woodruff looks at the history of the song that caused the American sugar rush, “The Sugar Rush,” that lasted from 1915 to 1927.
The song was written by singer-songwriter Irving Berlin and recorded by pianist Frank Zappa.
Its lyrics included the line, “If you want to live in the world of tomorrow, the only way to get there is to love the man who lives today.”
Berlin died in 1929.
Zappa’s widow, Mary, who wrote the lyrics, died in 1970.
Berlin died of heart failure in 1965.
The song was recorded by Frank Zapp’s wife, the songwriter and composer Susanne Schumann, and her husband, Frank Zottle, who recorded the lyrics.
The Sugar Revolution”Sugar Rush” was released as a single in 1915.
The band was also the first major pop act to record a hit single.
It went to number one on the charts.
But its impact was swift.
The popularity of the single quickly spread and its lyrics were parodied by the popular television show, “Saturday Night Live.”
In 1926, a group of artists formed the Sugar Revolution, an effort to revive the song, and Zappa recorded a new version for his wife, Mary Zottolem.
In 1927, a songwriting competition was held to find a new musical inspiration for the song.
Zapp was the winner.
After his wife’s death, Zappa was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
He died in 1979.
