The year was 1981. Pac-Man had swept the nation, and a visionary pop duo called Buckner & Garcia captured the moment with a massively popular Top 10 hit: “Pac-Man Fever.”
OK, so they weren’t exactly visionary – their previous collaboration was a novelty song called “Merry Christmas in the NFL” – but they did recognize the fever that was overtaking America’s arcades, and they had the foresight to release a catchy single in December of 1981, followed by a full-length album in 1982.
The song was a hit, peaking at #9 on the Billboard charts – and the full album expanded from just the iconic little yellow chomper to the whole modern video game universe. Songs included “Do the Donkey Kong,” “Ode to a Centipede,” “Goin’ Berzerk,” and the oddly-titled Frogger ballad, “Froggy’s Lament.”
Sadly, despite coming out in the early ’80s, “Pac-Man Fever” was about a year too soon for the MTV revolution. But we do have this YouTube embed that features the lyrics – and the glorious original song in its entirety. And believe us – the song alone is more than enough.
Give it a listen and we’re sure you’ll agree – “Pac-Man Fever” is infectious, and it’s just been caught by the Video Game Comedy Hall of Fame.
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