It's never great when the best thing that can be said about a single is that it's "more of the same". Still, when it's a genuinely great song we're talking about that's one thing: a group might be repeating the same tricks in order to capitalize on prior success (record labels encourage such stunts and no doubt a few artists have at least given it some thought). But when your previous hit feebly pandered to kids, you really ought to give the whole 'don't mess with the formula' approach a good re-think. That said, kids bought the rotten "Simon Says" so why wouldn't they rush out to pick up a copy of yet another tribute to playground games?
The difference, at least in part, may be down to "1, 2. 3, Red Light" merely using the game to underscore relationship difficulties. (Your love life can't be in great shape to begin with if all you have to compare it with is the likes of Hide and Go Seek and Tag) The last time, it was about playing the game Simon Says in the song "Simon Says". No subtext required. This time, a game of (presumably) Red Light, Green Light becomes a metaphor for a troubled boyfriend-girlfriend dynamic. Not a great premise for a song but progress is progress all the same.
Fortunately, "1, 2, 3, Red Light" is a modest improvement on its predecessor, largely because it isn't nearly as gauche. There is very little to it but there are hints that the members of 1910 Fruitgum Company aspired to let loose. They don't make much of the opportunity — assuming it even was an opportunity — and the composition is badly undercooked so it's still extremely weak, just not to the wretched levels of their last attempt.
(Well, actually...1910 Fruitgum Company did have a single that came between "Simon Says" and "1, 2, 3, Red Light". "May I Take a Giant Step (Into Your Heart)" somehow flopped while the numbers that bookend it managed to be big hits. I would imagine that Buddha Records failed to promote it properly since it's just as idiodically catchy as the other two. This began an odd pattern of Fruitgum singles either sinking or swimming. It did nearly crack the RPM Top 20 but that was by far the best it managed to do)
During the week "1, 2, 3,..." sat atop the Canadian hit parade, summer shifted over to autumn and with it a slight uptick in the maturity of what was to follow it. That's not to say everything was brilliant but perhaps bubblegum pop was beginning to wind down as a dominant force in pop. Yet, a mammoth of the genre is still to come in 1969 and even 1910 Fruitgum Company weren't yet done. And who knows? Maybe their next attempt will show further progress in their sound just as this their second number one had on their first. I'm not going to hold my breath though, especially since it appears they were about to trade the schoolyard for some casual racism. Oh the gems we have to look forward to...
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