Earlier this week, Primus announced the release of its next album Primus and the Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble, a full-length tribute to the cult classic film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The first track from the album that the band shared was a cover of the Willy Wonka classic "Pure Imagination," which got us thinking about other artists who have covered songs from the film. Here are ten more covers of Willy Wonka songs.
(Most of these are "Pure Imagination," since that's the best song in the film and everyone loves singing it.)
1. Sammy Davis, Jr. - "The Candy Man" (1972)
Sammy Davis, Jr.'s only number one hit came in 1972 with his cover of "The Candy Man," just one year after the release of Willy Wonka. Ironically, Davis, Jr. apparently hated the song.
2. Smoking Popes - "Pure Imagination" (1997)
Illinois pop-punk band Smoking Popes gave a cool '90s alternative spin to "Pure Imagination" for its 1997 album Destination Failure.
3. Harmony Rockets - "I've Got A Golden Ticket" (1997)
Mercury Rev spin-off Harmony Rockets released a version of "I've Got A Golden Ticket" in 1997, with an appropriately psychedelic touch than borders on acid house.
4. Mariah Carey - "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination" (1999)
For the remix to her hit "I Still Believe," Mariah Carey incorporated significant elements of "Pure Imagination" into the song's melody.
5. Family Guy - "Pure Inebriation/ Chumba-Wumba-Gobbledy-Goo" (2000)
The first act of this 2000 episode of Family Guy is heavily based on Willy Wonka, with a brewery substituting for the chocolate factory. Naturally, this tribute includes parodies of "Pure Imagination" and "The Oompa Loompa Song," titled here "Pure Inebriation" and "Chumba-Wumba-Gobbledy-Goo."
6. South Park - "I've Got A Golden Ticket" (2007)
Another controversial cartoon to include a Willy Wonka song is South Park, which featured "I've Got A Golden Ticket" in a 2007 episode, sung by Cartman after he discovers that he can get away with swearing if he pretends to have Tourette's Syndrome.
7. Maroon 5 - "Pure Imagination" (2009)
In 2009, Adam Levine and the other four Maroons (do they have names?) recorded their own version of "Pure Imagination," replacing the original's whimsy with an R&B-inspired atmosphere.
8. Glee Cast - "Pure Imagination" (2011)
In a 2011 episode of Glee, the cast gives us this admirably faithful rendition of "Pure Imagination," and with only half as much of the blatant Autotuning they typically use.
9. Russell Brand - "Pure Imagination" (2012)
He's not known as a singer, but comedian Russell Brand was still chosen to deliver a version of "Pure Imagination" at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra.
10. Fiona Apple - "Pure Imagination" (2013)
For the visually stunning short film "The Scarecrow," created by Chipotle, alternative singer-songwriter Fiona Apple recorded her own version of "Pure Imagination," which fits in perfectly with her dark, whimsical style.
