Pac-Man Fever

Pac-Man Fever is a 1982 concept album recorded by Buckner & Garcia. It is also the name of the first song on that album. Each song on the album is about a different classic arcade game, and uses sound effects from that game. The album was released as an LP, a cassette, an 8-track tape, and later completely re-recorded for CD release in 1999 and 2002. The title itself is a parody of “Cat Scratch Fever” by Ted Nugent.[2]

The title song, “Pac-Man Fever”, was released as a single in December 1981 and became a top-ten hit, peaking at #9 in March 1982 on the Billboard Hot 100[3] and earning Gold certification by the RIAA for selling over a million records;[4] the single sold 2.5 million copies in total as of 2008.[5] It had been released independently earlier in the year on the BGO Records label, before being picked up by CBS. “Do the Donkey Kong” was the second single released from the album, but it failed to chart except on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles at #103. Like the title song, the album Pac-Man Fever itself went on to receive a Gold certification from the RIAA, for over 500,000 records sold;[6] the album sold 900,000 copies in total by the end of 1982. The duo performed both of these singles on American Bandstand on March 20, 1982,[7] as well as appearing later that day on Solid Gold,[8] singing “Pac-Man Fever”.