Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)

"Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)"
Single by Sponge
from the album Rotting Piñata
Released	1995
Format	CD
Genre	Post-grunge[1]
Length	3:35
Label	Sony
Producer(s)	Tim Patalan and Sponge
Sponge singles chronology
"Plowed" (1994) "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)" (1995) "Rainin'" (1995)

"Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)" is a song by American rock band Sponge, released in 1995 as the third single from their debut album Rotting Piñata. It also serves as the name of the band's greatest hits album, which was released in 2000. It was originally titled "Molly" on Rotting Piñata, but was elongated for its release as a single. It was ostensibly named after actress Molly Ringwald, who starred in Sixteen Candles. However, it was actually inspired by a story one of the band members heard about a girl who fell in love with one of her teachers shortly before her 16th birthday, who then attempted to commit suicide via an overdose of ecstasy after he rejected her, hence "16 candles down the drain." "Molly" is a more pure form of MDMA than street ecstasy.

To date, it is the band's only song to appear on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, having peaked at number 55 in August 1995.^[2] It is the band's highest-charting song on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it was a top three hit. The song also reached number 11 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

The music video for the song was released in 1995 and was directed by Doug Aitken.^[3]

Track listing

1. "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)"
2. "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)" [Live]
3. "Cowboy Eyes"
4. "Seventeen"

Chart performance

Chart (1995)	Peak position
US Hot 100[4]	55
US Modern Rock Tracks[5]	3
US Mainstream Rock Tracks[6]	11

References

1. Unterberger, Andrew. "Top Ten Mediocre Post-Grunge / Alternative Bands". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
2. Artist Chart History - Sponge - Singles. Billboard.com. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.
3. MTV Videos. MTV.com. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.
4. Billboard Hot 100 Charts - Sponge - "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)". Billboard.com. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.
5. Billboard Modern Rock Charts - Sponge - "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)". Billboard.com. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.
6. Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts - Sponge - "Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)". Billboard.com. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.