Pure Imagination facts for kids

"Pure Imagination" is a famous song from the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In the film, the amazing Willy Wonka sings this song. The actor Gene Wilder played Willy Wonka and sang the song. Two British writers, Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, wrote "Pure Imagination" just for the movie. It's said they wrote the whole song over the phone in just one day!

About the Song's Journey

When the movie first came out, "Pure Imagination" wasn't very popular. The film itself wasn't a huge hit at first. Other songs from the movie's soundtrack were more well-known.

However, things changed in the 1980s. The movie started showing on TV a lot. This helped both the film and "Pure Imagination" become much more famous. Even though the original song never became a top hit, some other artists' versions did!

When Gene Wilder passed away in 2016, something amazing happened. The song's popularity exploded! Its streams and sales went up by more than 1000% in just one week. "Pure Imagination" was used in many TV shows, radio tributes, and social media posts to remember Gene Wilder.

Cool Cover Versions

Many different artists have sung "Pure Imagination" over the years. They have covered and remixed the song hundreds of times. Here are some interesting examples:

• Lou Rawls recorded a version for his 1976 album All Things in Time.
• The unique guitarist Buckethead has covered the song many times. You can hear his versions on his albums Bucketheadland (1992) and Giant Robot (1994). He also plays it live!
• Soft rock singer Kenny Loggins included part of the song in his 1994 album Return to Pooh Corner.
• The punk band Smoking Popes had their version on their 1997 album Destination Failure.
• On The Muppet Show, Ben Vereen sang the song to a sad Muppet named Droop. This version even changed into a bossa nova style!
• Maroon 5 covered "Pure Imagination" for a children's album in 2004. They sang it again in 2009 for another album.
• In 2005, MasterCard used an upbeat, alternative-style version of the song in a TV commercial.
• Fiona Apple sang the song for a Chipotle short film in 2013.
• Jamie Cullum recorded a cover for his 2013 album Momentum.
• Jackie Evancho covered this song for her album Songs from the Silver Screen.
• Mariah Carey made an urban/R&B remix of "Pure Imagination."
• Comedian Russell Brand performed the song at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
• The musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical features Charlie singing "Pure Imagination" with Wonka.
• The Glee Cast covered the song in an episode called "Funeral".
• An orchestral version of the song was played at the 86th Academy Awards in 2014. This happened after Lupita Nyong'o won an award.
• The band Primus covered "Pure Imagination" in their own unique way for their 2014 album.
• Josh Groban performed this song at the Royal Variety Show in 2015. He also covered it for his album Stages. He even sang it in a YouTube video with violinist Lindsey Stirling and The Muppets!
• In 2016, EDM producer Fox Stevenson played a cover of this song at a music festival. It was a tribute to Gene Wilder after he passed away.
• In October 2016, Microsoft used a special version of the music to announce their Surface Studio.
• In 2017, the song was used in an Audi A5 Sportback commercial.
• An instrumental version of the song was used in the trailer for the 2018 film Ready Player One.
• J. P. Karliak sang "Pure Imagination" as Willy Wonka in the 2017 film Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
• Ruby Arias sang the song for a school concert in the Supergirl episode "The Faithful".
• An instrumental version of the song is in the 2017 Marvel Studios film Thor: Ragnarok.
• John Legend made a funny version of the song called "Flavorful Hydration" for a Bai Fruit Water commercial.