Sponge released the song “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)” in 1995 as their third single off their debut album
Rotting Pinata.
The song ended up being a big hit for the band reaching #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being their only song to ever make it onto the Hot 100. It also charted at #3 on the Modern Rock Tracks and #11 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks.
Though the song is named after Molly Ringwald from
16 Candles
the song is not actually in reference to her. The band learned of a 16 year old girl who fell in love with her teacher and after he rejected her she overdosed on ecstasy, molly is also a street name for ecstasy. Molly references the drug and 16 is the girl’s age, but the addition of “candles” makes it a pop culture reference to the movie, while “down the drain” refers to the girl overdosing.
