"Candy"is a song fromIggy Pop's ninth solo album,Brick by Brick.A duet withKate Piersonofthe B-52's,it was the album's secondsingle,in September 1990.[1]It became the biggest mainstream hit of Pop's career, as he reached the top 40 in the United States for the first and only time. The song additionally peaked within the top 10 in Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands. "I've written one good pop song: 'Candy'," he noted. "It's a very decent, proper pop song, but that's as far as that went."[2]
"Candy" | ||||
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SinglebyIggy Pop | ||||
from the albumBrick by Brick | ||||
Released | September 19, 1990 | |||
Length |
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Label | Virgin | |||
Songwriter(s) | Iggy Pop | |||
Producer(s) | Don Was | |||
Iggy Popsingles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Candy"on YouTube |
The cover was drawn by American cartoonistCharles Burns."Candy" reappeared on the 1996 compilationNude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Popand the 2005 two-disc collectionA Million in Prizes: The Anthology.
Background
editThe initial narrator is a man (Pop) who grieves a lost love.[3]Following the first chorus, the perspective of the woman (Pierson) is heard. She expresses, unbeknownst to the man, that she misses him too.[3]According to Pop, the lyrics refer to a teenage girlfriend, Betsy:[4]
I was looking back on my relationship with her, and I thought 'Let's be fair. Let the girl have her say.' I wanted a girl who would sing with a small-town voice, and Kate has a little twang in her voice that sounds slightly rural and naive.[4]
The song was initially offered toChrissie Hynde.She said, "we didn't pull that off. And I always regretted that, because Iggy was always my number one when I was growing up. And then he wrote this song and he sent it to me. It was handwritten and everything. I don't know what I did to turn him off the idea, but then I never heard from him. And he ended up doing the song with Kate Pierson."[5]
Reception
editIn the United States, "Candy" debuted on November 24, 1990, at number 90 on theBillboardHot 100.It peaked at number 28 in February 1991 and is Pop's only single to appear on the chart.[6]The song was a top-five modern rock hit, remaining on theModern Rock Trackschart for 17 weeks.[7]It also reached the top 30 of theAlbum Rock Trackschart.[8]Elsewhere, the single reached the top 10 in Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia, peaking at numbers 10, four, and nine, respectively.[9][10][11]"Candy" also charted well in New Zealand, reaching number 39, and is Pop's only other song to chart there besides the number-one hit "Real Wild Child (Wild One)".[12]However, it was not as commercially successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 67.[13]
In 2008, the song was ranked number seven onSpinner.com's list of the 10 best duets ever, and number 14 in Retrocrush's list of the 25 greatest duets of all time.[14][15]
Track listings
edit
CD single (U.S.)
12 "vinyl / CD maxi (Europe)
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10 "vinyl limited edition (U.K.)
7 "vinyl (Germany, France)
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Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[21] | Gold | 35,000^ |
^Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Cover versions
editKiller Barbies version
edit"Candy" | ||||
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SinglebyKiller BarbiesfeaturingBela B. | ||||
from the albumSin Is In | ||||
Released | September 30, 2002 | |||
Genre | Rock and roll,punk rock | |||
Label | Drakkar | |||
Songwriter(s) | Iggy Pop | |||
Producer(s) | Uwe Hoffmann | |||
The Killer Barbiessingles chronology | ||||
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Bela B.singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Candy"on YouTube |
"Candy" was recorded and released as a single by the SpanishpunkbandKiller Barbiesand German rock musicianBela B.in 2002 onDrakkar Records.
The maxi-CD contains a comic book illustrated by German graphic artist Schwarwel, titledTales of the Killer Barbies,in which Bela appears as Count Bela ( "der Graf", or in English "the Count", a nickname for Bela B.).
The band's albumSin Is Indoes not include the single version of the song; however, it does contain a John Fryer remix as well as the music video for "Candy."
Video
editSilvia finds a comic book from a stand, where Bela as Count Bela sings to her. She gets hooked on it and sits down to read it. However, her bandmates follow her and she has to flee to read the comic book in peace. Later, Count Bela sings in the studio with her. Silvia is also seen as a comic book character.
Track listings
edit- "Candy" feat. Bela B. (Iggy Pop) — 3:59
- "Candy" (Spanish version) (Iggy Pop) — 3:57
- Comic book version
- "Candy" feat. Bela B. (Iggy Pop) — 3:59
- "Fui yo" (non-album track) (S. Garcia/A. Dominguez) — 3:29
- "Going Wild" (non-album track) (S. Garcia/A. Dominguez) — 3:11
- "Candy" (Spanish version) feat. Bela B. (Iggy Pop) — 3:57
Other versions
edit- Heavy metalartist the Impaler (the lead singer of the S&M band, N2 submission), with singer Cindi St. Germain, recorded aspoken wordversion of the song for the 1998tribute album,Pop O.D.: The Songs of Iggy Pop.[22]
- Polish rock bandHeyrecorded a live version of the song for their albumMTV Unplugged.It was performed by the band's female singerKasia Nosowskaand Jacek "Budyń" Szymkiewicz from the band Pogodno on male vocals.
- Czech punk bandTři sestrymade a cover titled "Venda" with their own Czech lyrics. This song is part of the 1999 albumSoubor kreténů.
- Spanish rock singer Loquillo has also recorded a cover of "Candy" titled "Candy baby". It is included in Loquillo's compilation albumRock n' roll star: 30 añosand Kate Pierson's part was sung by Aurora Beltrán, the Tahúres Zurdos' vocalist.
References
edit- ^"Candy"- single.AllMusic). Retrieved on July 8, 2009
- ^Graff, Gary(January 2017). "I'll be 75 by the time of my next album…".Classic Rock.No. 231. p. 44.
- ^abBillik, Kira L. "Iggy Pop is still angry, but his music is maturing." Associated Press (via theChicago Tribune) November 15, 1990: 19E.
- ^abMcCoy, Tod. "Godfather of punk goes lyrical."Cox News Service (via thePittsburgh Post-Gazette) 1990-12-08: 13. Retrieved on 2009-07-10.
- ^"Chrissie Hynde: 'I'm more relaxed now. Ageing is like being a pothead again'".The Guardian.RetrievedAugust 8,2023.
- ^ab"Iggy Pop Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^ab"Iggy Pop Chart History (Alternative Airplay)".Billboard.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^ab"Iggy Pop Chart History (Mainstream Rock)".Billboard.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^ab"Iggy Pop – Candy "(in Dutch).Ultratop 50.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^ab"Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1990"(in Dutch).Dutch Top 40.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^ab"Iggy Pop – Candy ".ARIA Top 50 Singles.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^ab"Iggy Pop – Candy ".Top 40 Singles.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^ab"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^10 Best Duets Ever: No. 7.Spinner.com. Retrieved on July 10, 2009.
- ^The Greatest Duets of All TimeArchivedAugust 15, 2009, at theWayback Machine.retroCRUSH.com. Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
- ^"Eurochart Hot 100 Singles"(PDF).Music & Media.Vol. 7, no. 46. November 17, 1990. p. IV.RetrievedJune 21,2021.
- ^"Iggy Pop – Candy "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved April 2, 1987.
- ^"Jaaroverzichten 1990"(in Dutch).Ultratop.RetrievedApril 2,2019.
- ^"Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990".Dutch Top 40.RetrievedMay 26,2020.
- ^"Jaaroverzichten - Single 1990"(in Dutch).MegaCharts.RetrievedApril 2,2019.
- ^"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1991 Singles"(PDF).Australian Recording Industry Association.RetrievedSeptember 24,2021.
- ^Pop O.D.: The Songs of Iggy Pop- Overview.AllMusic). Retrieved on July 10, 2009.
External links
edit- "Candy" videoon YouTube
- "Candy" lyrics