I Want Candy

For other uses, see I Want Candy (disambiguation).
"I Want Candy"
Side-A label of the American vinyl single
Single by the Strangeloves
from the album I Want Candy
B-side"It's About My Baby"
Released1965
Genre
Length2:59
LabelBang
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Strangeloves
The Strangeloves singles chronology
"Love, Love"
(1964) 		"I Want Candy"
(1965) 		"Out in the Sun"
(1965)

"I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4] It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.[4]

Original version

[edit]

"I Want Candy" was written by Bert Berns, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer in 1965. Some reports suggest that the song was written after the producers saw dancer Candy Johnson performing at the 1964 World's Fair.[5]

As writers/producers, Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer had already scored big hits for other artists, including "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels. For this song, the trio took on the moniker of the Strangeloves, and recorded the tune themselves, augmented by studio musicians (co-writer Berns was not involved in the studio recording). The female vocalist heard half-screaming, half-singing "Baby!" in the middle of the track was an unknown session singer.

Although Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer used their real names in the writing and production credits of this single, they claimed the Strangeloves were actually three Australian brothers (and ex-sheep farmers) named Giles, Miles and Niles Strange. Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer dressed up in shaggy wigs and exotic clothing for publicity photos as the Strangeloves.

"I Want Candy", the Strangeloves' second single, reached No. 7 in Canada[6] and hit No. 11 in the US.[4] The record failed to chart in the UK—or in the Strangeloves' ostensibly "native" country, Australia.

The Tremeloes version

[edit]

In the UK, the song first hit the UK Singles Chart in 1965, in a version by beat group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, who took it to No. 25.[7] This version also peaked at No. 81 in Australia.[8]

Bow Wow Wow version

[edit]
"I Want Candy"
Standard UK and international vinyl picture sleeve
Single by Bow Wow Wow
from the album The Last of the Mohicans
B-side"King Kong"
Released1982
StudioCriteria (Miami)
Genre
Length2:46
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
  • Bert Berns
  • Bob Feldman
  • Jerry Goldstein
  • Richard Gottehrer
Producer(s)Kenny Laguna
Bow Wow Wow singles chronology
"Go Wild in the Country"
(1982) 		"I Want Candy"
(1982) 		"Fools Rush In"
(1982)
Music video
"I Want Candy" on YouTube

English new wave group Bow Wow Wow released their version in 1982 as the first and only single from their EP The Last of the Mohicans. It was a top 10 hit in their native United Kingdom. For many in America, "I Want Candy" was their first introduction to young lead singer Annabella Lwin and the band, who partnered with producer Kenny Laguna to record the song at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida.[12] The song barely scraped the top 60 there but became an enduring new wave classic.[13]

To capitalize on the success of the "I Want Candy" music video, RCA compiled an album called I Want Candy for their newfound American audience. The album peaked at No. 123 on the Billboard 200.[14]

The Bow Wow Wow recording appeared on two VH1 countdowns:

  • No. 86 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s"[15]
  • No. 8 on VH1's "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '80s"[16]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 30
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 26
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 30
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 62
US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[24] 36
US Top Tracks (Billboard)[24] 22
US Cash Box Top 100[25] 61

Candy Girls version

[edit]
"I Want Candy"
Single by Candy Girls featuring Valerie Malcolm
B-side"Four other remixes"
Released1996 (UK)
Label
  • Feverpitch
  • EMI Records
Songwriter(s)
  • Bert Berns
  • Bob Feldman
  • Jerry Goldstein
  • Richard Gottehrer
Candy Girls singles chronology
"Wham Bam"
(1995) 		"I Want Candy"
(1996)

British duo Candy Girls, consisting of Rachel Auburn and Paul Masterson, released a cover of "I Want Candy" featuring singer Valerie Malcolm. It became their third hit single in 1996, peaking at No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 12 on the UK Dance Singles Chart. On Music Week's UK on a Pop Tip Club Chart, the song hit number-one. The single was their last as the duo split after the release. Masterson went on to have hits as Amen! UK, Clergy, Yomanda, Dorothy and Hi-Gate. A music video was also produced to promote the single.

Critical reception

[edit]

A reviewer from Music Week rated Candy Girls' version of "I Want Candy" three out of five, describing it as "a pumped-up version of Bow Wow Wow's hit complete with piano breaks for that hands in the air bit. The girls' debut could catapult them chartwards."[26] Daisy & Havoc from the magazine's RM Dance Update gave it four out of five, writing, "The next booming Candy Girls outing is probably their best yet. It's really amusing, with the so-suitable 'I want candy' vocal and the all-round Nineties pop meets Fifties kitsch feel, and it's positively rabble-rousing in its enormous piano breaks."[27]

Track listings

[edit]
  • Disc 1
  1. "I Want Candy" (Radio Edit)
  2. "I Want Candy" (12" Mix)
  3. "I Want Candy" (Candy's Disco Dub)
  4. "I Want Candy" (Jon the Dentist's Mix)
  5. "I Want Candy" (Beat Barons Mix)
  • Disc 2
  1. "I Want Candy" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Wham Bam"
  3. "Fee Fi Fo Fum"

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[28] 57
Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[29] 6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[30] 63
Scotland (OCC)[31] 31
UK Singles (OCC)[32] 30
UK Dance (OCC)[33] 12
UK on a Pop Tip Club Chart (Music Week)[34] 1

Aaron Carter version

[edit]
"I Want Candy"
Single by Aaron Carter
from the album Aaron's Party (Come Get It)
B-side"Jump, Jump"
Released2000
Length3:16
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Bert Berns
  • Bob Feldman
  • Jerry Goldstein
  • Richard Gottehrer
Aaron Carter singles chronology
"Children of the World"
(1999) 		"I Want Candy"
(2000) 		"Aaron's Party (Come Get It)"
(2000)

Aaron Carter released a cover of "I Want Candy" as his seventh overall single, and the second single from his second album, Aaron's Party (Come Get It) (2000).

This version of "I Want Candy" begins with a phone conversation with a friend about a girl named Candy and features the participation of his brother Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. Carter promoted it by performing it on the show Lizzie McGuire. A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Andrew MacNaughtan. Carter released a remix of the song in 2018, self-produced on his LøVë album.[35]

The music video for this version features Carter going on a date with Candy while three boys constantly harass him.

Track listings

[edit]

Single

  1. "I Want Candy" (album version) – 3:13
  2. "I Want Candy" (instrumental) – 3:13

Maxi CD

  1. "I Want Candy" (album version) – 3:13
  2. "I Want Candy" (instrumental) – 3:13
  3. "Jump Jump" – 2:39

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[36] 27
Australian Dance (ARIA)[37] 15
France (SNEP)[38] 46
Germany (GfK)[39] 68
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[40] 27
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 21
Scotland (OCC)[42] 35
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[43] 10
UK Singles (OCC)[44] 31
UK Indie (OCC)[45] 9

Year-end charts

[edit]
Chart (2000) Position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[46] 92

Melanie C version

[edit]
"I Want Candy"
Single by Melanie C
from the album This Time
B-side"Already Gone"
Released26 March 2007
Length3:23
LabelRed Girl
Songwriter(s)
  • Bert Berns
  • Bob Feldman
  • Jerry Goldstein
  • Richard Gottehrer
Producer(s)Stephen Hague
Melanie C singles chronology
"The Moment You Believe"
(2007) 		"I Want Candy"
(2007) 		"Carolyna"
(2007)
Music video
"I Want Candy" on YouTube

"I Want Candy" was released as the second single from English singer Melanie C's fourth album This Time, and the first single in the UK, Denmark and Italy, released on 26 March 2007.[47] The song was also the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, and the video featured Melanie dancing for the first time since the Spice Girls. Melanie split her time between the UK and Europe, where she was promoting "The Moment You Believe", and as a result, the single was not heavily promoted and reached No. 24 — although on the physical chart, the single reached No. 7. "I Want Candy" went on to sell 12,510 copies in the UK, but had better success in Italy (No. 9) and Denmark (No. 12).

Melanie premiered her version of the song during Al Murray's Happy Hour on ITV1 on 24 February 2007. The video was premiered on 2 March 2007 in the UK. The song was released as Italy's and Denmark's first single from the new album, where it reached No. 9 in both countries, while in other European countries, the ballad "The Moment You Believe" was chosen.

Music video

[edit]

A music video for "I Want Candy", directed by Tim Royes, depicts Melanie C in a skin-tight catsuit, featuring a sexually suggestive dance routine with half-naked bodybuilders in crowd-controller uniforms. The video instantly grabbed the number one spot on YouTube with 200,000 hits in its first day.[48]

Track listings

[edit]
UK CD single[49]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Want Candy" (single version)
  • Berns
  • Feldman
  • Goldstein
  • Gottehrer
Hague3:24
2."I Want Candy"
  • Melanie Chisholm
  • Dave Munday
  • Phil Thornalley
Hague4:08
UK maxi CD single[50]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Want Candy" (single version)
Stephen Hague3:23
2."I Want Candy" (Club Junkies mix)
  • Berns
  • Feldman
  • Goldstein
  • Gottehrer
  • Hague
  • Club Junkies[a]
6:37
3."I Want Candy" (So-Lo's Electric vocal mix)
  • Berns
  • Feldman
  • Goldstein
  • Gottehrer
5:16
4."I Want Candy" (So-Lo's Filtered disco dub)
  • Berns
  • Feldman
  • Goldstein
  • Gottehrer
7:33
5."I Want Candy" (music video)  3:22

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of This Time.[51]

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for "I Want Candy"
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Denmark (Tracklisten)[52] 9
Italy (FIMI)[53] 9
Scotland (OCC)[54] 9
UK Singles (OCC)[55] 24

The Count Bishops version

[edit]

The Count Bishops, British proto punk and pub-rock band, released their version of "I Want Candy" on independent label Chiswick Records in 1978, making an appearance on the British TV show Top of the Pops.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Strangeloves – I Want Candy – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (May 31, 2018). "The Number Ones: The Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 10, 2023. The Strangeloves fucking ruled, developing a take on proto-punk garage rock that was both bubblegum-catchy and dizzily percussion-heavy. Their singles, like "I Want Candy" and "Night Time," were just killer.
  3. ^ Sheffield, Rob (September 27, 2022). "100 Best Songs of 1982". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2023. I Want Candy" was a forgotten Sixties bubblegum hit...
  4. ^ a b c Cooper, Kim; Smay, David; Austen, Jake (2001). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Feral House. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-9229-1569-9. They hoodwinked enough American teens with their phony story, "Aboriginal" drums and cheap Beatle wigs in 1965 to send "I Want Candy" to number 11 on the national charts. If only for that one song, the Strangeloves are worthy of discussion. "I Want Candy" is a revelation. a Bo Diddley jungle beat, jazzy guitar line, and massed, aharmonious male vocals sounding like a fraternity at its drunken pinnacle
  5. ^ "'I Want Candy' Is About a 1960s Singer from the World's Fair". GroovyHistory.com. September 3, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 40&5 Singles - August 2, 1965" (PDF).
  7. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  8. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 4". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  9. ^ "New Wave Music Songs". AllMusic.
  10. ^ Wide, Steve (September 22, 2020). "Honourable Mentions: New Wave 'One-Hit Wonders'". A Field Guide to Post-Punk and New Wave. Smith Street Books. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-925811-76-6.
  11. ^ Smay, David (2001). "Bubblegum & New Wave". In Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles: Feral House. pp. 248–250.
  12. ^ Reesman, Bryan (October 1, 2007). "Classic Tracks: Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy"". Mix. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Demalon, Tom. "Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  14. ^ "Bow Wow Wow – Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ^ "VH1'S "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s" preaches to the choir with Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" taking the top spot". VH1. 24 October 2006. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010.
  16. ^ "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s: Read the List". VH1. 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 6 August 2009.
  17. ^ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  18. ^ "Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  19. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Want Candy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  20. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 30, 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  21. ^ "Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  22. ^ "Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  24. ^ a b c "Bow Wow Wow – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  25. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JULY 3, 1982". Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012.
  26. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. November 16, 1996. p. 10. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  27. ^ Daisy & Havoc (November 16, 1996). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). p. 10. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  28. ^ "Candy Girls – I Want Candy". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  29. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 9875." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  30. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 50. December 14, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  33. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  34. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). November 30, 1996. p. 8. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  35. ^ Koman, Tess (February 16, 2018). "So Aaron Carter Just Dropped an 'I Want Candy' Remix". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  36. ^ "Aaron Carter – I Want Candy". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  37. ^ "Issue 567" ARIA Top 50 Dance Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  38. ^ "Aaron Carter – I Want Candy" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  39. ^ "Aaron Carter – I Want Candy" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  40. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 2000" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  41. ^ "Aaron Carter – I Want Candy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  42. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  43. ^ "Aaron Carter – I Want Candy". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  44. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  45. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  46. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2000". Hitlistan.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
  47. ^ "I Want Candy by Melanie C". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  48. ^ "Home". MelanieC.net. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  49. ^ "I Want Candy by Melanie C". Spotify. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  50. ^ "I Want Candy by Melanie C". Spotify. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  51. ^ This Time (liner notes). Melanie C. Red Girl Records. 2007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  52. ^ "Melanie C – I Want Candy". Tracklisten. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  53. ^ "Melanie C – I Want Candy". Top Digital Download. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  54. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  55. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
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