Candy (Iggy Pop song)

"Candy"
Single by Iggy Pop with Kate Pierson
from the album Brick by Brick
Released September 19, 1990
Format CD
Recorded 1990
Genre Alternative rock, Punk rock
Length 4:02
Label Virgin
Writer(s) Iggy Pop
Producer Don Was
Iggy Pop singles chronology
"Home"
(1990)		 "Candy"
(1990)		 "Butt Town"
(1991)
Brick by Brick track listing
"I Won't Crap Out"
(3)		 "Candy"
(4)		 "Butt Town"
(5)
A Million in Prizes: The Anthology track listing
"Home"
(9)		 "Candy"
(10)		 "Well Did You Evah!"
(11)

"Candy" is a song by Iggy Pop from his ninth solo album, Brick by Brick. The song is a duet with Kate Pierson of The B-52's, and was released as the album's second single in September 1990.[1] The song became the biggest mainstream hit of Pop's career, as he reached the US Top 40 chart for the first and only time.[2]

"Candy" was later included on the 1996 compilation Nude & Rude: The Best of Iggy Pop, as well as the 2005 two-disc greatest hits collection, A Million in Prizes: The Anthology.

Contents

Lyrics

In "Candy", the initial narrator is a man (Pop) who grieves over a lost love.[3] Following the first chorus, the perspective of the woman (Pierson) is heard. She expresses, unbeknownst to the male, that she misses him as well.[3] According to Pop, the lyrics refer to his teenage girlfriend, Betsy.[4] Pop said:

“ 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] ”

Another interpretation of the song is that the male protagonist sings to a prostitute, who gave him "love for free," while the woman explains that she has grown tired of the men "down on the street", and that she just wants love, not games.[5]

Reception

In the United States, "Candy" debuted on November 24, 1990 at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached a peak at number 28 in February 1991.[2] To date, it is Pop's only single to appear on the chart.[6] The song was a top five modern rock hit, remaining on the Modern Rock Tracks chart for seventeen weeks.[7] It also reached the top 30 of the Album Rock Tracks chart.[7] Elsewhere, the single reached the top 10 in the Netherlands and Australia, peaking at numbers seven and nine, respectively.[8][9] However, it was not as commercially successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 67.[10]

In 2008, the song was ranked number seven in Spinner.com's list of the ten best duets ever, and number fourteen in Retrocrush's list of the 25 greatest duets of all time.[11][12]

Track listings

CD Single (US)
  1. "Candy" (single edit) — 4:02
  2. "Candy" (original single) — 4:19
  3. "Candy" (less guitar mix) — 4:16
12" Vinyl / CD maxi (Europe)
  1. "Candy" — 4:14
  2. "The Undefeated" (acoustic demo version) — 2:38
  3. "Butt Town" (acoustic demo version) — 2:32
10" Vinyl limited edition (UK)
  1. "Candy"
  2. "Pussy Power" (acoustic demo version)
  3. "My Baby Wants To Rock N' Roll" (acoustic demo version)
7" Vinyl (Germany, France)
  1. "Candy" — 4:14
  2. "Pussy Power" (acoustice demo version) — 2:38

Chart performance

Chart (1990) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 28 [2]
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 5 [7]
U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks 30 [7]
Dutch Top 40 7 [8]
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 9 [9]
UK Singles Chart 67 [10]

Cover versions

Killer Barbies version

"Candy"
Single by Killer Barbies featuring Bela B.
from the album Sin Is In
Released September 30, 2002
Genre Rock and roll, Punk rock
Label Drakkar Records
Writer(s) Iggy Pop
Producer Uwe Hoffmann
The Killer Barbies singles chronology
"Gente Pez"
(2001)		 "Candy"
(2002)
Bela B. singles chronology
"You'll Never Walk Alone"
(2002)		 "Candy"
(2002)		 "Tanzverbot (Schill to Hell)"
(2003)

"Candy" was recorded and released as a single by the Spanish punk band Killer Barbies and German rock musician Bela B. in 2002 on Drakkar Records.

The maxi-CD contains a comic book illustrated by German graphic artist Schwarwel, titled "Tales of the Killer Barbies," in which Bela appears as Count Bela ("Der Graf" or in English, "The Count," a nickname for Bela).

The band's Sin Is In album does 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

Silvia 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 band mates 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

  1. "Candy" feat. Bela B. (Iggy Pop) — 3:59
  2. "Candy" (Spanish version) (Iggy Pop) — 3:57
Comic book version
  1. "Candy" feat. Bela B. (Iggy Pop) — 3:59
  2. "Fui yo" (non-album track) (S. Garcia/A. Dominguez) — 3:29
  3. "Going Wild" (non-album track) (S. Garcia/A. Dominguez) — 3:11
  4. "Candy" (Spanish version) feat. Bela B. (Iggy Pop) — 3:57

Other versions

References

  1. ^ "Candy" - single. Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved on 2009-07-08
  2. ^ a b c Iggy Pop Album & Song Chart History. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-28.
  3. ^ a b Billik, Kira L. "Iggy Pop is still angry, but his music is maturing." Associated Press (via the Chicago Tribune) 1990-11-15: 19E.
  4. ^ a b McCoy, Tod. "Godfather of punk goes lyrical." Cox News Service (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) 1990-12-08: 13. Retrieved on 2009-07-10.
  5. ^ We assess the best, and worst, all-time musical duets. HeraldSun.com.au. Retrieved on 2009-07-10.
  6. ^ Artist Chart History - Iggy Pop. Billboard.com Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
  7. ^ a b c d Iggy Pop Charts & Awards. Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved on 2009-07-28.
  8. ^ a b Dutch Top 40 - "Candy". hitparade.ch. Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
  9. ^ a b Australian Charts - "Candy". australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
  10. ^ a b UK Singles Chart - "Candy". chartstats.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-08.
  11. ^ 10 Best Duets Ever: No. 7. Spinner.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-10.
  12. ^ The Greatest Duets of All Time. retroCRUSH.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-28.
  13. ^ Pop O.D.: The Songs of Iggy Pop - Overview. Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved on 2009-07-10.

External links

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