The Candy Man

"The Candy Man" (or alternately, "The Candy Man Can") is a song from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. It was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the film and does not appear in the original book or the 2005 film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was sung by Aubrey Woods, who played Bill the candy store owner in the original film.

Cover versions and other uses

"The Candy Man" was most famously covered by Sammy Davis, Jr.. It appears on the Sammy Davis Jr. Now studio album. His version of "The Candy Man" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 10, 1972, spending three weeks there and two weeks atop the adult contemporary chart. The track featured vocals by the Mike Curb Congregation, who had earlier released their own unsuccessful version of the song. Davis was interested in playing the character of Bill in the original film. Although producers balked at the idea (and although he originally disliked the song), Davis eventually worked the song into his shows and it is now recognized as one of his signature songs.

"The Candy Man" has been featured in a number of radio, films and TV shows.

• Malcolm in the Middle, in the episode "New Neighbors," as the song that Commandant Spangler teaches to the military academy choir.
• Scrubs, in the episode "My Dream Job", during a day-dream sequence where JD imagines his dream job: being the "Chocolate King" and having an office where everything (including Turk, as his secretary) is made of chocolate.
• A 1996 episode of The Ren & Stimpy Show ("Sammy and Me"_ featured a parody of "The Candy Man" entitled "The Mantis Man", sung by a praying mantis version of Sammy Davis, Jr. named Sammy Mantis (voiced by Tommy Davidson).
• In the 2005 film Madagascar, when Alex the Lion is shot with a tranquilizer dart, he has a psychedelic experience with the Sammy Davis, Jr. version playing throughout. First, popping versions of Gloria's head, Marty's black and white stripes, and Melman's giraffe spots, then, Marty and Melman dancing (Marty and Melman also dance in the end credits, but without the psychedelic experience colors and in different dances), and Gloria as the Statue of Liberty in New York City as the fireworks go bursted turns into a green fairy and performs a Tinkerbell-esque magic wand tap and a bunch of green glass stars flew across the screen (The song and the psychedelic experience is sped up the second time after the Gold for Expedition scene ends with Alex saying, "Oh, man!").
• Jennifer Tilly's character, Monica Moran, sings the song in an audition to be a lounge singer in the film The Fabulous Baker Boys
• The Simpsons have parodied the song in the episode "Trash of the Titans" as "The Garbage Man Can", which briefly features U2. In Simpsons Comics #53, Homer also featured a mental parody showing Homer as Willy Wonka and Bart and Lisa as Oompa-loompas.

Homer: "Who can take some vodka, sprinkle it with ice, pour it down your gullet 'till the world seems really nice? The brandyman. The brandyman can if you're over 21...

Lisa and Bart:"...or just sixteen in Amsterdam!

• Chris Evans originally played the song on his popular drive time BBC Radio 2 show every Friday afternoon. Once he replaced Terry Wogan on the breakfast show on January 2010, he has continued to play the tune every Friday morning. The song was also used on a TV trailer, promoting his new breakfast show.
• Danny Baker used the song extensively as a theme during his breakfast show for BBC London 94.9. He would reward listeners who phoned into the show and greeted him as Candy Man. During his time on the show he amassed a large number of existing versions of the song and commissioned guests such as Ray Gelato to produce new versions. He continues to use the song as a theme tune for his afternoon show on BBC London 94.9.
• In Gilmore Girls, after Rory loses her virginity to Dean she tells him very seriously that every time he hears the song she is about to play him he must think of her, before playing him 'The Candy Man' causing him to start laughing. Also, Taylor sings it in Season Three when he's announcing the opening of his Candy Shoppe.
• In an episode of My Name Is Earl (season 1, episode 24), Randy Hickey finds a coin in a drain, which is accompanied by an instrumental rendition of the Candy Man.
• On Krayzie Bone's 1999 album Thug Mentality 1999, he uses the melody and meter of "Candy Man" for the intro to the song "Dummy Man".

"Who can take some bread crumbs, mix it up with soap, create a 20 rock to make the fiends think it's dope, the Dummy Man can"

• Cibo Matto covered the song on their album Viva! La Woman.
• Craig David uses the melody of "Candy Man" for the chorus of his song "Booty Man".
• Another cover version can be found on a Kidsongs video and DVD, "What I Want to Be".
• In 2010, the song was featured in Fringe episode 2.20, "Brown Betty," sung by singing corpses in a "fairy tale" that Dr. Walter Bishop was telling Olivia Dunham's niece, Ella. The song was subsequently parodied by The Fringemunks as part of a medley that recapped this musical episode's storyline.^[1]
• Conan O'Brien's 77th show of Conan was titled "The Candy Man Can't."
• Whenever Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees hits a home run, John Sterling of the New York Yankees Radio Network says "The Grandy Man, the Grandy Man can!"
• In an episode of Home Improvement, "Wilson's World", After Tim gives advice to Wilson said by Sammy Davis Jr., he says,"When it comes to wisdom, there's nobody like the Candy Man."
• Comedian Tim Hawkins released a parody of the song entitled "the Government Can" in 2009. The video for the song went viral and has garnered over 4.6 million hits on YouTube.^[2]

See also

• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1972 (U.S.)
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1972 (U.S.)

References

• The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996