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"Candy" is a song by American pop singer Mandy Moore. It served as Moore's debut single from her debut studio album, So Real (1999), and was released on August 17, 1999, by Epic Records and 550 Music. The song was written and composed by Denise Rich, Dave Katz, Denny Kleiman, and produced by Jive Jones, Tony Battaglia, and Shaun Fisher.[1]

"Candy"
Single by Mandy Moore
from the album So Real
Released	August 17, 1999
Genre	Bubblegum pop
Length	3:54
Label	Epic 550 Music
Songwriter(s)	Denise Rich Dave Katz Denny Kleiman
Producer(s)	Jive Jones Tony Battaglia Shaun Fisher
Mandy Moore singles chronology
"Candy" (1999) "Walk Me Home" (1999)
Music video
"Candy" on YouTube

Though the song was moderately successful on the US charts, peaking at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1999,[2] the success of the single led to an earlier release date for So Real,[3] and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for having sold more than 500,000 copies in the US.[4]

Background

Moore, who as a kid participated in local singing troupes[5] and had sung the National Anthem at various events in Orlando,[3] was said to be discovered by producers Shaun Fisher and Tony Battaglia when they listened to a track she sang on a children's music CD.[5] Moore worked with Fisher and Battaglia on recording a demo, which eventually found its way to record labels and sparked a bidding war for Moore between Sony Records and MCA Records.[5] After signing with Epic Records, Moore began work on her debut album with Battaglia and Fisher as primary producers and writers. "Candy" and So Real were released when Moore was fifteen years old.[6] In the summer of 1999, Moore toured with boy band NSYNC to promote the single.[5]

Composition

"Candy" is a bubblegum pop song that lasts for 3 minutes and 54 seconds, written in the key of G major.[7][8] The song begins with a "twinkling melody that [adds to the song's] dreamy innocence".[9] Can't Stop the Pop wrote the song "encapsulated the bubblegum era like no other",[9] and although it shares elements with Swedish pop, its "lyrical content and delivery were skewed towards a younger teen audience."[9] The website added,

Of course, the pièce de résistance of the whole song is the iconic spoken middle-eight. It’s the moment that Mandy Moore stamps her identity over the track...'You know who you are, your love is as sweet as candy, I’ll be forever yours, love always, Mandy'. This is what the bubblegum pop era was all about; music that was completely unfazed and unpretentious about itself, no matter how utterly absurd it could be.[9]

Critical reception

Though the song was a commercial success, "Candy" received mixed reviews from critics who compared the single to that of other teen pop singers like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson. In a lukewarm review, William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote,

Moore is 550 Music's entry in the female teen singer sweepstakes of 1999. Moore lacks the undercurrent of sensuality Britney Spears brings to such material, but then she seems to be aiming at a younger demographic. Whether or not she makes it is more dependent on her looks, her ability to dance, and her label's promotional abilities than on the record itself, which is about par for this sort of thing.[1]

Chart performance

"Candy" was a modest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, entering the chart at number 88 and peaking just outside the top 40 at number 41 on the week of October 29, 1999.[2] The single received more success abroad, peaking at #6 in the UK and #2 in Australia. As of November 2012, "Candy" has sold 753,000 physical copies and 198,000 paid digital downloads according to Nielsen Soundscan.[10]

Music video

The music video to promote the single and album was directed by Chris Robinson. Filmed in July 1999, the video begins with shots of a typical neighborhood, with the camera eventually zooming in to Mandy Moore's bedroom. After Moore's friends (played by the members of the female pop group P.Y.T.[11]) call Moore from outside her bedroom window, her friends get in a green Volkswagen New Beetle (with the VW logos removed) and Moore drives her friends to their destination. A guy skateboarding with friends in the neighborhood notices Moore as her car passes him by. Moore and her friends arrive at a diner called Cadillac Jack's. After being seated, the same guy from earlier shows up in the diner with his friends. He and Moore steal glances at each other from across the diner. The video intercuts between Moore dancing outside the diner with her friends and her crush driving his Vespa-style scooter through the neighborhood, accompanied by Moore. The end of the music video shows Moore and her dancers in an empty pool, surrounded by the skateboarders doing laps.[11]

The video was nearly retired from TRL; it had spent 61 days on the countdown in total.

Live performances

Moore performed the Wade Robson Remix version during Summer Music Mania 2000.[12]

Legacy

Though Moore has expressed distaste for the teen pop beginnings of her early music career,[13][14][15] she has since embraced "Candy"[16] and performs the song as part of her set list at her shows.[17] "Candy" was covered by Tiffany Giardina for her 2009 album No Average Angel. The song was featured in the 2000 movie Center Stage,[11] as well as on the first episode of 2019 comedy series PEN15.[18] The 2021 music video for "Brutal" by Olivia Rodrigo contained visual references to Y2K-era pop culture like the "Candy" video, including the lime green VW bug[19] and a nod to Moore's hairstyle.[20] Candy was featured in one of the scenes in the Netflix movie Senior Year (2022), starring Australian actress Rebel Wilson.[21]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits for "Candy" adapted from So Real liner notes.[22]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999–2000)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA Charts)[23]	2
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[24]	9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[25]	30
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26]	35
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[27]	49
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[28]	24
France (SNEP)[29]	16
Germany (Official German Charts)[30]	72
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[31]	29
Ireland (IRMA)[32]	27
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33]	10
Scotland (OCC)[34]	5
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[35]	46
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36]	39
UK (Official Charts Company)[37]	6
US Billboard Hot 100[38]	41
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[39]	27

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)	Rank
Australia (ARIA)	11

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40]	Platinum	70,000^
United Kingdom	—	90,000[41]
United States (RIAA)[42]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

External links

• Music video
• Amazon.com
• YouTube.com

На других языках

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- [en] Candy (Mandy Moore song)

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[es] Candy (canción de Mandy Moore)

«Candy» —en español: «Caramelo»- es una canción del álbum de debut de la cantante pop americana Mandy Moore de su álbum debut So Real de Epic Records.

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