"Candy" | ||||
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Single by Robbie Williams | ||||
from the album Take the Crown | ||||
Released | 11 September 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2011–2012 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:21 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Jacknife Lee | |||
Robbie Williams singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Candy" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Candy" is a song by English pop singer Robbie Williams,released on 11 September 2012 as the lead single from his ninth studio album Take the Crown . It was written by Williams and Gary Barlow,interpolating a riff from "Eurodans" by Terje Olsen. The song was Williams's first UK number-one single since "Radio" in 2004,and was deliberately produced in the style of other 2012 chart-toppers in a calculated attempt to re-establish his presence in the UK charts.
The track premiered on BBC Radio 1 just days before the station removed Williams from their playlist,deeming him no longer relevant to their target audience. [1] Williams protested the decision,citing Radio 1 as a pop star's "main oxygen". [2] When the song reached number one without Radio 1 airplay,the singer thanked the station,who "have supported me for a long,long time and I'm very grateful to them. Oh,and I can still have number ones without them!" [3]
The track was originally rumoured to be titled "Vertigo". Williams said of the track:"It's a summer song,very much in a similar vein to 'Rock DJ',about a girl who thinks she's great. And she might be,but she's a bit nefarious with her ways. Some songs take an age to write and some songs just fall out of your mouth completely formed,and you don't have to think about it. I don't know why that fell out of my mouth and out of my brain at that particular time –it just did." [4] On 10 September,Williams debuted "Candy" on Radio 2's Breakfast Show with host Chris Evans.[ clarification needed ] [5] The official artwork for the track features a model of Williams's head covered in pink and red spots against a pink background. [5]
"Candy" was written by Robbie Williams,Gary Barlow and Terje Olsen,while production was handled by Jacknife Lee. [6] The song interpolates Norwegian producer Todd Terje's single "Eurodans". [7] In the hook,he uses nursery rhymes about the plague (Ring a Ring o' Roses) and taxes. [8] "Hey ho here she goes/ Either a little too high or a little too low/ Got no self-esteem and vertigo/ Cause she thinks she's made of candy," Williams chants on the chorus. [9] The song contains melodic elements of the nursery rhyme Ring a Ring o' Roses and even contains the title of the rhyme at the start of the second verse.
Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song 4 out of 5 stars,writing that "'Candy' doesn't touch the dizzying heights of 'Rock DJ' or 'Angels',but it's also far from his worst song to date." Corner also wrote:"Robbie chants on a bouncy,playground chant of a chorus brassier than his stage persona –and there within lies the charm." [9] John Bush of AllMusic wrote that "The trailer single 'Candy' is a trite,uptempo track with a sing-song chorus but not much of a shelf life,it's the perfect radio hit." [10] Sam Lanksy of Idolator wrote the song "is sprightly and spunky with a clever hook –arguably the best sweets-related diss since Annie's 'Chewing Gum'." [11] Tom Hocknell of BBC Music called it "catchier than Velcro,although it’s unclear why anyone needs to own it –after the second listen it owns you. It’s eager to please,certainly." [12]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian was less positive,writing that "[...] It's so desperate to be a smash hit that it ends up sounding like one of those novelty singles that used to blight the September charts,bought by returning holidaymakers with rosy memories of the hotel disco;all it's lacking is an accompanying dance." [13] Philip Matusavage of musicOMH also gave the song a mixed review,writing that "It's a neat précis of the problems facing Robbie in 2012. Its bouncy dancehall brass is undeniably and infectiously catchy but it’s also short-lived;the song leaves no impression at its end." [14] Kitty Empire of The Observer observed that "it would better suit a boy band in a Caribbean time warp. But somehow,it looks as if it will re-establish Williams's presence in the charts today,regardless." [15]
In Germany,"Candy" broke an airplay record for the most plays in a week. [16] It peaked at number 3 on the main chart. In Austria,the song was a success,debuting and peaking,for three consecutive weeks,at number 4 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 chart. [17] "Candy" was a growing success in the Netherlands,debuting at number 27 on the Dutch Top 40 chart. [18] After six weeks climbing the charts,the song entered the top-ten,reaching number 6,on 10 November 2012. In the Dutch Mega Top 100 "Candy" reached number 1 on 17 November 2012. [18] It reached top 10 in more than 20 countries,and Top 40 in other territories including Japan and New Zealand.
In his native UK,despite BBC Radio 1 not putting it on their playlist,"Candy" gathered over 10,000 radio spins before the official digital release. [19] The song later achieved more than 30,000 spins on UK radio. [20] On the UK Singles Chart,"Candy" became the singer's first number-one in eight years (the last being 2004's "Radio"),his seventh solo UK number-one and the 14th number-one of his career (including Take That and solo material). [21] It also became his fastest-selling single in the UK since "Rock DJ" 12 years earlier,and with 137,000 copies sold that week,it also became the fastest-selling male artist single of the year,and the third fastest-selling single of 2012 overall. [22] The song remained number one on the UK Singles Chart for a second week,shifting 90,000 copies. [23] It was the 22nd best-selling single of 2012 in the UK,with sales of 503,000. [24] In June 2013,"Candy" became Robbie's second biggest hit in the UK,after "Angels",with sales passing the 650,000 mark.
A music video to accompany the release of "Candy" was first released onto YouTube on 10 September 2012 at a total length of three minutes and twenty-four seconds. It stars Robbie Williams and Kaya Scodelario. [25] The video was filmed in Spitalfields in east London in summer 2012 and was directed by Joseph Kahn. [26] In the video Williams plays a guardian angel figure protecting an absentminded woman named Candice (as referenced in the lyrics of the song:"I was there to witness/Candice's inner business") [27] who is looking at her phone the whole time,resulting in various accidents.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Candy" | 3:21 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Candy" | 3:21 |
2. | "Candy" (Max Sanna & Steve Pitron Remix) | 6:52 |
3. | "Candy" (Major Look Remix) | 4:26 |
4. | "Candy" (More Candy) | 7:07 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Candy" | 3:21 |
2. | "Candy" (Max Sanna & Steve Pitron Remix) | 6:56 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Candy" (live from the BRITs) | 3:30 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria) [70] | Gold | 15,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [71] | Gold | 150,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [72] | 2× Platinum | 60,000* |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [73] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [74] | Platinum | 952,000 [75] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format |
---|---|---|
Various [76] | 25 September 2012 | Digital download |
United Kingdom [77] | 28 October 2012 | |
Germany, Switzerland and Austria | 2 October 2012 [78] | |
8 October 2012 [79] | CD single |
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