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"Candy Says" | |
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Song by The Velvet Underground | |
from the album The Velvet Underground | |
Released | March 1969 |
Recorded | November –December 1968 T.T.G. Studios, [1] Hollywood Sunset and Highland Sound, Hollywood |
Length | 4:05 |
Label | MGM Records |
Songwriter(s) | Lou Reed |
Producer(s) | The Velvet Underground |
"Candy Says" is a song written by Lou Reed. The song is the first track on the Velvet Underground's self-titled third album. [2] It is one of four songs that Reed explicitly wrote in the voice of a female character, in the case of "Candy Says", a transgender woman, telling her experiences. Each would begin with the woman's name and then be followed by the verb "says". "Stephanie Says" was the first (later adapted into "Caroline Says" on his solo album Berlin).
The song addresses Candy Darling's desire to escape her birth gender. Reed insisted that Doug Yule take the lead vocal on the song.
Reed said the song was also "about something more profound and universal, a universal feeling I think all of us have at some point. We look in the mirror and we don't like what we see...I don't know a person alive who doesn't feel that way." [3]
Anohni's 2003 live version of the song was featured in the 2022 interactive film video game Immortality.
Lewis Allan Reed was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band The Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Although not commercially successful during its existence, the Velvet Underground became regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of underground and alternative rock music. Reed's distinctive deadpan voice, poetic and transgressive lyrics, and experimental guitar playing were trademarks throughout his long career.
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting, Anderson pursued a variety of performance art projects in New York during the 1970s, focusing particularly on language, technology, and visual imagery. She achieved unexpected commercial success when her song "O Superman" reached number two on the UK singles chart in 1981.
Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond is an English singer best known from the synthpop/new wave duo Soft Cell and for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has also had a diverse career as a solo artist. His collaborations include a duet with Gene Pitney on the 1989 UK number one single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". Almond's career spanning over four decades has enjoyed critical and commercial acclaim, and he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. He spent a month in a coma after a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2004 and later became a patron of the brain trauma charity Headway.
The Velvet Underground is the third studio album by American rock band the Velvet Underground. Released in March 1969 by MGM Records, it was their first record with multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, who replaced previous member John Cale. Recorded in 1968 at TTG Studios in Los Angeles, California, the album's sound—consisting largely of ballads and straightforward rock songs—marked a notable shift in style from the band's previous recordings. Lead vocalist Lou Reed intentionally did this as a result of their abrasive previous studio album White Light/White Heat (1968). Reed wanted other band members to sing on the album; Yule contributed lead vocals to the opening track and the closing track "After Hours" is sung by drummer Maureen Tucker.
Oren Bloedow is an American singer, guitarist and bassist. He founded the band Elysian Fields in 1995 with Jennifer Charles. His father, Jerry Bloedow, was a playwright, poet, and film editor whose theater, the Hardware Poet's Playhouse, participated in the New York avant-garde scene in the 1950s and 1960s.
"Satellite of Love" is a song by American musician Lou Reed. It is the second single from his 1972 album Transformer. At the time of its release, it achieved minor US chart success, though it later became a staple of his concerts and compilation albums.
Anohni and the Johnsons is a music ensemble originally based in New York City that presents the work of English singer-songwriter Anohni and her collaborators. The band released their self-titled debut album in 2000. Their second album, 2005's I Am a Bird Now, was certified Gold in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Switzerland; it also was awarded that year's UK Mercury Prize.
Berlin is the third solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in October 1973 by RCA Records. A concept album, Berlin tells the story of a couple's struggle with drug addiction and abuse. Initially, critical reception was mixed but appraisals of the album have warmed over the years: in 1973 Rolling Stone declared the album "a disaster", but by 2012 the album was ranked No. 344 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
I Am a Bird Now is the second album by New York City band Antony and the Johnsons, released on February 1, 2005 by Secretly Canadian. After it won the 2005 Mercury Prize, the album shot up the UK albums chart from #135 to #16 in one week, the biggest jump in the history of the prize. As of September 2011, UK sales stood at 220,000 copies.
Anohni Hegarty, styled as ANOHNI, is an English-born singer, songwriter, and visual artist. She has presented solo work and as the lead singer of the band Anohni and the Johnsons, formerly known as Antony and the Johnsons.
Animal Serenade is a live album by American rock musician Lou Reed, recorded in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theatre in 2003 after The Raven. The show features a drummer-less band. In addition, Anohni, of Antony and the Johnsons fame, contributes background vocals throughout and sings the lead on "Set the Twilight Reeling" and "Candy Says".
Le Bataclan '72 is a sixteen-track live album by Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico. It was recorded from the soundboard and heavily bootlegged over the years, before it gained an official release in 2004.
Hercules and Love Affair is a dance music project created by American DJ, singer, composer, musician and producer Andy Butler in 2004. Consisting of a rotating cast of performers and musicians, the band work within the genres of house music, disco, techno and nu-disco.
"The Dull Flame of Desire" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer Björk featuring Anohni from the band Anohni and the Johnsons. It was released as the fifth and final single from her seventh full-length studio album, Volta, on 29 September 2008. She sang it twelve times on her global Volta Tour, often with Anohni.
Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse is a concert film and live album by Lou Reed released in 2008. The concert film was directed by Julian Schnabel, live at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn during five nights in December 2006. Background shots of the characters Jim and Caroline were done by Lola Schnabel.
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. It originally comprised singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. In 1965, MacLise was replaced by Moe Tucker, who played on most of the band's recordings. Though their integration of rock and the avant-garde resulted in little commercial success, they became one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. Their provocative subject matter, musical experiments, and nihilistic attitude was also instrumental in the development of punk rock, new wave and several other genres.
"Cripple and the Starfish" is a song written by Anohni and performed by Antony and the Johnsons, a Mercury Prize-winning music act from New York City. It was initially released on the compilation CD God Shave the Queen! in 1996. A different recording subsequently appeared on Antony and the Johnsons, the self-titled first album recorded in 1998. In 2003, a live version of this song appeared on the split album Live at St. Olave's.
Swanlights is the fourth studio album by Antony and the Johnsons, released on October 12, 2010 worldwide through Secretly Canadian, and October 11, 2010 in the United Kingdom through Rough Trade. To accompany the album release, the band has produced a 144-page art book also titled Swanlights, which includes paintings, collages, photography and writing by Anohni. The album was preceded by lead single/EP Thank You for Your Love, released on August 30, 2010 in the UK and 1 September in the US.
Hopelessness is the debut solo album by British-American artist Anohni, frontwoman of Anohni and the Johnsons, released on 6 May 2016 on Secretly Canadian, Rough Trade, and Hostess. Featuring co-production by Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never, the album departs from the chamber pop style of her previous work, instead exploring an electronic sound and engaging directly with political and environmental themes in the form of protest songs.
Rachel Humphreys was a muse and lover to musician Lou Reed. A transgender woman, Humphreys inspired lyrics, songs and artwork by Reed, was his live-in romantic partner, and accompanied him on the road as a hairdresser and tour manager during the mid-1970s.