The Candy Man

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"The Candy Man" (or alternatively, "The Candy Man Can") is a song that originally appeared in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory . [1] It was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the film. Although the original 1964 book by Roald Dahl ( Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ) contains lyrics adapted for other songs in the film, the lyrics to "The Candy Man" do not appear in the book. The soundtrack version of the song was sung by Aubrey Woods, who played Bill the candy store owner in the film. Anthony Newley sings the song on his 1971 album Pure Imagination.

Contents

Attempt at replacing the Woods vocal

Lyricist Anthony Newley has said in interviews[ which? ] that upon hearing Woods's rendition for the first time, he was appalled at the lack of commerciality in the performance – worrying that it would possibly be depriving the duo of not only a hit record, but an Oscar nomination as well.[ citation needed ]

Newley's distaste for the performance became so intense that he was willing to forgo his own performance fee if he were to be allowed to re-arrange and re-record the song himself as well as pay for the session. When denied by producer David Wolper due to contractual stipulations by film composer Walter Scharf, Newley tried another tactic: lobbying to be allowed to at least re-dub his own vocal, possibly becoming the ghost voice for Woods; however, Woods's contract forbade that as well. Anthony Newley recorded his own version for MGM Records in 1971 before Sammy Davis Jr.'s hit.

Sammy Davis Jr. version

"The Candy Man"
The Candy Man Sammy Davis Jr.jpg
Single by Sammy Davis Jr.
from the album Sammy Davis Jr. Now
B-side "I Want to Be Happy"
ReleasedApril 1972
RecordedAugust 19, 1971 [2]
Studio Los Angeles, California
Genre Easy listening [3]
Length3:10
Label MGM
Songwriter(s) Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley
Producer(s) Don Costa, Michael Viner, Mike Curb
Sammy Davis Jr. singles chronology
"I Have One but One Life to Live"
(1969)		"The Candy Man"
(1972)		"The People Tree"
(1972)
Official audio
"The Candy Man" on YouTube

Sammy Davis Jr.'s version appears on the Sammy Davis Jr. Now album. It became his only number-one hit, spending three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart starting 10 June 1972, and two weeks at the top of the easy-listening chart. [4] Billboard ranked it as the No. 5 song for 1972. The track featured backing vocals by the Mike Curb Congregation, who earlier released an unsuccessful version of the song. It is recognized as one of Davis's signature songs, and "The Candy Man" came to be his moniker later in his career. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards.

Despite the record's commercial success, Davis himself disliked it, telling his manager “It’s horrible. It’s a timmy-two-shoes, it’s white bread, cute-ums, there’s no romance. Blechhh!” [5] After hastily recording it in two takes at a studio session, he also reportedly said “This record is going straight into the toilet. Not just around the rim but into the bowl, and it may just pull my whole career down with it." [6]

In 2014, Sammy Davis Jr.'s lead vocals from the original 1972 recording were sampled to create a "virtual duet" with singer Barry Manilow, which appeared on Manilow's album My Dream Duets.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)Peak
position
Australia Kent Music Report 3
Canada RPM Top Singles [7] 2
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [8] 3
US Billboard Hot 100 [9] 1
US Billboard Easy Listening [4] 1
US Cash Box Top 100 [10] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)Rank
Australia24
Canada15
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] 5
US Cash Box [12] 23

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [13] Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Zedd version

"Candyman"
Zedd - Candyman.png
Single by Zedd featuring Aloe Blacc
from the album Stay +
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2016 (2016-02-26)
Genre Future bass [14] [15]
Length2:58
Label Interscope
Songwriter(s) Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley
Producer(s) Zedd, Grey, Joseph Trapanese
Zeddsingles chronology
"Papercut"
(2015)		"Candyman"
(2016)		"True Colors"
(2016)
Aloe Blacc singles chronology
"Verge"
(2015)		"Candyman"
(2016)		"Carry You Home"
(2016)

"Candyman" was covered by German-Russian producer Zedd featuring American singer Aloe Blacc and released as a single on February 26, 2016, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of M&M's. [16] [14]

Production

The song was recorded by Zedd with help from Grey and Joseph Trapanese. [15]

Critical reception

The track received generally positive reviews. Hugh McIntyre wrote that the song is catchy and fun. [16] Aloe Blacc's vocals were praised by Ryan Middleton, who thought that they fit well with Zedd's music. [14] The song was criticized by Diplo, saying that the song was a "rip-off" of Flume. [17]

Charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ) [18] 9
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [19] 18
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs ( Billboard ) [20] 12

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)Position
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard) [21] 35

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [22] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other uses

"The Candy Man" has been featured in a number of radio, films and TV shows after its introduction in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory .

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References

  1. ↑ Deaton, Jim (March 2005). I Didn't Know That. Jim Deaton. ISBN   978-1591136996 . Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Sammy Davis Jr.'s website
  3. ↑ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (15 October 1996). "The Energy Crisis: MOR". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 158. ISBN   031214704X.
  4. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 72.
  5. ↑ Breihan, Tom (28 February 2019). "The Number Ones: Sammy Davis Jr.'s "The Candy Man". Stereogum . Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Dellar, Fred (6 September 2022). "MOJO Time Machine: Sammy Davis Jr Strikes Candy Man Gold". MOJO. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  8. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  9. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  10. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 6/10/72". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1972". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "American single certifications – Sammy Davis, Jr. / Mike Curb Congregation – Candy Man". Recording Industry Association of America.
  14. 1 2 3 Middleton, Ryan (25 February 2016). "Zedd, Aloe Blacc Re-Imagine M&M's Theme Song 'Candyman'". Music Times.
  15. 1 2 Reyes, Kim (25 February 2016). "Zedd and Aloe Blacc team up for 'Candyman'". Dancing Astronaut.
  16. 1 2 McIntyre, Hugh (10 March 2016). "Zedd and Aloe Blacc Talk Recreating a Classic Hit for M&M's 75th Birthday". Forbes .
  17. ↑ Stutz, Colin (21 March 2016). "Diplo Calls Zedd a Flume Rip-Off Over M&Ms Song: 'Don't be Such a Pompous Cornball Loser'". Billboard .
  18. ↑ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  19. ↑ "Zedd Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Zedd Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  22. ↑ "American single certifications – Zedd – Candyman". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  23. ↑ "The Government Can Lyrics". Elyrics.net. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  24. ↑ "Tim Hawkins – The Government Can". Tim Hawkins. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "Zedd and Aloe Blacc Put an Unexpected Spin on 'Candyman'". Complex. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
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