The History of Candy in Music

You might not think that there is a correlation between musicians and candy, but there are many instances in modern music where artists have used candy as a metaphor for other things. Let's take a look at the history of candy in music.

Candy is most often used as a sexual metaphor. Perhaps this is because candy, like the person the artist is enamored by, is very sweet. Or it could be that the physical act of eating candy (i.e. licking a lollipop) has sexual overtones. Either way, many musicians have used candy as a symbol of their affection for another human being.

The trend of writing lyrics about candy really took off in the 1980s. Pop star Tiffany had a song called "Mind Candy," and most people will remember the Bow Wow Wow hit "I Want Candy." This sparked a trend that would carry over into the 1990s and 2000s, when many artists produced candy-themed songs. Alternative 90s rock group Marcy Playground broke through with the massive hit "Sex & Candy," which many people still remember well. Rappers such as Cameo, Snoop Dogg and Foxy Brown all put out songs titled "Candy." 50 Cent, the popular rapper, had a huge hit called "Candyshop," in which he proclaimed that he would "take a girl to the candyshop" and "let you lick the lollipop." Obviously these are pretty transparent sexual references, but hey, we are talking about rap music.

Not all references to candy in music are so deviant. In the late 1990s, pop singer Mandy Moore released the song "Candy," which went on to be a big hit. The song established Moore as one of the rising pop stars of a generation, along with the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. However, concerned parents worried that the suggestive theme of "Candy" was inappropriate for young children. Moore was only 14 at the time of the song's release, so she had many young and innocent fans. Moore responded by saying that the song wasn't supposed to be sexual, and that it was simply about having a crush on someone, similar to the way in which you could develop a "sweet tooth" for candy. It seems that people had become so used to candy being used as a sexual metaphor that they automatically assumed that was the case with Moore's song. Of course, it should be noted that Mandy Moore didn't actually write "Candy," so who knows what the truth is.

Recently, candy has been as big a theme as ever in music. Christina Aguilera had a big hit in 2006 with the song "Candyman." Madonna's forthcoming 2008 album is titled Hard Candy. Rihanna had a song on her latest album called "Sell Me Candy."

Some artists even reference certain brands of candy. In the 1970s, singer Mtume had the hit song "Juicy Fruit," which of course was later sampled in the Notorious B.I.G. song "Juicy" (considered one of the greatest rap songs ever made). This trend of naming specific brands of candy continued until today. The most recent example is the Lil Wayne song, "Lollipop."

It seems that pop music and candy will always be tied together.

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