Candyman (Christina Aguilera song)
Encyclopedia
"Candyman" is a swing jazz song written by Christina Aguilera
and Linda Perry
for Aguilera's third studio album, Back to Basics
. It was released as the album's third and final American single
in early 2007
. It received a Grammy Award
nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
at 2008 Grammy Awards. The music video received a MTV Video Music Awards
nomination for Best Direction
at 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
.
' 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
". Critics are usually complimentary towards Aguilera for her authentic replication of the old style. The song includes the military cadence
"Tarzan
& Jane Swingin' on a Vine", sampled from the album Run to Cadence with the United States Marines
, Volume 2. The long belted note at the end of the track is a high "E5". Aguilera holds the note in full-belt for approximately 8 seconds.
called the song "a good-time 1940s big band romp," and gave it eight out of ten stars.
" hoping it would have comparable success to 2002's "Beautiful
" and would become a holiday hit. The song was released on February 20, 2007 in the US. The song began charting in the US prior to its official release date, appearing on the January 20, 2007 issue of the Billboard Hot 100
. "Candyman" peaked at #25 in its seventh week on the chart making it Aguilera's 14th top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Gold
. In the UK it was released on download only, peaking at #17 on the UK main singles chart and staying in the top 75 for 20 weeks while selling over 100,000 digital downloads. The song re-entered the UK iTunes chart in 2008 reaching 60 on the top 100 after Alexandra Burke
performed the song on X-Factor. The song performed very well in Oceania, peaking #2 in both Australia (having a platinum certification) and New Zealand, remaining in the Australian Top 10 over 15 weeks and being the eighth most successful single in 2007 in that country. The song was also covered in the episode Pot o' Gold
during the third season
of Glee
by the characters Santana Lopez
, Brittany Pierce
and Mercedes Jones
.
and co-directed by Aguilera. It is based on a 1940s World War II
theme, and Aguilera rented an airport hangar in Southern California to film it. In the music video, she dances and sings in three different hair colors - red, blonde and brown, as if she were in a singing trio, a tribute to the Andrews Sisters. In another scene, she appears as the famous biceps-flexing factory worker Rosie the Riveter
from Westinghouse
's We can do it poster. Finally, she appears in scenes inspired by pin-up girl
s Judy Garland
, Betty Grable
, and Rita Hayworth
. The video also features product placement for Campari
. Benji Schwimmer
, 2006 winner of So You Think You Can Dance
, makes a cameo appearance as Aguilera's GI dance partner. Lacey Schwimmer
, Benji's sister and also a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance, had also appeared in the video as a jitterbugger. Aguilera asked Rolston to co-direct the video with her after he worked with her for a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone
. Shooting the sequences of Aguilera as a singing trio took the longest since they had to be shot for each hair color and camera angle, which was computer controlled for precision. The choreography was carefully arranged so that none of the versions overlapped and the takes could be spliced together. The color scheme
is based on Technicolor
films, focusing on primary colors and bright secondary colors.
On February 22, 2007, MTV gave the World Premiere of "Candyman" live on TRL
and later on MTV's Making The Video
. The video debuted at number six on TRL and reached the top of the countdown four times. The video has since gone on to retire at number three, making it Aguilera's ninth video to retire. "Candyman" has garnered Aguilera a MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Director with co-director Mathew Rolston at the 2007 VMAs
.
Versions & Remixes
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
and Linda Perry
Linda Perry
Linda Perry is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Once best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, Perry has founded two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer...
for Aguilera's third studio album, Back to Basics
Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)
Back to Basics is the third studio album by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, first released on August 10, 2006 by RCA Records...
. It was released as the album's third and final American single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in early 2007
2007 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...
. It received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
at 2008 Grammy Awards. The music video received a MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
nomination for Best Direction
MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Direction in a Video. In 2007, the award was briefly renamed Best Director, but it returned to its original name for the 2008 awards....
at 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
.
Background and composition
Perry and Aguilera have said that the song is new lyrics to music that is a new arrangement of The Andrews SistersThe Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
' 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was a major hit for The Andrews Sisters and an iconic World War II tune. This song can be considered an early jump blues recording...
". Critics are usually complimentary towards Aguilera for her authentic replication of the old style. The song includes the military cadence
Military cadence
In the armed services, a military cadence or cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching...
"Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
& Jane Swingin' on a Vine", sampled from the album Run to Cadence with the United States Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, Volume 2. The long belted note at the end of the track is a high "E5". Aguilera holds the note in full-belt for approximately 8 seconds.
Critical response
Most critics reserved high-praise for the single, while commenting on its highly-sexualized lyrics. Billboard magazine called the single "right raunchy", but praised it, saying that "Few popular vocalists could pull off such a laudable feat," and that it has such an "irresistible tempo that radio will have no choice but to sweeten airwaves with 'Candyman.'" Bill with About.com found that "listeners may want to be alerted to the sexual content," but concluded "Aguilera continues to demonstrate she is one of the top female artists in the business." Yahoo! MusicYahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
called the song "a good-time 1940s big band romp," and gave it eight out of ten stars.
Commercial reception
Originally, "Candyman" was to be the second single from the album, but the label pushed for "HurtHurt (Christina Aguilera song)
"Hurt" is a power ballad written by Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry and Mark Ronson for Aguilera's third studio album, Back to Basics . The song's lyrical content describes how one deals with the loss of a loved one, and it has received praise from pop music critics...
" hoping it would have comparable success to 2002's "Beautiful
Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)
"Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped...
" and would become a holiday hit. The song was released on February 20, 2007 in the US. The song began charting in the US prior to its official release date, appearing on the January 20, 2007 issue of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. "Candyman" peaked at #25 in its seventh week on the chart making it Aguilera's 14th top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
. In the UK it was released on download only, peaking at #17 on the UK main singles chart and staying in the top 75 for 20 weeks while selling over 100,000 digital downloads. The song re-entered the UK iTunes chart in 2008 reaching 60 on the top 100 after Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Burke
Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
performed the song on X-Factor. The song performed very well in Oceania, peaking #2 in both Australia (having a platinum certification) and New Zealand, remaining in the Australian Top 10 over 15 weeks and being the eighth most successful single in 2007 in that country. The song was also covered in the episode Pot o' Gold
Pot o' Gold (Glee)
"Pot o' Gold" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 48th overall. Written by Ali Adler and directed by Adam Shankman, the episode was first broadcast on November 1, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
during the third season
Glee (season 3)
A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and...
of Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
by the characters Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
, Brittany Pierce
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
and Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
.
Music video
The music video for the single "Candyman" was filmed on January 28, 2007. It was directed by Matthew RolstonMatthew Rolston
Matthew Russell Rolston is an American photographer and music video director. Rolston is known for his signature lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design, and has been repeatedly identified throughout his career with the revival and modern expression of Hollywood glamour...
and co-directed by Aguilera. It is based on a 1940s World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
theme, and Aguilera rented an airport hangar in Southern California to film it. In the music video, she dances and sings in three different hair colors - red, blonde and brown, as if she were in a singing trio, a tribute to the Andrews Sisters. In another scene, she appears as the famous biceps-flexing factory worker Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military...
from Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
's We can do it poster. Finally, she appears in scenes inspired by pin-up girl
Pin-up girl
A pin-up girl, also known as a pin-up model, is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, e.g. meant to be "pinned-up" on a wall...
s Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Betty Grable
Betty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
, and Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
. The video also features product placement for Campari
Campari
Campari is an alcoholic apéritif obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. It is a bitters characterized by its dark red color....
. Benji Schwimmer
Benji Schwimmer
Benjamin "Benji" Daniel Schwimmer is an American professional dancer, choreographer, actor, and soon-to-be lead singer of the band "The Weekend Forecast". On August 16, 2006 he was crowned "America's Favorite Dancer", as the winner of the second season of So You Think You Can Dance and has...
, 2006 winner of So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
, makes a cameo appearance as Aguilera's GI dance partner. Lacey Schwimmer
Lacey Schwimmer
Lacey-Mae Schwimmer is an American competitive ballroom dancer, singer, and the winner of multiple youth championships. She is best known as the fourth place finalist of the third season of So You Think You Can Dance...
, Benji's sister and also a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance, had also appeared in the video as a jitterbugger. Aguilera asked Rolston to co-direct the video with her after he worked with her for a photo shoot for the cover of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. Shooting the sequences of Aguilera as a singing trio took the longest since they had to be shot for each hair color and camera angle, which was computer controlled for precision. The choreography was carefully arranged so that none of the versions overlapped and the takes could be spliced together. The color scheme
Color scheme
In color theory, a color scheme is the choice of colors used in design for a range of media. For example, the use of a white background with black text is an example of a basic and commonly default color scheme in web design....
is based on Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
films, focusing on primary colors and bright secondary colors.
On February 22, 2007, MTV gave the World Premiere of "Candyman" live on TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
and later on MTV's Making The Video
Making the Video
Making the Video is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video and the show often includes light-hearted and humorous moments. It always concludes with a premiere of the...
. The video debuted at number six on TRL and reached the top of the countdown four times. The video has since gone on to retire at number three, making it Aguilera's ninth video to retire. "Candyman" has garnered Aguilera a MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Director with co-director Mathew Rolston at the 2007 VMAs
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
.
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI) | 4 |
Certifications
}}Year-end charts
| Year | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Australia | 8 |
| Austria | 73 | |
| Germany | 92 | |
| New Zealand | 15 | |
| Netherlands | 78 | |
| Switzerland | 46 | |
| UK | 74 |
Formats and track listing
Australian CD single- "Candyman" (Single Edit) – 3:15
- "Hurt" (Snowflake Radio Remix) – 4:09
- "Candyman" (Video)
Versions & Remixes
- Album Version
- Video Edit
- Squeaky Clean Edit
- Offer Nissim Club Mix
- Offer Nissim Mix Edit
- Red One Remix
- Ultimix Mixshow
Release history
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | February 20, 2007 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... , CD single |
| United Kingdom | April 7, 2007 | |
| Australia |