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My Gen X Playlist: I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow

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Do you or your family make special dishes for the holiday?

I once told a coworker that I ate teriyaki turkey every year at Thanksgiving. I dropped that line in passing as I walked by. I could feel the stares in the back of my head as I continued walking down the hall. I had only been working with the company for a few months and my coworkers hadn’t quite figured out my sense of humor yet.

In reality, our Thanksgiving menu is fairly traditional. While teriyaki turkey sounds interesting, I’m not going to give it a go. We cook the entire bird only once a year and I’m not willing to chance spoiling the Thanksgiving feast. Some things are not worth the risk. Now, if someone wants to get creative with a Thanksgiving desert, I’m not one to stand in their way. It seems I’ve developed a sweet tooth in my old age. I’m still happily working through our left over Halloween candy.

I never knew that I Want Candy was originally by a group called by The Strangeloves. The original was released back in 1965; however, I grew up with Bow Wow Wow’s version from 1982. When I was a teenager, Annabella Lwin was the first female I ever saw with a mohawk and thought she was both cool and beautiful. It’s hard to believe she was only 16 when this cover song became a hit. At 16, I was a bumbling teenager trying to pass my driver’s test while she was on the verge of becoming a rock star. It wouldn’t surprise me if I had this song blasting on the car radio while driving to the beach during summer. For me, this is a feel good song of my youth.

It seems there are things you never outgrow. For me, Halloween candy, nostalgic good music and a perfectly cooked Thanksgiving turkey top the list. I don’t see these falling off anytime soon. Ask me again in ten years and we’ll see.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

I know a guy who's tough but sweet, he's so fine, he can't be beat
He's got everything that I desire, sets the summer sun on fire
I want candy, I want candy

Go to see him when the sun goes down, ain't no finer boy in town
You're my guy, you walked up to water, so sweet, you make my mouth water
I want candy, I want candy - yeah

Candy on the beach, there's nothing better
But I like candy when it's wet dance weather
Some day soon I'll make you mine, then I'll have candy all the time

I want candy, I want candy
I want candy, I want candy
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey

17 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow”

  1. I love how lyrics, especially lyrics to older songs, are so coded.

    You and I may not have known as very young kids growing up in the 80s what “I want candy” was about; but you can be damn sure that teenagers in 1965 knew what it was about.

    And their parents were clueless.

    Rock n Roll…

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  4. I just ate a leftover Hallowe’en candy while reading your post. Both were great! And a fun song.

    At 16, I failed my driver’s exam miserably, but got a job at McDonald’s to fund my record-buying excursions (by bus). That’s also where I met my first girlfriend. In retrospect, she was probably beyond my gawky, geeky self and in the end, broke my heart into teeny, tiny little pieces.

    I’m with you on unadulterated turkey dinner. My sweety, who does most of the heavy lifting there, would agree.

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    1. Heart break at McDonalds. I think we’ve all been in similar circumstances. It’s a part of growing up. At least you could drown your sorrows in Big Macs and Chicken Nuggets. Not a bad way to get over a heart break.

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    1. I love all junk food. So… we just don’t buy it very often because I have absolutely no will power. Potato chips are my weakness. I was at the store yesterday and lingered in the aisle.

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