My Gen X Playlist: Candy – Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson

I just polished off the last of our Halloween candy. Two Costco bags worth and no trick or treaters last October. I’m not complaining. Secretly it’s my plan.

I just had my physical and I was a little nervous about my blood tests. Who would have thought my A1C would go down after all that candy. My wife is utterly amazed.

Needless to say, I announced (loudly, I might add) that I was celebrating with donuts. My wife just smiled without comment. What else could she do? She loves chocolate just as much as I do, but practices incredible restraint. She’ll pick out a Kit Kat from the Costco bag and only eat half. Half! Self inflicted torture if you ask me. But she’s trying to lower her score.

I celebrated with a huge bear claw. Let’s hope my cockiness doesn’t jinx me for next year.

One of the fun parts about this blog, I get to reacquaint myself with songs I grew up with that sometimes I’ve completely forgotten. The obvious choice this time was Bow Wow Wow’s I Want Candy, but that was added to the playlist long ago. 10,000 Maniacs’ Candy Everybody Wants also came to mind. When I did a google search for songs about candy, I had a reunion with Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson’s duet Candy. It’s been decades since I’d heard this one.

The song “Candy” was inspired by Iggy Pop’s reminiscences of his teenage girlfriend Betsy.

Pop initially offered the song to Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders as a potential duet, but she ultimately passed on the collaboration . . . Pop chose Kate Pierson of the B-52’s to join him on the track, leveraging her distinctive vocals . . .

Grokipedia

Although I’m a fan of Chrissie Hynde, I can’t imagine this song with anyone other than Kate Pierson. Her vocals in the harmonies are so good.

The initial narrator is a man (Pop) who grieves a lost love. Following the first chorus, the perspective of the woman (Pierson) is heard. She expresses, unbeknownst to the man, that she misses him too.

Wikipedia

If my sweet tooth ever catches up to me and my A1C ever begins to peak, I may have to break up my relationship with candy. If that ever happens, I wonder if chocolate will ever miss me, too.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

It's a rainy afternoon
In 1990
The big city geez it's been 20 years-
Candy-you were so fine

Beautiful beautiful
Girl from the north
You burned my heart
With a flickering torch
I had a dream that no one else could see
You gave me love for free

candy, candy , Candy I can't let you go
All my life you're haunting me
I loved you so

Candy, candy , Candy I can't let you go
Life is crazy
Candy baby

Yeah, well it hurt me real bad when you left
I'm glad you got out
But I miss you
I've had a hole in my heart
For so long
I've learned to fake it and
Just smile along

Down on the street
Those men are all the same
I need a love
Not games
Not games


Candy, Candy, Candy I can't let you go
All my life you're haunting me
I loved you so
Candy, Candy , Candy I can't let you go
Life is crazy
I Know baby
Candy baby

UOU UOU UOU
Candy, Candy, Candy I can't let you go
All my life you're haunting me
I loved you so

CANDY CANDY CANDY
life is crazy
candy baby

candy baby,
candy, candy