Candyman (Christina Aguilera song)

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"Candyman"
Single by Christina Aguilera
from the album Back to Basics
Released February 20, 2007 (2007-02-20)
Format CD single, digital download
Recorded 2006
Genre Swing, jazz, blues[1]
Length 3:14
Label RCA
Writer(s) Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry
Producer Linda Perry
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Tell Me"
(2006)		 "Candyman"
(2007)		 "Slow Down Baby"
(2007)

"Candyman" is a 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.

Contents

[edit] Background and composition

Perry and Aguilera have said that the song is new lyrics to music that is a new arrangement of The Andrews Sisters' 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".[2] Critics are usually complimentary towards Aguilera for her authentic replication of the old style.[3][4] 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.[5] 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.

[edit] Reception

[edit] 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.'"[6] 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."[7] Yahoo! Music called the song "a good-time 1940s big band romp," and gave it eight out of ten stars.[8]

Aguilera performing "Candyman" during her Back to Basics Tour.

[edit] Commercial reception

Originally, "Candyman" was to be the second single from the album, but the label pushed for "Hurt" hoping it would have comparable success to 2002's "Beautiful" and would become a holiday hit.[9] 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.[10] 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[11] 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[12]) and New Zealand, remaining in the Australian Top 10 over 15 weeks[13] and being the eighth most successful single in 2007 in that country.[14] 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.

[edit] Music video

The three versions of Aguilera as seen in the '40s World War II themed music video.

The music video for the single "Candyman" was filmed on January 28, 2007. It was directed by Matthew Rolston 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.[15] 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 girls Judy Garland, Betty Grable, and Rita Hayworth.[9] 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. Benji's sister Lacey Schwimmer also appears 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.[16] 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.[16] The choreography was carefully arranged so that none of the versions overlapped and the takes could be spliced together.[16] The color scheme is based on Technicolor films, focusing on primary colors and bright secondary colors.[16]

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[17] 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.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[19] 14
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[20] 11
Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)[21] 13
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[22] 9
Czech Republic (IFPI)[23] 80
Denmark (Tracklisten)[24] 12
European Hot 100 Singles[25] 15
Germany (Media Control AG)[26] 12
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[27] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[28] 12
Italy (FIMI)[29] 4
New Zealand (RIANZ)[30] 2
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[31] 12
Slovakia (IFPI)[32] 45
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 24
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[35] 17
US Billboard Hot 100[36] 25
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[37] 18

[edit] Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[38] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Gold 40,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[40] Gold 7,500^
New Zealand (RIANZ)[41] Gold 7,500*
United States (RIAA)[42] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

[edit] Year-end charts

Year Country Position
2007 Australia[43] 8
Austria[44] 73
Germany [45] 92
New Zealand[46] 15
Netherlands[47] 78
Switzerland[48] 46
UK[49] 74

[edit] Formats and track listing

Australian CD single
  1. "Candyman" (Single Edit) – 3:15
  2. "Hurt" (Snowflake Radio Remix) – 4:09
  3. "Candyman" (Video)
Versions and remixes
  • Album Version
  • Video Edit
  • Squeaky Clean Edit
  • Offer Nissim Club Mix
  • Offer Nissim Mix Edit
  • Red One Remix
  • Ultimix Mixshow

[edit] Release history

Country Date Format
United States February 20, 2007 Digital download, CD single
United Kingdom April 7, 2007
Australia

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Candyman - Christina Aguilera - Pandora Internet Radio". Pandora.com. http://www.pandora.com/music/song/christina+aguilera/candyman. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  2. ^ Moss, Corey (February 22, 2007). "Christina Aguilera Has Multiple-Personality Disorder In Clip". MTV News (MTV Asia). Archived from the original on 2008-03-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20080316013616/http://www.mtvasia.com/News/200702/22014149.html. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  3. ^ Eliscu, Jenny (August 11, 2006). "Rolling Stones "Back to Basics" Review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/christinaaguilera/albums/album/11107200/review/11111609/back_to_basics. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  4. ^ Sterdan, Darryl. "Xtina loses the chaps & looks for R-E-S-P-E-C-T on new CD". Jam!. http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/A/Aguilera_Christina/AlbumReviews/2006/08/15/1757059-sun.html. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  5. ^ Booklet for Back to Basics; Mili Documentary Recordings website
  6. ^ Taylor, Chuck (2007-03-03), "Candyman". Billboard. 119 (9):46
  7. ^ Lamb, Bill. "Christina Aguilera - Candyman - About.com Review". About.com. http://top40.about.com/od/singles/gr/candyman.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  8. ^ Gennoe, Dan (August 17, 2006). "Christina Aguilera - Back To Basics Review". Yahoo UK. http://top40.about.com/od/singles/gr/candyman.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  9. ^ a b Jobling, John (May 24, 2007). "Christina Aguilera – Candyman (review)". Mansized. http://www.mansized.co.uk/reviews/review.phtml/540/667/. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  10. ^ "Gold & Platinum - April 23, 2010". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Christina%20Aguilera&format=SINGLE&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  11. ^ "Christina Aguilera | Artist". Official Charts. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/christina%20aguilera. Retrieved 2012-01-10. 
  12. ^ "http://www.aria.com.au/pages/ARIACharts-Accreditations-2007Singles.htm". Aria.com.au. 2007-12-31. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2007Singles.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  13. ^ "Christina Aguilera- Candyman (song)". Australian Charts. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Christina+Aguilera&titel=Candyman&cat=s. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  14. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2007". Aria.com.au. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-singles-2007.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  15. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (March 28, 2007). "Avril, Christina's Multiple-Personality Clips Copy A Page From Madonna's Handbook". MTV News (MTV Networks). http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1555792/20070328/lavigne_avril.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-08-25. 
  16. ^ a b c d "Candyman". Making the Video. MTV. February 21, 2007.
  17. ^ "The TRL Archive - Debuts". Popfusion. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
  18. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Christina Aguilera – Candyman". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien.
  19. ^ "Christina Aguilera – Candyman – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Christina Aguilera – Candyman" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Christina Aguilera – Candyman" (in French). Ultratop 40. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  22. ^ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Christina Aguilera. Prometheus Global Media.
  23. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200940 into search.
  24. ^ "Christina Aguilera – Candyman Hitlisten.nu" (in Danish). Tracklisten. IFPI Danmark & Nielsen Music Control.
  25. ^ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History" European Hot 100 for Christina Aguilera. Prometheus Global Media.
  26. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  27. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ – Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  28. ^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. Irish Recorded Music Association.
  29. ^ Classifica settimanale dal 13/04/2007 al 19/04/2007 - Top digital download FIMI-Nielsen Soundscan International
  30. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Christina Aguilera – Candyman". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Christina Aguilera – Candyman" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  32. ^ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200726 into search.
  33. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Christina Aguilera – Candyman". Singles Top 60. Hung Medien.
  34. ^ "Christina Aguilera – Candyman – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien.
  35. ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company.
  36. ^ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Christina Aguilera. Prometheus Global Media.
  37. ^ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play for Christina Aguilera. Prometheus Global Media.
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2007Singles.htm. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
  39. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Christina Aguilera – Candyman". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=Candyman&sa=Christina+Aguilera&smt=0. 
  40. ^ "Certificeringer | ifpi.dk". IFPI Danmark. http://www.ifpi.dk/?q=content/guld-og-platin-i-august. Retrieved 16 September 2011. 
  41. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Christina Aguilera – Candyman". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://rianz.org.nz/rianz/oldchart.asp?chartNum=1578&chartKind=S. 
  42. ^ "American single certifications – Christina Aguilera – Candyman". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Candyman%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  43. ^ Australian Recording Industry Association (2007). "ARIA charts — End of year charts". aria.com.au. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-singles-2007.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
  44. ^ Steffen Hung (2007-12-21). "Jahreshitparade 2007". austriancharts.at. http://austriancharts.at/2007_single.asp. Retrieved 2012-01-10. 
  45. ^ [1][dead link]
  46. ^ Record Industry Association of New Zealand (2007). "Annual Top 50 Singles Chart 2007". RIANZ. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart_annual.asp. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
  47. ^ Steffen Hung. "Dutch charts portal". dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=2007&cat=s. Retrieved 2012-01-10. 
  48. ^ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2007". hitparade.ch. http://hitparade.ch/year.asp?key=2007. Retrieved 2012-01-10. 
  49. ^ http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/ChartsPlusYE2007.pdf
Christina Aguilera
Studio albums
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Related articles
Christina Aguilera singles
Christina Aguilera
Mi Reflejo
My Kind of Christmas
Stripped
Back to Basics
Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits
Bionic
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