"Candy Man" is a song by Roy Orbison, released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

to his international hit "

Crying Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secret ...

" in July 1961. It was later covered by British

beat group Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffl ...

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, becoming a top-ten hit in the UK.

Writing and recording

"Candy Man" was written by

Beverly Ross Beverly Ross (September 5, 1934 – January 15, 2022) was an American songwriter and musician who co-wrote several successful pop songs in the 1950s and 1960s, including "Dim, Dim The Lights", " Lollipop" (which she also recorded as one half of ...

and

Fred Neil Fred Neil (March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an American folk singer-songwriter active in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material& ...

. Ross was introduced to Neil at

Cafe Wha? Cafe Wha? is a music club at the corner of MacDougal Street and Minetta Lane in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The club is important in the history of rock and folk music, having presented numerous musicians and ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

after being suggested by publishing company Hell and Rage that they co-write. Ross had had success as a co-writer of "Dim, Dim the Lights" for

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

and "

Lollipop A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are av ...

", which became an international hit for

the Chordettes The Chordettes were an American female vocal quartet, specializing in traditional pop music. They are best known for their 1950s hit songs "Mr. Sandman" and "Lollipop". Career The group organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 1946. The origina ...

. Neil, on the other hand, was yet to have such success having been writing, and also recording, for past few years. Knowing that Ross had written "Lollipop", Neil wanted to write a "candy song" with her. Determined to have another hits, Ross agreed and Neil proposed the title "Candy Man", saying that in New Orleans, where he was from, "the

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pen ...

, y’know, the hookers all have a

pimp Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute or other sex worker in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. A procurer, colloquially called a pimp (if male) or a madam (if female, though the term pimp has still ...

, and they call him their Candy Man". Whilst Ross wasn't particularly pleased with this, she liked the title, so they wrote the song, "giving the title an affectionate, cute definition lyrically rather than the sleazy actual meaning it derived from". After ending her contract with Hell and Rage, Ross went to friend

Aaron Schroeder Aaron Harold Schroeder (September 7, 1926 – December 2, 2009) was an American songwriter and music publisher. Early years Born in Brooklyn, Schroeder graduated from the school now known as the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art ...

, who had recently started his own publishing company, January Music. After being played the song, Schroeder loved it and sent Ross and Neil into the studio to cut a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film * Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhe ...

. Schroeder then gave the recording to producer

Fred Foster Fred Luther Foster (July 26, 1931 – February 20, 2019) was an American record producer, songwriter, and music business executive who founded Monument Records. As a record producer he was most closely associated with Roy Orbison, and was also ...

who then cut the song with

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

artist Roy Orbison. "Candy Man" was recorded at Nashville's RCA Victor Studio B on June 27, 1961, the day after the recording of "Crying". The song prominently features a

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...

, performed by the then-relatively unknown

Charlie McCoy Charles Ray McCoy (born March 28, 1941) is a Grammy-winning American session musician, harmonica player, and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Based in Nashville, McCoy's playing is heard on ...

. The success of "Candy Man" helped boost McCoy's career.

Release

"Candy Man" was released as the flip side to "Crying" in mid-July 1961, whilst Orbison's previous single, " Running Scared", was still in the charts. It was well-received, becoming Orbison's first B-side to make the US charts. It entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the first week of August, a week before the appearance of "Crying", and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the chart, reaching its peak at number 25 in the first week of November. It entered the '' Cash Box'' Top 100 in the third week of August, spent a total of sixteen weeks on the chart and achieved its peak at number 34 in the second week of September. "Candy Man" was not included on any of Orbison's studio albums, though it was included as a bonus tracks on subsequent reissues of ''

'', and its first release on album was the compilation '' Roy Orbison's Greatest Hits'' in August 1962.

Personnel

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

– vocals *

Harold Bradley Harold Ray Bradley (January 2, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American guitarist and entrepreneur, who played on many country, rock and pop recordings and produced numerous TV variety shows and movie soundtracks. Having started as a session ...

– guitar *

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic D ...

– guitar *

Boudleaux Bryant Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto; August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant (; February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987) were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They were best ...

– guitar *

Bob Moore Bob Loyce Moore (November 30, 1932 – September 22, 2021) was an American session musician, orchestra leader, and double bassist who was a member of the Nashville A-Team during the 1950s and 1960s. He performed on over 17,000 documented record ...

– bass *

Buddy Harman Murrey Mizell "Buddy" Harman, Jr. (December 23, 1928 – August 21, 2008) was an American country music session musician. Career Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Harman played drums on over 18,000 sessions for artists such as Elvis Presley, Jerry ...

– drums *

Floyd Cramer Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American pianist who became famous for his use of melodic "half step" attacks. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His signatur ...

– piano *

–

Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit " Yakety Sax" (which became Benny Hill's signature tune). Randolph was a major part of the "Nashville sound" for most ...

–

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

Charts

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes version

Background and release

Brian Poole and the Tremeloes were introduced to "Candy Man" by Roy Orbison whilst they were on tour with him in the UK. Whilst in the tour coach, Orbison began playing his version of the song (described by Poole as "slower and more bluesy"), before suddenly telling the group "you can make this a dancer", playing it more quickly. During the recording of the song at

Decca Studios Decca Studios was a recording facility at 165 Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, North London, England, controlled by Decca Records from 1937 to 1980. The building was once West Hampstead Town Hall, and had been converted to a recording studio b ...

, the group wanted to have a "really dry snare drum sound" on "Candy Man", but due to the primitive multitrack recording equipment, this was hard to do. In order to get around this, they used advice give to them by

Norman Petty Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, radio station owner, and considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. Biography Petty was born in the small town of Cl ...

about using a matchbox on some of

the Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, " That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Top ...

' songs. Tremeloes drummer Dave Munden taped a matchbox to his knee and drummed on it with one stick. Along with careful positioning of the microphone, this led to the desired sound effect. The single was released in January 1964 with the B-side "I Wish I Could Dance", a cover of a 1963 song by

Jimmy Soul Jimmy Soul (born James Louis McCleese; August 24, 1942 – June 25, 1988) was an American vocalist. He is best remembered for his 1963 number one hit, " If You Wanna Be Happy." Background Born in Weldon, North Carolina,Record Retailer ''Record Retailer'' was the only music trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker (who died on 27 December 1964). The titl ...

'' Top 50 chart.

Reception

Don Nicholl Donald Nicholl (August 9, 1925 – July 5, 1980) was an English-American screenwriter and producer. His production company Nicholl Ross West (with Mickey Ross and Bernie West) wrote for the situation comedies ''All in the Family'', '' The Jef ...

for '' Disc'' wrote "there's something less dramatic about Poole and the Tremeloes this time out as they skip-beat to "Candy Man". After the weird, almost oriental twanging of the start the side provides a very catchy count. I think it has the mood for the moment, and it'll have customers chanting along in company". In ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'', it was described as being "much more original than his oole'slast", with "a crashing guitar

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...

leads the way, and Brian ingingthe vocal with more than a touch of R&B in the delivery".

Charts

Other cover versions

"Candy Man" has been covered by a number of artists, including

Bobby Vee Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to ''Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty-e ...

and

the Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

, Dion,

the Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the ban ...

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...

and

Brian Hyland Brian Hyland (born November 12, 1943) is an American pop singer and instrumentalist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s. AllMusic journalist Jason Ankeny says "Hyland's puppy-love pop v ...

. Co-writer

released a version of the song on his 1965 debut solo album ''

Bleecker & MacDougal ''Bleecker & MacDougal'' is the debut solo studio album by the American folk musician Fred Neil. It was released in May1965 by Elektra Records. The recording, which unlike many folk albums at the time featured electric guitar backing, had an in ...

'' and harmonicist

covered it on his 1968 debut album ''The World of Charlie McCoy''. However, the most successful other recording was by

Mickey Gilley Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 19 ...

and Charly McClain, whose duet version peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

and number 3 on the Canadian ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimension ...

'' 50 Country Singles chart in 1984.

References

{{Authority control 1961 singles 1964 singles 1984 singles Roy Orbison songs The Tremeloes songs Mickey Gilley songs Charly McClain songs Songs written by Beverly Ross Monument Records singles Decca Records singles Song recordings produced by Fred Foster 1961 songs Songs written by Fred Neil Song recordings produced by Mike Smith (British record producer)