"Candy Says" is a song written by

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

. The song is the first track on the

Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means " ...

's self-titled

third album ''Third Album'' is the third studio album released by the Jackson 5 on Motown Records, and the group's second LP released in 1970, on September 18. ''Third Album'' featured the group's fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the US pop charts, " I ...

. It is one of four songs Lou Reed explicitly wrote in the voice of a female character, in the case of "Candy Says", a

transgender woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and some ...

, telling her experiences. Each would begin with the woman's name and then be followed by the verb "says". "

Stephanie Says "Stephanie Says" is a song by American band the Velvet Underground, originally recorded in 1968. Although available on various bootlegs, the song was not released officially until 1985 when a remixed version appeared on the album '' VU'', and sub ...

" was the first (later adapted into "Caroline Says" on his solo album ''

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

).'' The song addresses

Candy Darling Candy Darling (November 24, 1944 – March 21, 1974) was an American actress, best known as a Warhol superstar and transgender icon. She starred in Andy Warhol's films ''Flesh'' (1968) and '' Women in Revolt'' (1971), and was a muse of The Velv ...

's desire to escape her birth gender. Lou Reed insisted that

Doug Yule Douglas Alan Yule (born February 25, 1947) is an American musician and singer, most notable for being a member of the Velvet Underground from 1968 to 1973 serving as the bassist, guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. Biography Early life Doug ...

take the lead vocal on the song. Lou Reed said the song was also "about something more profound and universal, a universal feeling I think all of us have at some point. We look in the mirror and we don't like what we see...I don't know a person alive who doesn't feel that way."

Alternate versions

* 1970: On the live album ''

Live at Max's Kansas City ''Live at Max's Kansas City'' is a live album by the Velvet Underground recorded at the famous nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City. It was originally released on May 30, 1972, by Cotillion, a subsidiary label of At ...

'' * 1972: On the live album ''

Le Bataclan '72 ''Le Bataclan '72'' is a sixteen-track live album by Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico. It was recorded from the soundboard and heavily bootlegged over the years, before it gained an official release in 2004. Background and production The album ...

'' * 2003: Anohni on Reeds live album ''

Animal Serenade ''Animal Serenade'' is a live album by American rock musician Lou Reed, recorded in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theatre in 2003 after ''The Raven''. The show features a drummer-less band (including Mike Rathke on guitar/synth, bassist, vocalist Fe ...

'' * In 2005, Lou Reed joined

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro lab ...

for a rendition of "Candy Says" on stage at Ahnoni's Carnegie Hall show. * 2006: Anohni and Reed on his live album '' Berlin: Live At St. Ann's Warehouse'' * Reed's last public performance, seven months before his death in October 2013, was also "Candy Says" with Antony and the Johnsons, this time in Paris on March 6 of that year.

In popular culture

Anohni's 2003 live version of the song was featured in the 2022 interactive film video game ''Immortality''.

References

{{authority control 1969 songs Songs written by Lou Reed The Velvet Underground songs Transgender-related songs LGBT-related songs