"Candy" is a teen pop and dance-pop song that lasts for 3 minutes and 54 seconds. The song is composed in the key of D major and is set in the time signature of 4/4 common time with a moderate tempo of 100.5 beats per minute. The song was written and composed by Denise Rich, Dave Katz, Denny Kleiman and was produced by Jive Jones, Tony Battaglia, and Shaun Fisher.
Music video
The music video to promote the single and album was directed by Chris Robinson. Released in July 1999, the video begins with shots of a typical neighborhood, with the camera eventually zooming to Mandy Moore's bedroom. After her friends call her from outside her bedroom window, the group travels, in a green Volkswagen New Beetle, to a diner named Cadillac Jack's. Along the way, Mandy glances at a boy she saw skateboarding. The end of the music video shows Moore and her dancers in an empty pool, surrounded by skateboarders. The video includes a cameo appearance by the members of the female pop group P.Y.T.
Live performances
Moore promoted the song live during several TV shows throughout 1999 and 2000. She performed the song live on MTV's TRL,Top of the Pops, and the Rosie O'Donnell Show, as well as while she was a guest on the series All That. She also performed it live during Summer Music Mania 2000 and on her first headlined show Mandy Moore Live @ Shoutback. However, though Moore has stated, on TRL for example, that she feels the songs on So Real are "so bad," she does still occasionally perform this song in concert for fans. Moore's more recent performances, however, reflect an updated version of "Candy" which is infused with elements of rock and blues instead of being straight bubblegum pop.
"Candy" reviews among music critics were generally mixed. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said, "'She's just 15 years old,' reads the first line of the sleeve note of the promotional package containing Mandy Moore's debut single, 'Candy,' cutting right to the chase. Moore is 550 Music's entry in the female teen singer sweepstakes of 1999. The midtempo dance tune is equally direct, with a chorus that goes 'I'm missing you like candy,' a sentiment the intended audience of pre-teens can surely understand. Moore lacks the undercurrent of sensuality Britney Spears brings to such material, but then she seems to be aiming at a younger demographic. Whether or not she makes it is more dependent on her looks, her ability to dance, and her label's promotional abilities than on the record itself, which is about par for this sort of thing."
Personnel
Mandy Moore: Vocals
Billy Lawrence, Jive Jones: Backing Vocals
Dakari: Additional Vocals
Rob Bailey, Tony Battaglia: Guitars
Dave Katz: Keyboards and Drum Programming
Shaun Fisher: Keyboards and Drum Programming, Bass
Recorded by Ethan Mates, Mike Tucker and Tommie Hicks Jr.
Mixed by Tony Battaglia and Joe Smith
Chart performance
"Candy" was the debut and lead single of Moore's first album So Real. But it performed only moderately well on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking just outside the top 40, at #41 the week of October 30, 1999. It entered the chart on #88 and reached its peak in its eighth week on the chart. Despite this, the song is the most successful single ever recorded by Moore, at least internationally. It received more success abroad, peaking at #6 in the UK and #2 in Australia. Its music video was nearly retired from TRL; it had spent 61 days on the countdown. Since then, the video run limit has been reduced from 65 to 50 to 40 days. As of the middle of November 2012, "Candy" has sold 753,000 physical copies and 198,000 paid digital downloads according to Nielsen Soundscan.
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Covers
recorded a cover of this song for her 2009 album No Average Angel. Her version has faster tempo and was performed in upbeat pop rock and bubblegum pop style.
