{"id":30867,"date":"1988-09-10T11:00:00","date_gmt":"1988-09-10T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=30867"},"modified":"2026-02-25T13:49:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T21:49:26","slug":"matr-roy-orbison-bruce-springsteen-and-friends-candy-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/09\/10\/matr-roy-orbison-bruce-springsteen-and-friends-candy-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Candy Man"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It may not have enjoyed quite the success that its A-side did, but Roy Orbison&#8217;s 1961 B-side &#8220;Candy Man&#8221; still managed to claw its way to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VWoA74YyDWY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Candy Man&#8221; was tucked onto the flipside of Roy&#8217;s smash single, &#8220;Crying,&#8221; but audiences found their way to it regardless.<\/p>\n<p>The song was co-written by Beverly Ross, who&#8217;d had a previous candy-themed hit with &#8220;Lollipop&#8221; for The Chordettes, which may or may not have been about oral sex depending on who you ask.<\/p>\n<p>Her follow-up, however, definitely carried a sexual connotation: &#8220;It was [co-writer] Fred [Neil&#8217;s] idea,&#8221; she wrote in her memoir. &#8220;He wanted to write a candy song with me since I&#8217;d had such success with my hit &#8216;Lollipop&#8217;. He told me that in New Orleans all the prostitutes called their pimps their &#8216;Candy Man.&#8217; I finally agreed to write the title with him, and it&#8217;s still a hit all these years later!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>(Not even five days into the new year, and I&#8217;ve already ruined two of your favorite childhood songs. You&#8217;re welcome.)<\/p>\n<p>Peaking at #25, &#8220;Candy Man&#8221; was a relatively minor hit for an iconic singer with nine Top 10 hits to his credit, but it&#8217;s nevertheless a great song that stands the test of time.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also a ton of fun to play&#8211;something we can tell by watching Roy and the all-star band he assembled for his <em>Black &amp; White Night<\/em> concert in 1987&#8211;a band that includes Tom Waits, Elvis Costello (getting a nice harmonica spotlight moment), and k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt and Jennifer Warnes vamping it up as backing vocalists.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and Bruce Springsteen of course. Bruce stays in the background on rhythm guitar, but if you keep your eyes open, you&#8217;ll spot him several times during the performance having the time of his life.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0FTKYtQXbro?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p><strong>Candy Man<br \/>\nFirst performed:<\/strong> September 30, 1987 (Los Angeles, CA)<br \/>\n<strong>Last performed:<\/strong> September 30, 1987 (Los Angeles, CA)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 January 5, 2022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One time only: Bruce joins Roy Orbison and an all-star backing band for a great cover of Roy&#8217;s 1961 B-side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,3612,5],"tags":[384,3372,383],"class_list":["post-30867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-me","category-great","category-meeting-across-the-river","tag-black-and-white-night","tag-candy-man","tag-roy-orbison"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/admin-ajax-35.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9w3Lk-81R","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34350,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2022\/05\/02\/roll-of-the-dice-candys-room\/","url_meta":{"origin":30867,"position":0},"title":"Roll of the Dice: Candy&#8217;s Room","author":"Ken","date":"May 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Our third and final installment on the long road from \"Candy's Boy\" to \"Candy's Room\"","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/badlands_sin-nl-07i-6678.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/badlands_sin-nl-07i-6678.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/badlands_sin-nl-07i-6678.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/badlands_sin-nl-07i-6678.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20595,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/02\/roll-of-the-dice-candys-boy\/","url_meta":{"origin":30867,"position":1},"title":"Roll of the Dice: Candy&#8217;s Boy","author":"Ken","date":"September 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This early ancestor of \"Candy's Room\" (and \"Drive All Night\") is just as strong as its descendant, featuring a long, sublime solo by Danny Federici. Let's break it down inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/candysboy.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/candysboy.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/candysboy.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/candysboy.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/candysboy.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2350,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/04\/21\/matr-ringo-starrs-all-starr-band-bruce-springsteen-and-john-candy-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends\/","url_meta":{"origin":30867,"position":2},"title":"With a Little Help from My Friends","author":"Ken","date":"April 21, 1988","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce joins Nils, Clarence, and the rest of Ringo's All Starr Band for an encore performance of a Beatles classic.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/littlehelp.jpg?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5733,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/16\/roll-of-the-dice-marias-bed\/","url_meta":{"origin":30867,"position":3},"title":"Roll of the Dice: Maria&#8217;s Bed","author":"Ken","date":"November 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Sister song to \"Reno\" and cousin to \"Further On (Up the Road),\" \"Maria's Bed\" is a carefree jaunt with surprising depth and hidden poignancy--it's one of Bruce's best 21st-century songs.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/maria.jpeg?fit=450%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":970,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/06\/roll-of-the-dice-santa-ana\/","url_meta":{"origin":30867,"position":4},"title":"Roll of the Dice: Santa Ana","author":"Ken","date":"March 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Visit the vividly painted streetscape of \"Santa Ana,\" featuring a lost Clarence Clemons flute performance and dreamlike imagery.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Santa-Ana-800x800.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Santa-Ana-800x800.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Santa-Ana-800x800.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Santa-Ana-800x800.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17118,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/07\/cover-me-hang-on-sloopy\/","url_meta":{"origin":30867,"position":5},"title":"Cover Me: Hang on Sloopy","author":"Ken","date":"April 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce's first concert performance of \"Hang On Sloopy\" gets the entire Greensboro Coliseum crowd on its feet for a deafening singalong. Watch the electrifying moment inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/The-McCoys-Hang-On-Sloopy-1534271136-compressed.jpg?fit=620%2C620&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/The-McCoys-Hang-On-Sloopy-1534271136-compressed.jpg?fit=620%2C620&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/The-McCoys-Hang-On-Sloopy-1534271136-compressed.jpg?fit=620%2C620&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30867"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68029,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30867\/revisions\/68029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}