I Want Candy

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Bow Wow Wow
The song was the single by pop rock group Bow Wow Wow released as the first and only single from their EP The Last of the Mohicans. For many in America, “I Want Candy” was their first introduction to young lead singer Annabella Lwin and the band. The song, a cover of the Strangeloves hit, barely scraped the Top 50, but became an enduring new wave classic. The song gave its name to the band’s 1982 release, I Want Candy, which was mainly a compilation, but included a couple of new cuts produced by Kenny Laguna (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts).

The enduring popularity of Bow Wow Wow’s recording is partly due to the memorable video that got heavy play in the early days of MTV. This recording is highly associated with 80′s pop music.

The Bow Wow Wow recording appeared on two VH1 countdowns:

* 86 on VH1′s 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s
* 8 on 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s

Bow Wow Wow’s recording is frequently included in collections of 80′s pop music and on soundtracks for movies that take place in the 80′s or in movies that want to make use of the recording’s youthful, carefree tone. The recording is on the soundtrack for Blank Check, Private School, Bio-Dome, Daddy Day Care, 200 Cigarettes, High Fidelity, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion, and Marie Antoinette in the form of a remix by Kevin Shields. It appeared on The Simpsons episode “The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase”.

The song was set to appear on the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s, but was pulled out of the game for unknown reasons.

The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after an 80s hit song, named an episode after this song.

The Black Eyed Peas sampled the song for the song “Electric City” on their 2009 album The E.N.D..
[edit] Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 39
UK Singles Chart 9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 62
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 36
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Tracks 22