let me be honest: there are a million other tvu songs i could’ve reviewed.
you may or may not know about the velvet underground, but they practically invented everything from punk rock to shoegaze. the velvet underground were formed in new york city in 1964, and their most well-known lineup consisted of lou reed (guitar/vocals), john cale (multiple instruments), sterling morrison (guitar), and moe tucker (drums). reed and cale were the primary songwriters until cale left the band over creative differences in 1968 and was replaced by bassist doug yule.
in their first five years of existence, the velvet underground released a string of three influential, stylistically diverse albums: The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), White Light/White Heat (1968), and The Velvet Underground (1969). here’s a brief summary of each:
The Velvet Underground & Nico
psychedelic, artsy rock; probably the closest they got to ‘classic rock’
White Light/White Heat
transgressive, extreme noise rock, their least listenable album
The Velvet Underground
calming, intimate folk rock/pop
i have to admit, they are one of my favorite bands, so i’m going to be biased.
“Candy Says” is the opening track of The Velvet Underground, with doug yule on lead vocals. the velvet underground worked closely with andy warhol and his artists in the factory, which inspired their daring approach to music. “Candy Says” is about candy darling, an actress who was one of warhol’s ‘superstars’ and an early icon for transgender visibility.
the song is a great tone-setter for the album, with gentle, dreamy guitars and yule’s delicate and slow vocals, inspired by the doo-wop subgenre of r&b music. the poetic lyrics describe candy darling’s struggles with gender dysphoria, friendships, and indecision. “Candy Says” as a whole is neatly nuzzled between tranquility and sadness, psychological depth and easy listening.
as i mentioned last week, i’ve been on this weird quest for ‘intimate’-sounding music. and for me, this song hits the mark: showing the complexities of human experience while showing restraint. if you listen to their earlier work, it’s a nice breath of fresh air from their suffocating avant-garde experimentation. “Candy Says” is just the kind of thing that’s perfect for a rainy, quiet evening.
