I Wany Candy - The Strangeloves

So this song was going through my head on a loop yesterday. Not the version in the video mind you, the one by Bow Wow Wow which Beavis and Butthead (critics extraordinaire) unanimously voted sucks.

So I decided to look up where the song came from. It was written by the song writing/producing team FGG Productions, made up of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer. The trio had already written hits for a string of other artists, most notably with 'My Boyfriends Back' for The Angels. In late 1964, presumably tired of sharing royalties with other artists, the trio decided to create a band to perform their work.

Taking a page out of The Monkees play book, the trio created a fake back story for the band to set the public's imagination on fire. They decided the band needed to be exotic (makes sense) so they settled on being from Australia (well...), and they needed a feel good care free back story (okay sure-) so they decided they were sheepfarmers (what?). Not just sheep farmers! (Oh-) Wealthy sheep farmers! (-kay.) And, because it was the sixties, all of their names would rhyme- making them the Brothers Niles, Giles and Miles Strange of The Strangeloves!

So. The story didn't really catch on. But the music did, especially the Bo Diddley-raga drum lead 'I Want Candy,' which is an undeniably catchy song. And sounds a bit like a lounge band playing in the middle of the jungle. Which can only ever be a good thing.

Thank God for wealthy, eccentric, bored, sheep farmer brothers.