"Oh, Candy" is based on a true story of photographer Marshall Mintz, Cheap Trick's first photographer and a friend, who committed suicide by hanging. The name Candy referred to Mintz's initials, which shared the name of the popular candy M&M's. Rather than call the song "Marshall Mintz" or "M & M", Nielsen decided to use "Candy" to make the song easier for listeners to identify with. In the 1998 Cheap Trick biography Reputation Is a Fragile Thing, Nielsen said:
"I thought that calling the song "Marshall Mintz" sounded pretty stupid, so I put a little twist on it and called the song "Oh, Candy". Here was a guy who committed suicide, and I was asking him why. Obviously, the song makes the story sound like it's about a young woman. Nobody wants to hear about some older guy that I knew. I just tried to tell the story in such a way that as many people as possible could identify with it."[3]
A music video was filmed to promote the single, which was directed by Chuck Lashon, who also produced videos for several other songs from Cheap Trick's debut album, such as "He's a Whore", "ELO Kiddies", "Hot Love", and "The Ballad of T.V. Violence."[3]
Release
"Oh, Candy" was released on 7" vinyl by Epic Records in the United States and Canada.[1][4] For its release as a single, a new mix of the song was created, which included a different vocal take and the addition of handclaps.[3] The single version would later appear on the band's 1996 compilation Sex, America, Cheap Trick.[5] "Oh, Candy" later appeared as the B-side of the band's 1979 UK single "Way of the World".[6]
Critical reception
Upon release, Cash Box listed the single as one of their "feature picks" during April 1977. They commented: "Intelligently recycled riffs mark the debut single of this theatrical heavy pop-rock ensemble. Jack Douglas' 1977-"wall of sound" production lends character to the endlessly reverberating harmonies."[7] In a review of Cheap Trick, Primo Times praised the album and listed a number of notable tracks while adding: "...the undisputable choice for single is "Oh, Candy." Listen for a cliff-hanger close on that one that should prove that fade-outs are indeed cop-outs."[8]The Pittsburgh Press described the song as an example of a "rousing rocker at [its] best" and a "single possibility".[9]
In a retrospective review of the album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said: "...Even "Oh, Candy," apparently a love song on first listen, is an affecting tribute to a friend who committed suicide. In short, Cheap Trick revel in taboo subjects with abandon, devoting themselves to the power of the hook, as well as sheer volume and gut-wrenching rock & roll." He also recommended the song by labelling it an AMG Pick Track.[2]Billboard, in a review of the 2001 live album Silver, included the album's version of "Oh, Candy" as one of the highlights.[10] In a review of a 1997 Cheap Trick concert, Chris Riemenschneider of the Austin American-Statesman described the song as a "delightful poppy ditty".[11]
In the 1998 Cheap Trick biography Reputation Is a Fragile Thing, the song was described as a "gloriously commercial tune" and a "fitting debut single".[3] Essi Berelian, in his 2005 book The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal, described the song as a "commercial tune".[12] In his 2017 book Still Competition: The Listener's Guide to Cheap Trick, Robert Lawson described the song as having a "deceptively catchy chorus barely hiding the tale of suicide".[13] In 2015, Joe Szczechowski of AXS considered "Oh, Candy" to be one of Cheap Trick's "five most underrated songs". He described the song as a "melodic rocker", but added "perhaps many rock fans weren't ready for such a dark narrative set to an upbeat melody."[14]
