Song · The Cars
“Candy-O” by The Cars
From the album Candy‐O (1979)
“Candy-O” by The Cars appears on 12 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1982 and 2022. It was first released in 1979 on the album Candy‐O. Its best result is #184 on the KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,772 alternative song of all time.
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The Cars named their second album, in 1979, after "Candy-O", and the song catches the band with the chrome polish scuffed off: heavier on the guitars and lighter on the new wave gloss than most of what they cut. Ric Ocasek wrote it, but Benjamin Orr sings it while playing bass, David Robinson batters away on drums and percussion, and Elliot Easton rips off a guitar solo that all but steals the show.
The chorus barely bothers with words, leaving loud bursts of guitar and drum fills to knock the rhythm off balance. Roy Thomas Baker produced, with Geoff Workman engineering. Ocasek insisted there was no real Candy-O, and when asked what the O stood for he dryly said "obnoxious". It never came out as a single, yet it became a fan favorite, a compilation regular, and a critics' pick for its songwriting and tight playing.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 184 | 95.5 KLOS | KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) | 499 |
| 1988 | 295 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) | 496 |
| 1988 | 360 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
| 1997 | 526 | 102.3 WBAB | WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) | 1023 |
| 2003 | 869 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2011 | 791 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) | 1100 |
| 2012 | 823 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2013 | 556 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 659 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2015 | 559 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) | 1007 |
| 2016 | 718 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 | 1007 |
| 2022 | 836 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
Also listed as: Candy O; Candy-o.
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