To celebrate my dearest sister’s birthday, I am serving a sweet-toothed sonic digestive, straight from my music pantry blended with sugar, spice, and everything musically nice, also dedicated to all my friends who share my weakness for sweets. No cavities, just cravings.
| Title | Artist | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar Baby Love | The Rubettes | Written by Wayne Bickerton & Tony Waddington. A doo-wop-style ode to innocent heartbreak. The Rubettes were a glam pop band from the UK known for retro harmonies and white suits. |
| Sugar, Sugar | The Archies | Written by Jeff Barry & Andy Kim. A cartoon classic about love as candy. The Archies were a fictional American band from the “Archie” comics—yet their hit was very real. |
| Sugar Me | Lynsey de Paul | Written by Lynsey de Paul & Barry Green. A playful, sultry song wrapped in sweet innuendo. Lynsey de Paul was a pioneering singer-songwriter from England, one of the first women to produce her own music. |
| I Want Candy | Bow Wow Wow | Written by Feldman/Goldstein/Gottehrer/Ross. A wild rework of a 1965 tune. Bow Wow Wowwas a provocative new wave band from the UK, known for tribal beats and teenage rebellion. |
| Candy (ft. Kate Pierson) | Iggy Pop | Written by Iggy Pop. A bittersweet duet of lost love. Iggy Pop, from the USA, is the godfather of punk. Kate Pierson, also American, is from The B-52s. |
| Candy | Paolo Nutini | Written by Paolo Nutini. A soulful apology wrapped in romantic sweetness. Nutini is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Paisley known for his gritty voice and emotional depth. |
| Le Petit Pain au Chocolat | Joe Dassin | Written by Claude Lemesle & Pierre Delanoë. A charming tale of bakery love. Dassinwas a French-American singer who became a French pop icon. |
| A Taste of Honey | The Beatles | Written by Bobby Scott & Ric Marlow. A melancholic cover from a musical. The Beatleswere a revolutionary band from Liverpool, England. |
| Just Like Honey | The Jesus & Mary Chain | Written by William & Jim Reid. A fuzzy love song buried in distortion. The Jesus & Mary Chain are noise-pop pioneers from East Kilbride, Scotland. |
| Milk (Siren Mix) | Garbage | Written by Garbage. A moody love song about obsession. Garbage is a rock band from Madison, Wisconsin (USA) fronted by Shirley Manson of Scotland. “¡la leche!” (the milk) in Spanish can have a quite different meaning similar to saying “Wow!” or “great or amazing!”. |
| Sugar | Lenny Kravitz | Written by Lenny Kravitz. A funky metaphor for sensual love. Kravitz is a genre-blending musician from New York City, USA. |
| Cherry Pie | Sade | Written by Sade. A rare, jazzy metaphor for temptation. Sade (pronounced “Shar-day”) is a soul singer born in Nigeria, raised in England. |
| Lollipop | The Chordettes | Written by Beverly Ross & Julius Dixon. A sweet and innocent 1950s bop. The Chordetteswere a female vocal quartet from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA. |
| Sweets for My Sweet | C.J. Lewis | Written by Pomus & Shuman. A reggae-pop love song. C.J. Lewis is a reggae artist from the UK who brought old hits into the ‘90s dancehall scene. |
| Les Tomates | Jack Ary | Written by Henri Salvador & Boris Vian. A novelty song blending food and flirtation. Ary was a French actor and comedic singer. |
| Peaches | The Stranglers | Written by The Stranglers. A sarcastic summer song with biting lyrics. The Stranglers were a punk-adjacent band from Guildford, England. |
| Ice Cream Man | Tom Waits | Written by Tom Waits. A jazzy, seductive metaphor-heavy tune. Waits, from California, USA, is known for his gravel voice and cabaret-style songs. |
| Homemade Ice Cream | Tony Joe White | Written by Tony Joe White. A Southern blues-rock take on love and comfort. White was a Louisiana-born singer famous for his swamp rock style. |
| Little Green Apples | O.C. Smith | Written by Bobby Russell. A sentimental tune about everyday love. Smith was a soulful crooner from Louisiana, USA. |
| Hungry Like the Wolf | Duran Duran | Written by Duran Duran. A synth-driven song about romantic pursuit. Duran Duran are a stylish new wave band from Birmingham, England. |
| There’s a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop | Kirsty MacColl | Written by Kirsty MacColl & Philip Rambow. A witty twist on small-town romance. MacColl was a sharp-tongued singer-songwriter from London, UK. |
| Ene me hesp | Big Bill | The lyrics to “Ene mee hesp” (a ham sandwich), a classical Chuck Berry adaptation by Big Bill Krakkebaas depict the experience of encountering a vendor selling snacks on the street. The backing group of Big Bill consisted of Jean-Marie Aerts, Stoy Stoffelen, Mich Verbelen and Jean Blaute. Big Bill (born Armand Hombroeckx) is undoubtedly one of the godfathers of modern Belgian music, who started playing music at a young age in Leuven, together with his brother Bert as “Bert & Skifflegroup”, early 1966. |
| Room Service | Fischer-Z | Written by John Watts. A post-punk critique of loneliness and consumerism. Fischer-Z is a new wave band from England with socially conscious lyrics. |
| Table for One | Courtney Marie Andrews | Written by Courtney Marie Andrews. A country-folk song about eating alone and healing. Andrews is an Americana artist from Phoenix, Arizona, USA. |
| Popcorn | Hot Butter | Written by Gershon Kingsley. An instrumental Moog synth hit—bouncy and iconic. Hot Butter was a studio band from New York, USA, known for this one bubbly hit. |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
