The Candy Man facts for kids

"The Candy Man" is a popular song. It first appeared in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley wrote the song especially for the film. Interestingly, the lyrics for "The Candy Man" are not in Roald Dahl's original book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the movie, Aubrey Woods, who played the candy store owner, sang the song.

Sammy Davis Jr.'s Hit Version

Quick facts for kids "The Candy Man"
Single by Sammy Davis Jr.
from the album Sammy Davis Jr. Now
B-side	"I Want to Be Happy"
Released	April 1972
Recorded	August 19, 1971
Studio	Los Angeles, California
Genre	Vocal jazz, swing, traditional pop
Length	3:10
Label	MGM
Songwriter(s)	Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley
Producer(s)	Don Costa, Michael Viner, Mike Curb
Sammy Davis Jr. singles chronology
"I Have One but One Life to Live" (1969) "The Candy Man" (1972) "The People Tree" (1972)

Sammy Davis Jr. recorded his own version of "The Candy Man." It was part of his album Sammy Davis Jr. Now. Even though Davis said he didn't really like the song, it became his only number one hit! It stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks in 1972. It also topped the easy-listening chart for two weeks.

Billboard magazine even named it the fifth most popular song of 1972. The Mike Curb Congregation sang backup vocals on the track. They had released their own version earlier, but it wasn't as successful. "The Candy Man" became one of Davis's most famous songs. Later in his career, people even called him "The Candy Man." The song was nominated for a Grammy Award too.

In 2014, Sammy Davis Jr.'s voice from the 1972 recording was used to create a "virtual duet." This duet was with singer Barry Manilow and appeared on Manilow's album My Dream Duets.

Modern Versions and Charts

The song has also been updated by modern artists. Zedd recorded a version with help from Grey and Joseph Trapanese.

Chart Performance (2016)

Year-End Chart (2016)

Other Uses of "The Candy Man"

"The Candy Man" tune has been used in many different ways since the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

• In the 1980s, the song became a commercial jingle for Sunshine Biscuits. Sammy Davis Jr. sang it as "The Sunshine Baker Man."
• The band Sloppy Seconds covered the song on their 1989 album Destroyed.
• In The Simpsons episode "Trash of the Titans", Homer sings a funny version called "The Garbage Man."
• On Ren and Stimpy, a character named Sammy Mantis sings "The Mantid Man," a parody about what mantises do.
• Jennifer Tilly's character sings the song in the movie The Fabulous Baker Boys.
• Radio hosts like Chris Evans and Danny Baker used the song on their shows.
• Elaut, a company that makes claw machines, used the song in their "Candyman" machines.
• In an episode of My Name Is Earl, an instrumental version plays when a character finds a coin.
• In Malcolm in the Middle, Francis Wilkerson and other cadets sing the song in two episodes.
• Krayzie Bone used the melody for the intro to his song "Dummy Man" in 1999.
• Comedian Tim Hawkins released a parody called "The Government Can" in 2009.
• M&M Mars has used the song as a jingle for "The M&M's Man."
• EDM artist Zedd released his single "Candyman" to celebrate the 75th anniversary of M&M's candy.
• The Kidsongs singers included this song in their 1986 video "What I Want to Be."
• Rockapella sang their own version in 2016 for Valentine's Day.
• In the movie Madagascar, the song plays twice when Alex the lion is tranquilized.
• In the film Ice Age: Continental Drift, Manny sings the song before his crew is attacked.
• Launa Windows, a company in England, used the song's melody for their TV ads.
• The Broadway musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory features Willy Wonka singing this song.
• The funk metal band Primus covered "The Candy Man" for their 2014 album. This album was a unique take on the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory soundtrack.

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