Candy Says

General CommentIt doesn't have to be about Candy or about a sex change.
To me, it speaks of the sad and futile yearning to be as free as blue birds, to be a part of the flow of nature and without the heavy burdens of a human body and big decisions draining your soul.
I like to think of it as wanting to just BE. to not have a body or any of that, to just exist. And that is what the question means: what would we see if we were able to be free of our selves?

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General CommentThe crossdresser makes more sense but until now I always thought Candy was a prostitute.

She hates the way she uses her body and the things that happen as a result.

Candy came from out on the island
In the backroom she was everybody's darlin
But she never lost her head, even while she was giving head.
She said hey baby, take a walk on the wildside.

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General CommentIts so cool listening to this song right after "Sister Ray" ends. Its like the morning after a big blowout (White Light /White Heat album) into a calming after effect (The Velvet Underground). Beautiful song, beautiful album. Really shows the diversity and brillaince of the VU.

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General CommentI'm sure the song is about Candy Darling. Thanks for sharing all of your interpretations, I learn from each and everyone of you. Beautiful song.

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General CommentSo many weird interpretations of this song here, I can't see it as anything about other than how Candy Darling felt alienated from being a poor trans woman in the 1960's and 70's.

"Candy says I've come to hate my body
And all that it requires in this world"

I interpret this as relating to her dysphoria regarding her body, and becoming detached from physicality as a result, many trans women suffer from anorexia due to this, which may be another angle to look at it from.

"Candy says I'd like to know completely
What others so discretely talk about"

I see this as being unable to relate to others, due to feeling so different and lost. There wasn't much terminology regarding or understanding of transsexuality at that time, and I can understand the impact of this on how an individual then relates to, communicates with, and interprets information from others. I think the word "completely" is key to this as it conveys uncertainty of reality.

The chorus is fairly clear, hoping that things will improve for herself as time passes, 'maybe when I'm older'.

"What do you think I'd see
If I could walk away from me"

Candy was intensely self loathing, which is understandable, as you can easily become like that if you are continually treated with contempt, suspicion, and disgust. These lines also strike me as optimistic, in that deep down she is certain of her identity, but the attitudes of others toward her have cause her to doubt this. If she could abandon the image of herself that others have imposed on her then what could she achieve?

"Candy says I hate the quiet places
That cause the smallest taste of what will be
Candy says I hate the big decisions
That cause endless revisions in my mind"

I see this verse as relating to loneliness and uncertainty. Candy wrote often about how lonely she felt, that she felt she would forever be unlovable, and was unable to relate to people.

The last two lines of the verse could conceivably relate to sex reassignment surgery, which Candy expressed concerns about, but I think that ultimately relates to her poor perception of self, brought on by the attitudes of others.

I think this song is about how Candy Darling could have flourished given love and support, but she was continually exploited and lived a short, unlucky life, and thus came to dislike and doubt herself. In the letter she wrote just before she passed away, she says "Did you know I couldn't last? I always knew it."

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General CommentThe song's about Candy Darling, who was a cross-dresser in the '60s and part of Andy Warhol's regular crowd...great song; one of their best.

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General CommentSorry SIsterRay, but Stephaniesays is right. The song is about Candy Darling, who was also part of Andy Warhol's Factory, along with Lou Reed and a lot of people mentioned in Reed's lyrics. I've always interpreted the line

"Candy says I hate the big decisions
that cause endless revisions in my mind"

to be about the sex change operation that Candy had wanted but never got. Unfortunately, Candy died of leukemia at the age of 25. Such a a sad and meloncholy song since it mentions "getting older" which Candy never got to do.

Beautiful song.

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My OpinionI think it's about wanting to fit in with the world around you, and the fact remains you haven't ever been part of the world which adds to confusion. So you want to get rid of yourself to become like others and be connected with them rather than apart. It's a personal song about a person who is taking things personally at this stage in his life as for me, this song means a lot to my teen years, because you can't figure things out and hate the big decisions in life that are thrown at you. Looking ahead.... you wish you could just walk away from these things in your life but you can't... even when you're older than before.

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General CommentI think this song reflects some of the nihilistic ideas of the Velvet Underground.

"Candy says I hate the quiet places
that cause the smallest taste of what will be."

ie, she hates being alone and confused, not least because of an overwhelming fear of the nothingness of death.

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General CommentMy FAVORITE SONG EVER

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