The lyrics of “Sex and Candy” describe the roommate of lead singer John Wozniak’s girlfriend walking into their dorm room and saying that it smelled like sex and candy.

Marcy Playground had a gigantic hit with “Sex and Candy.” Then, after that, they never had as big a hit again. The song itself is prototypical 1990s alternative, all laconic lyric delivery and repetitive bare-bones accompaniment. There’s not a guitar solo even in sight. The lyrics are a mild stream of consciousness about a fellow just minding his own business when a girl he finds interesting and attractive walks by him. Wozniak himself now says that, other than the reference to the smell of that long-ago dorm room, he doesn’t know what the song actually means. In a recent interview Wozniak stumbles over words when trying to describe to the interviewer what people think his lyrics mean. He finally says that it’s a fun take on the age-old “love-at-first-sight” trope. Wozniak wrote the song in less than an hour back in 1997. The song has received both praise and criticism in equal measure.

Weirdness

Some of the phrases that seem nonsensical include “double cherry pie” and “disco lemonade.” These phrases seem to be of the same variety as “the bee’s knees” or “the snake’s hips,” both of which were popular in the 1950s for describing something that was agreeable and fun. In the 1960s, those things were “cool” or “far out. In the 1980s, they were “gnarly” or “tubular.” Wozniak uses these turns of phrase to describe the elusive object of his eye and affection within the song. Perhaps it is this weirdness that gives the song its great and enduring popularity. It’s almost weird, too, that a group whose song was at No. 1 on the rock charts for a staggering four months in a row would never again have a hit of that magnitude. Indeed, Marcy Playground never had a hit that was even in the same area code as “Sex and Candy.”

Other Media

The networks’ choice of “Sex and Candy” as part of the soundtracks of different shows speaks to the song’s popularity. “Cold Case,” “True Blood,” and “Roswell” are all dramas. “Being Erica” is a comedy. And, “The Voice” is a reality show that is also a singing competition. The song’s appearance in films is limited to a single, not-so-well-known comedy: “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”

Lyrics

Hangin’ ’round downtown by myself
And I had so much time to sit and think about myself
And then there she was, like double cherry pie
Yeah, there she was
Like disco super-fly

I smell sex and candy here, mmm
Who’s that lounging in my chair? Mmm
Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction?
Mama, this surely is a dream, yeah
Yeah, mama, this surely is a dream, dig it

Hangin’ ’round downtown by myself
And I’ve had too much caffeine, and I was thinkin’ ’bout myself
And then there she was, in platform double suede
Yeah, there she was
Like disco lemonade

I smell sex and candy here, mmm
Who’s that lounging in my chair? Mmm
Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction?
Mama, this surely is a dream, yeah
Yeah, mama, this surely is a dream, dig it
Yeah, mama, this surely is a dream, yeah

I smell sex and candy here, mmm
Who’s that lounging in my chair? Mmm
Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction?
Mama, this surely is a dream, yeah
Yeah, mama, this surely is a dream, dig it
Yeah, mama, this surely is a dream, yeah
Yeah, mama, this must be my dream

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: John K. Wozniak

Sex and Candy lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Listeners of music from the 1990’s, might also appreciate the song Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Crash Test Dummies