Billboard #1 Hits: #274: ” The Candy Man”- Sammy Davis Jr. June 10, 1972. #1 3 weeks in Billboard Hot 100.
- Single: “Candy Man”- Sammy Davis Jr
- Record Company-MGM
- Genre: Pop
- Written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
- Time: 3:10
- B-side:”I Want To Be Happy”
- Album-Sammy Davis Jr. Now
- Grade: C
- Peaked at #1 3 weeks in Billboard Hot 100.
In the summer of 1972 it seemed like this was the song of the summer- every time I turned the radio on for even a brief period of time changes are you’d heard “Candy Man.” Odd that three Rat Packers had big late career hits with songs that we kind of so-so. Dean with “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime.”- Frank with ‘Strangers In The Night” and Sammy [pound for pound one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century}- with Candy Man. I don’t think its very good but it brings back good memories and I liked Sammy – so I can’t give it anything lower than a C. Sammy did get a Grammy-nomination for Best Male Vocal Performance. The song originally appeared in 1971 in the movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.
slicethelife 
While can’t claim to know the music of Sammy Davis, Jr., I always thought he was a great vocalist. And I’ve certainly heard more compelling tunes than “The Candy Man,” though I like the feel-good vibe – really sounds like a happy children’s song.
I wonder whether your moderate rating could in part be explained by over-exposure. Unfortunately, when they keep playing the same song on the radio, it can ruin it. I don’t think “The Candy Man” had that kind of exposure in Germany at the time.
To me, really great tunes hold up, even if you’ve heard them a million times. Others not so much. And while I would have given “The Candy Man” a higher rating, I can see the tune fall into that latter category.
Yes I agree some songs endure- Candy Man was played to death and I don’t think holds up as well.
the streak of A-rated hits comes to an end.And rightfully so… though I’m with you on the idea that it brings back some good memories, even if the song is a little less than stellar.
I once read that Davis didn’t want to record this song, but finally relented, saying he’d do only one take, which is what was recorded and released.
Funny how often that happens- artist hates song has to have his arm twisted to record it- song becomes a huge hit.