It’s one of the greatest examples of a songwriter hearing a phrase out in the world and realizing its potency. But you have to give credit to John Wozniak of Marcy Playground for taking what he heard and making it unique.
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If you’re wondering what we’re referencing, well, we hope you have no residual scars from the rock under which you buried circa 1997. That’s when Marcy Playground let the odor of “Sex And Candy” waft upon the music world.
Playground Days
John Wozniak put together a healthy backlog of songwriting material throughout the 90s. The Minnesota native relocated to New York in an effort to fulfill his rock and roll dreams. He released some albums on his own while also working with bands now and again.
Marcy Playground came about in the mid-90s, although they were essentially just a vehicle for Wozniak’s songs. Several members came and went, including a few whose work actually appeared on their 1997 self-titled debut. In fact, “Sex And Candy” features the bass work of Jared Kotler, who was already out of the lineup by the time the song rose on the charts.
Their label, Capitol Records, naturally gravitated to the songs on the debut album that fit what the radio was playing at the time. But the first two singles from the record, “Poppies” and “Saint Joe On The School Bus”, faltered. Why not try the weird song with the weird title to salvage the record?
The Roommate’s Retort
The incident that inspired “Sex And Candy” happened in the late 80s when John Wozniak was still just 17 years old. While visiting Bryn Mawr College, where his father was a professor, Wozniak took up with a coed in her dorm room. You could imagine what they were up to, at least until her roommate walked into the room.
That roommate then said the immortal words that Wozniak would recapture in the song (“I smell sex and candy”). Wozniak wouldn’t write the song for another few years. He actually released an early version of the track on one of his independent solo projects before rehashing it for Marcy Playground.
But it’s really only the title that Wozniak went on to borrow. His imagination that leapt into all kinds of non-sequiturs and flights of fancy for the remainder of the lyrics. With the surreal lyrics and laid-back, stoned-out musical tone, “Sex And Candy” separated itself from just about everything else on radio at the time. It made it all the way to No. 8 on the pop charts.
Behind the Lyrics of “Sex And Candy”
“Sex And Candy” manages to capture the playfulness of its initial inspiration with some of the disjointed sensations you might associate with a drug trip. Wozniak’s phrases make it clear how striking his paramour was to him at the time. “Double cherry pie,” “disco superfly,” “platform double suede,” and “disco lemonade” all pop into his swooning head when he tries to describe her.
But there’s also a little bit of paranoia that breaks up his reverie. “Who’s that lounging in my chair?” he wonders in the chorus. And then: “Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction?” “Mama, this surely is a dream,” he concludes, though we can’t be sure by song’s end if it’s a happy one or a nightmare.
Marcy Playground never quite matched the off-kilter catchiness of “Sex And Candy”, at least not from a commercial standpoint. But they earned their place in the 90s one-hit wonder elite with it. If John Wozniak still keeps in touch with that dorm-room intruder, let’s hope he expresses the proper gratitude for her blunt commentary.
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