Candyman - Grateful Dead Song Review

Reviewing Grateful Dead songs that start with "C" has already provided some real gems. Candyman is yet another. Candyman totally rules. This is a song I would categorize with many others as "for Grateful Dead fans only". What I mean to say is that I've never heard anyone besides a Deadhead talk about or play this song. No one ever goes to a party and plays Candyman to get people fired up and I've never noticed anyone ever throwing quarters in a jukebox and playing Candyman either.

I'm really going to sound like a broken record when I point out yet again that when I got American Beauty cassette in high school... there's no way I really liked Candyman. I just didn't have the maturity, life experience, or perhaps just wasn't burnt out enough!

So why do I love it now?

Well, fast forward to a lazy first set of a show on a Thursday night at Shoreline in 1993 and I'm feeling the effects of a variety of things I've imbibed on the road up and in the parking lot. I'm not really in outerspace whatsoever - but more like I'm melting into the fence that I'm leaning up against. I guess you could say I've got a killer body high and I swear I remember that it was still daylight during the first set. The Dead play Candyman and in that state of mind it was just the absolutely perfect mellow rock and roll song with a recognizable intro, a good old fashioned 70's country rock chorus, and of course everyone cheering during some of those great lines:

Good morning Mr. Benson
I see you're doing well
If I had me a shotgun
I would blow you straight to hell

This song is just a great 70s rock tune. This song sounds like a mixture of beer (from a can), quaaludes, and a tour bus. I don't hear music like this anymore (I'm not saying it doesnt' exist - but I don't know where it is being made).


The lyrics are about a shady character and I like that Jerry sings them first person. It reminds me that Jerry was struggling under the burden of his unwanted "sainthood" by the time I discovered the Dead but really he was just a "screwed up" guitarist with weaknesses and a sense of humor like he had always been. Like I mentioned in the Brokedown Palace review, I think sometimes I'm more impressed with Robert Hunter being able to just come up with a simple traditional "folky" or "roots" lyrics like Candyman than I am with the cosmic metaphysical lyrics like The Eleven, China Cat Sunflower, and other psychedelic concepts (but believe me - I love those too).

Jerry always used an interesting effect on the Candyman solo. It is something like a phaser or a chorus effect that has a rapid "shimmering" rate that is pretty unorthodox really but still seems to fit right into the genre.

Candyman is yet another classic from American Beauty and one that I always turn up and listen too when I hear it on a podcast or a bootleg.

Candyman Song Rating on a Scale of 1-10: 8.8


Disclaimer: This is part of my review of every Grateful Dead song from A-Z. Music is a beautiful thing because it is so personal and subjective, so keep in mind that this is one man's opinion (and be sure to read my blog manifesto to understand a little more about where I'm coming from).