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Song Stories

“Candy-O”

The Cars | 1979

Judging by its lyrics, the title track of the Cars' second album, Candy-O, appears to be about a man smitten by a woman (as evidenced by the song's repeated line, "Candy-O, I need you so"). But the Boston-based group put forth a different theory as to meaning behind the New Wave pop song's title. When asked if the "O" in "Candy-O" stood for "Ocasek" or "Orr" — the surnames of the Cars' two singers, Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr — Ocasek replied, "The 'O' stands for 'obnoxious.'"

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Song Stories

“He Will Break Your Heart”

Jerry Butler | 1960

A lightly swinging Latin-influenced, almost cha-cha groove and close harmonies decorated Jerry Butler's early soul hit "He Will Break Your Heart," delivering a stately warning that his rival would never love his girl like he did. The melody came to Butler as he was driving on the highway from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Philadelphia with Curtis Mayfield, and as Butler told Rolling Stone, "I just sang the melody and Curtis put the chords to it." The song's premise, Butler added, "was something that I'd lived ...The lyric was an experience rather than a revelation. Whereas music is usually a revelation."

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