Madonna’s ‘Hard Candy’ Turns 5: Stan & Deliver

Name: Jared Braden | Location: Dallas, Texas | Twitter: @jaredbraden

1. Candy Shop: Anyone looking for lyrics so profound and deep that you quit your job to rethink your entire existence should go ahead and move on, because you’re not going to find that here. “Candy Shop” is all letting loose and having a good time. Set to a nice, punchy beat, Madonna weaves her voice around a hypnotic groove that practically dares you not to sing along.

Backed by the aforementioned beat, Madonna sings: “Don’t pretend you’re not hungry, there’s plenty to eat. Come on in to my store ’cause my sugar is sweet.” Madonna knows you’re already craving her sugar. She just needs to convince you that she has the good stuff you can’t find anywhere else — which is just what she does. By the time “Candy Shop” is over, Madonna has you just where she wants: On your knees, begging for another taste. It’s the kind of song that makes you turn up the volume, sing along…maybe even do a little dance if no one else is around, and then hit repeat.

Don’t get me wrong – “Candy Shop” isn’t strong enough to stand alone as a single, but, if nothing else, it more than serves its purpose as an introduction to Hard Candy. There is no question about it: “Candy Shop” is sticky, sweet and addictive.