7 songs that will make you hungry
Whether they actually sell candy in the candy shop 50 Cent sings about is rather debatable. But one thing we do know: when it comes to food and drink, we love it. These songs are no exception. Here are our favorites:
Kelis – Milkshake
That Kelis’ milkshake brought all the boys to the yard is certain. But of course, she didn’t actually mean a real milkshake—or did she? In an interview, Kelis herself said that the milkshake referred to ‘something that makes a woman special. This is different for every woman. Something that gives women confidence.’ But if we are to believe the definition on Urban Dictionary, you end up with a very different song… One that might go quite well with this ‘super sperm smoothie’ from Goedele Liekens.
Marvin Gaye – I Heard it Through The Grapevine
This old-school Motown song from 1968 is absolutely not about a grapevine, and certainly not about wine. When you say ‘I heard it through the grapevine’, you mean that you heard something through gossip. And that’s exactly what Marvin Gaye meant. The song is about a man who hears through the grapevine that his girlfriend has cheated on him. Aaaw.
50 Cent – Candy Shop
‘I’ll take you to the candy shop.’ Well, sounds nice, right? When you hear the first line of this song, you might think of a candy store, just like in the film about Willy Wonka. But when 50 Cent then says you may lick his ‘lollipop’, the song quickly takes a different turn. The video for this song also gives away that it is full of sexual euphemisms. For example, the entire candy shop is nowhere to be seen. Except in the final ten seconds, when it turns out that the Candy Shop is a fast-food drive-through. Huh?
Lollipop – Lil Wayne
Just like with the song Candy Shop, when this song came out in 2008 I didn’t realize that it was anything but innocent. In hindsight, the lyrics obviously give this away from beginning to end. Lil Wayne compares licking a lollipop to—uh, yes, you know what—the licking of something else. We do have to give a little round of applause for the wrapper/rapper pun: ‘She lick me like a lollipop, so I let her lick the wrapper.’
Aaron Carter – I want Candy
One for all the ’90s kids: Aaron Carter singing on stage with Lizzy McGuire. It doesn’t get more nostalgic than that. For the most part, the song repeated the words: “I want Candy”. But hey, this ’90s Justin Bieber got away with it. The song is a little misleading, though. Aaron isn’t talking about sour belts or edible paper, but about a girl named Candy. And here we are wondering where millennials get their inspiration for food-inspired baby names from.
Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson
No one makes baking banana pancakes sound as appealing as singer Jack Johnson. Much to the frustration of many boyfriends and girlfriends. The song is about baking banana pancakes together. And it has forced many a partner to get started on this breakfast treat. According to Johnson, the song began as a joke to cheer up his wife. What the banana pancakes really refer to is unclear. Some think Johnson meant a lazy day, while others think it means morning sex. Maybe one doesn’t have to rule out the other?
Red wine – UB40
By far the best-known cover of this song was made by UB40. But I confess: at first, it wasn’t entirely clear to me that this reggae and pop group meant the words ‘red wine’. I simply sang along (loudly), making up the words. And you might think that red wine is being used as a metaphor, but no—the song really is a (well-deserved) ode to red wine. And to be precise: getting absolutely drunk on red wine. Alcohol is the solution to a broken heart in this song, because: “Red, red wine, goes to my head, makes me forget that I still need you so.”
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