Groundscore: Mandy Moore
Welcome back for more Groundscore!
My first exposure to Mandy Moore was in 1999 at Fantastic Records outside of Rochester, NY. I used to go there to pick up old vinyl for $0.50 a pop (back before I knew what crate digging was).
Fantastic used to put promo freebies in a basket next to the exit, and one day Conrad and I came across a curious cassette single by an unknown artist named Mandy Moore. The most fascinating thing about the single was that it came in a flip-top box just like a pack of cigarettes.
It wasn't long before Mandy was on TV singing her single -- Candy -- and reaching into the hearts of pubescent boys across America. I didn't have cable back then so I never saw Mandy's music video for Candy, but I know it inspired Conrad to write this song.
On this one, Conrad's singing and playing guitar, Zach's playing bass, and I'm playing drums.
And if you're wondering, the answer is yes -- those pictures are of a still-wrapped copy of the Candy cassette that I've saved all these years. I'm not sure why. I never even listened to the song until today when I found it on YouTube.
BTW, if you watch the music video, prepare to get creeped out! Moore's only 15... which wasn't weird back when Conrad and I were 17, but nowadays it makes me uncomfortable. They've got her saying some pretty suggestive stuff while she's staring longingly into the camera. (EWW!)
But don't worry -- next week, I'll take a break from bubblegum pop stars and give you a good dose of old fashioned teen punk with "My Best Friend's Mosh Pit"!
[...] a teen in the late 90s, there was no way to avoid the nu-bubblegum pop fad. Xtina, Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore, *NSYNC... you know the names. And foremost among them was Britney [...]