After working together in the noise rock band Leitoh Lychee, Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda formed Cibo Matto around 1994. While recording tracks for their first album, Viva! La Woman, they collaborated with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Russell Simmons and others, on a side project called Butter 08. The album was released in 1996.
They later enlisted band members Sean Lennon, Timo Ellis and Duma Love to help record their Super Relax EP and final full-length album, Stereo Type A. While Viva! La Woman had strong hip-hop and trip-hop elements, Stereo Type A leaned more more towards their rock, pop and Latin side. The group continued to play live concerts until disbanding near the end of 2001. Yuka Honda went on to release solo albums and continued to collaborate with Sean, while Miho Hatori moved onto bossa nova, teaming up with guitarist Smokey Hormel to form Smokey & Miho, then joining Gorillaz for their self-titled first album and eventually releasing her own solo album.
In 1997, the band guest-performed on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer's second season premiere in the fictional club The Bronze, performing "Spoon" and "Sugar Water".
Since the break-up in 2001, their songs have been played in many different places, including the video game Jet Set Radio Future. "Birthday Cake" was featured in the Kids in the Hall's feature-length film, Brain Candy.
The band announced their reunion on March 18, 2011, to perform as part of a benefit concert for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The concert, which took place on March 27 at Columbia University in New York City also included Yoko Ono, John Zorn, Sonic Youth, and Mike Patton, among others. Following on the success of this show, a second was added, this time featuring the Plastic Ono Band and Patti Smith along with Cibo Matto. They've since performed at the Hollywood Bowl on June 26 in another benefit with Yellow Magic Orchestra. Cibo Matto then went on their formal US reunion tour titled "Yeah Basically Cibo Matto." The tour's first part was from June 21 to June 26 at the Hollywood Bowl and the second part was July 12 to July 20 with stops in NYC, Chicago, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Boston.
Cibo Matto released Hotel Valentine, their first album in 15 years, on Valentine's Day 2014 through Chimera Music, a label founded by Sean Lennon. They are touring the United States with Salt Cathedral and their current drummer Yuko Araki, as well as guest musicians on some songs.
The Candy Man
Cibo Matto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
He mixes it with love, makes the world taste good
Who can take the rainbow, wrap it in a sigh
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
He mixes it with love, makes the world taste good
The Candy Man makes everything he makes
Satisfying and delicious
Talking about your childhood for the wishes
You can even eat the dishes
But delicious.
Who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
He mixes it with love, makes the world taste good
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man, the Candy Man can
He mixes it with love, makes the world taste good
The Candy Man by Cibo Matto is an upbeat and lively song that talks about the magical abilities of the titular character to create delicious treats out of everyday things. The lyrics describe how the Candy Man can take something as simple as sunlight or a rainbow and turn it into something irresistible by sprinkling it with dew, covering it with chocolate or soaking it in the sun. The Candy Man is portrayed as a person who mixes his creations with love, resulting in a world that tastes good. The song talks about how he makes everything he creates satisfying and delicious, making it a nostalgic reminder of childhood wishes.
Each verse of the song is different, but they all follow a similar structure in terms of talking about the Candy Man's abilities to make something extraordinary out of ordinary things. They also touch on the idea of dreams and happiness, presenting the Candy Man as a figure who can turn even the darkest of emotions into something sweet. Overall, the song is a lighthearted tribute to the power of imagination and the magic of childhood.
Line by Line Meaning
Who can take the sunlight, sprinkle it with dew
The Candy Man can turn a basic and ordinary aspect of life (sunlight) into something better and more magical.
Cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two
The Candy Man adds sweetness (chocolate) and something extra special (miracles) to make life more enjoyable.
He mixes it with love, makes the world taste good
The Candy Man puts care and warmth (love) into everything he creates, making the world a better place.
Who can take the rainbow, wrap it in a sigh
The Candy Man can take a symbol of hope and happiness (rainbow) and infuse it with a sense of longing or melancholy (sigh).
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie
The Candy Man uses natural elements (sun and lemon) to make something fun and cool (groovy) and delicious (pie).
The Candy Man makes everything he makes
The Candy Man ensures that every creation he makes is of the highest quality.
Satisfying and delicious
His creations are not only of high quality but also meet or exceed our expectations for taste and enjoyment.
Talking about your childhood for the wishes
The Candy Man's creations can bring up nostalgic and happy memories of childhood.
You can even eat the dishes
The Candy Man's creations are so delicious that we want to consume all parts of them, including the dishes (plates or bowls) they are served in.
But delicious.
The artist confirms that every description of the Candy Man's creations is indeed delicious and enjoyable.
Who can take tomorrow, dip it in a dream
The Candy Man can take the unknown and uncertain future (tomorrow) and give it a sense of wonder and excitement (dream).
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream
The Candy Man takes the sadness and pain (sorrow) in life and makes sure to gather all the good things (cream) to make life more enjoyable.
He mixes it with love, makes the world taste good
This line is repeated to emphasize that the Candy Man's creations are made with love and positively impact the world.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, TARADAM MUSIC, INC., Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oxyeee80
By far the best remake!
@MorleyCarlin
For the first minute, I was like, "THIS SUCKS!" Then she started singing, and I started LAUGHING!
EXCELLENT!
@miriya99
@AceNebula91 They do the best covers imaginable ~~ wouldn't mind an entire album of new covers, in addition to that reunion! Did you check out Yuko Honda on tour with the Nels Cline Singers? It's tooootally worth it if they come to a venue near you!
@miriya99
@randomtracy Ha! I dunno, I kinda love the grammatical incorrectness of Japanese bands. Pizzicato 5's "Baby Love Child" is one of my fav songs of all-time and it's full of that, haha. <3
@TehTr0nik
I will never watch willy wonka in the same way again
@wilsonoff
@randomtracy I'm guessing it's like how people use the word 'man' to refer to humankind; they are using the word 'woman' instead (as they rightly should since they comprise the majority of the human population!)
@miriya99
@miriya99 *Yuka ~ d'oh! For some reason I always want to put an "o" there.