While the band's early work blended noise rock with electropop, their later work incorporates Italo disco. The band is known for evolving through the years since their original collaboration, and experimenting with various musical genres.
They have released a number of albums since the early 2000s, their most recent being 2008's Deep Gems.
Glass Candy was formed by Ida No, from Vancouver, Washington and Johnny Jewel, from Austin, Texas, in 1996. The two began working together in Portland, Oregon, just across the Columbia River from No's hometown of Vancouver, Washington. No describes their early work as "droney and weird." Their first two singles, which they self-released under the name "Glass Candy & the Shattered Theatre", were "Metal Gods" (2001) and a cover of Josie Cotton's "Johnny Are You Queer" (2002). They toured with The Convocation Of... in 2001, and released a live album that year on Vermin Scum. Their first studio album, Love Love Love, was issued on Troubleman Unlimited in 2003. A second full-length followed on Troubleman the next year. Jewel founded Italians Do It Better with Mike Simonetti as a subsidiary of Troubleman. In 2007 Glass Candy released their third album B/E/A/T/B/O/X on this label to considerable critical praise. In late 2008, a rarities, b-sides and remix album was released under the name Deep Gems. In a review of Deep Gems, Spin Magazine referred to the band as "an eccentric Portland pair" that "spook the dance floor".
Glass Candy songs were used for a Chloe runway show, as well as used by Karl Lagerfeld for the Spring/Summer '08 Chanel Haute Couture fashion show and the Fall/Winter one of '08/'09.
Recently Glass Candy's "Digital Versicolour" was used in the soundtrack to Nicolas Winding Refn's feature length film Bronson.
Current members
Ida No - vocals
Johnny Jewel (formerly known as John David V.) - drums, programming
Former members
Avalon Kalin - drums
Jimi Hey - drums
Dusty Sparkles - saxophone and drums
Discography
Smashed Candy (Vermin Scum, 2001)
Love Love Love (Troubleman Unlimited, 2003)
Life After Sundown (Troubleman Unlimited 2004)
Iko (Troubleman Unlimited, 2005)
"I Always Say Yes (12" Main)" (Italians Do It Better, 2007)
B/E/A/T/B/O/X (Italians Do It Better, 2007)
Miss Broadway (Vinyl, 12")" (Italians Do It Better, 2008)
Deep Gems (Italians Do It Better, 2008)
IKO
Glass Candy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My grandma
Your grandma
My grandma & your grandma
Sittin' by the fire
My grandma told your grandma
"I'm gonna set your flag on fire"
See my king all dressed in red,
Iko Iko un day
I betcha five dollars he'll kill you dead
Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne
Iko, Iko,
Iko Iko un day
Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-ne
Jock a mo fee-na-ne
See my king all dressed in red,
Iko Iko un day
I betcha five dollars he'll kill you dead
Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne
Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne
My bad boy
My bad boy
My bad boy & your bad boy,
Sittin' by the fire
My bad boy told your bad boy
"I'm gonna set your flag on fire"
See that guy all dressed in green
He's not a man he's a lovin' machine
Hey now, hey now,
Iko Iko un day
Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-ne
Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne
Hey now! Hey now!
Iko Iko un day!
The lyrics of Glass Candy's song "Iko" are derived from a traditional New Orleans street parade chant from the 1950s. The song was originally written by James Crawford and became a hit in 1965 for The Dixie Cups. The repetitive chant-like structure of the song creates a lively and upbeat feel that is appropriate for a parade. Glass Candy, in their interpretation of the song, has added their own unique elements, making it an entirely new entity. The song has several references to flag-burning, which was a controversial topic during the time the original song was written. The lyrics, "My grandma told your grandma 'I'm gonna set your flag on fire'" and "My bad boy told your bad boy 'I'm gonna set your flag on fire'" allude to the political tensions of the time.
The song's references to a king dressed in red and a man dressed in green seem to be symbolic rather than literal. The phrase, "I betcha five dollars he'll kill you dead" creates a sense of danger, and the repeated phrase, "Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne" is thought to be either a nonsense phrase or has African roots. The song's precise meaning is open to interpretation and debate, which makes it an enduring and fascinating piece of music. Overall, Glass Candy has taken a traditional song and infused it with new life, making it their own and introducing it to a new generation of listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
My grandma
The singer references their grandmother
Your grandma
The singer references the listener's grandmother
My grandma & your grandma
The singer references both their own and the listener's grandmother
Sittin' by the fire
The grandmothers are seated beside a fire
My grandma told your grandma
The artist's grandmother said something to the listener's grandmother
"I'm gonna set your flag on fire"
The singer's grandmother threatens to burn something belonging to the listener's grandmother
See my king all dressed in red,
The singer points out a person dressed in red who they refer to as a king
Iko Iko un day
The phrase 'Iko Iko un day' is a nonsensical refrain used throughout the song
I betcha five dollars he'll kill you dead
The artist bets that the person dressed in red will harm the listener
Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne
Another nonsensical refrain used throughout the song
Iko, Iko,
The phrase 'Iko Iko' is repeated
Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-ne
A variant of the refrain 'Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne'
Jock a mo fee-na-ne
A repetition of the 'Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne' refrain
My bad boy
The singer refers to a person they know as their 'bad boy'
My bad boy & your bad boy,
The singer references both their own and the listener's 'bad boy'
Sittin' by the fire
The 'bad boys' are also seated beside the fire
My bad boy told your bad boy
The artist's 'bad boy' said something to the listener's 'bad boy'
"I'm gonna set your flag on fire"
The singer's 'bad boy' threatens to burn something belonging to the listener's 'bad boy'
See that guy all dressed in green
The song now references a person dressed in green
He's not a man he's a lovin' machine
The person in green is described as not being a human, but a machine created for loving
Hey now, hey now,
The refrain 'Hey now' is repeated
Iko Iko un day
The refrain 'Iko Iko un day' is repeated once again
Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-ne
The refrain 'Jock-a-mo fee-no ai na-ne' is repeated once again
Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne
The refrain 'Jock-a-mo fee-na-ne' is repeated again to close out the song
Hey now! Hey now!
The refrain 'Hey now' is repeated again
Iko Iko un day!
The final refrained repetition of 'Iko Iko un day'
Contributed by Ian L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.