Candy Kisses Soothe All

I loaded the dogs and opened the passenger-side window, irritated by the oppressive heat of the day, the fact I had no AC and the driver’s side window didn’t work. To lighten the mood, I turned on the radio and scrolled through the AM stations in search of anything, anything other than news. Between COVID-19 and the election, I’d had it on negative news and was just looking for some music to lift my spirits. There wasn’t much on my selection of AM stations. Then I scrolled past something that sounded a little familiar, but wait…. then I scrolled back, it was “Candy Kisses,” sung by Hank Snow. Wow did that take me back in time. I tuned in and belted it out at the top of my lungs as I drove down the highway. (Hold that thought, and I’ll resume here in a few minutes.)

Music has always been a huge part of my life, and a marker in time for me. I can remember significant dates by music I was listening to at the time. Just as anytime I hear music from the Bee Gees I am transported back in time to 1977 to high school lobby dances, where boys wore platform shoes and pointy collared shiny shirts; and there was a spinning mirror disco ball hanging in the center of the room. (Yikes, scary I know.)

The examples of music marking time are countless in my life, from the Dan Seals song “One Friend” that Joe and I heard at a Dan Seals concert in 1986, coincidentally on our first date, and the same song that later we chose as our wedding song in 1988. Then there was the “Streets of Laredo” which was playing on the radio in 2000 as I drove home from the vet after having our sweet dog Molly put to sleep. That song still makes me cry every time I hear it. And the Charlie Pride song, “You’ve got to Kiss an Angel Good Morning,” that my friend Denise and I sang at the top of our lungs while we served our punishment in middle school for lying to our parents. Turns out we had a great time cleaning the old ranch house and since we had only one cassette tape while we cleaned, I became a huge Charlie Pride fan and his songs always remind me of my long departed friend Denise.

My Dad had two 8 track tapes in his ranch truck when I was a kid, and they were Hank Snow and Emmy Lou Harris. Needless to say, both of those artists remind me of my dad because they were some of his favorites, but I didn’t realize that their songs too had a deeper meaning for him until I witnessed something from him in the nursing home many years later.

(Okay…. back to the “Candy Kisses” song reference….)

It was a Thursday evening at the Walbridge Wing (nursing home) in 2008, and Johnny and Virginia Barton played music after dinner to the residents in the dining room on Thursday nights. I arrived early to wheel my Dad and his friend Tom Theos to a front table so they could hear the music after dinner. Unbeknownst to my Dad I also spoke to Johnny and Virginia before dinner and gave them a few of Dad’s favorite songs which they miraculously knew and promised to play for him. I had high hopes for the evening.

(** Side note…. My Dad was a long-standing cattleman and Tom Theos a sheep rancher, so the mere fact that they were big buddies in the nursing home was the beginning of the mending of the range wars in Rio Blanco County (:D)

My Dad did his obligatory grumbling about likely not being able to hear himself think by being placed this close to the band. He looked at Tom for reinforcement, and Tom just smiled and said, “sure Bart.” I held my ground and ignored his grumbling. I could tell Dad was in pain as he was particularly grumbly this evening, and I wasn’t sure how long he would last. Pain had become the driving factor in his days and I just prayed this music would bring him a little reprieve. We survived dinner and the music started. As Johnny and Virginia warmed up Dad held his finger up to his ear and then lifted his palms upward, side by side and shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “I can’t hear a damn thing.” I smiled and was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea. Then as if my prayers were answered, Johnny and Virginia started to sing, “Candy Kisses, wrapped in paper….”

My dad froze, looked at me, and then over at Tom. I gulped and not knowing what else to do started singing, “Mean more to you dear, than any of mine,” I belted out. And by the second line of “Candy Kisses….” My Dad and Tom had their heads tipped back, their eyes closed, and were cooing at the top of their lungs; they were transported to a different place and time. I watched in awe, as they didn’t miss a word or a note of the rest of the song. They sang and their heads swayed to the beat, smiling as they sang. Tears streamed freely down my cheeks, as they finished “Candy Kisses” only to be followed by “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” Johnny and Virginia played as many Hank Snow and Emmy Lou Harris Songs as they knew, and Dad and Tom sang along. There for a moment in time my Dad and Tom were young, they were free of their troubles, their age, and their pain and limitations; and they just enjoyed the music. It was truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed from two old cadgers who rarely let down their hair. They pulled out the hairpins and let it down that night, all the way down.

As I wheeled my Dad back to his room that night there was a peacefulness about him that I hadn’t seen in a long time. He drifted off to sleep before I left the room. As I kissed him goodnight, I was so grateful for the music (and Johnny & Virginia) for they had done more for him that evening than any doctor and western medical treatment could have. What a gift they had given him.

Lesson learned and carried forward, especially to the challenging times of today. Let the music take you away and remember to give yourself that gift. Lose yourself in the music that soothes you, and if you’ve never listened to Candy Kisses, it just might be the antidote you need, to soothe you after a long day. I’ve cut and pasted the lyrics below, just in case you are curious. Turns out George Morgan wrote the song and Hank Snow just performed it. Thanks Dad!

Candy Kisses

by George Morgan

Candy kisses wrapped in paper Mean more to you than any of mine Candy kisses wrapped in paper You'd rather have them any old time

You don't mean it when you whisper Those sweet love words in my ear Candy kisses wrapped in paper Mean more to you than mine do, dear

I build a castle out of dreams, dear I thought that you were building too Now my castles all have fallen And I am left alone and blue

Once my heart was filled with gladness Now there's sadness, only tears Candy kisses wrapped in paper Mean more to you than mine do, dear Mean more to you than mine do, dear