Candy-O is the second studio album by American new wave band the Cars, released on June 2, 1979, by Elektra Records.

Ocasek said of their relationship with the producer, "Well, some of the things on that first album that we thought were a little slick, we toned down on the second, like on the background vocals.

The idea to hire Vargas came from drummer David Robinson, the band's artistic director and a collector of pin-ups.

The case of incorrect identity is pervasive throughout the Internet, having the Lucy Show actress often linked to, and credited with, the work of the model found on the Cars' album.

Harry Sumrall of The Washington Post praised the album as "invigorating and enlightening" and found that Ocasek's songs possessed a "certain adolescent charm" while avoiding "any direct allusions to '50s rock 'n' roll.

"[16] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau summarized the album as follows: "Cold and thin, shiny and hypnotic, it's what they do best—rock and roll that is definitely pop without a hint of cuteness".

[3] Rolling Stone writer Tom Carson was more reserved in his praise, writing, "It's almost inevitable that Candy-O, the Cars' second album, doesn't seem nearly as exciting as their first.

Superficially, the album offers another dose of stylish, detached pop with hooks so finely honed, they may have come off an assembly line.

Listen closely, though, and Candy-O boasts bolder production that emphasizes the band’s heavy attack and gives plenty of space for guitarist Elliot Easton to spin out composed solos.

It sounds not just like new wave—the umbrella term for any pop-oriented counterculture music that arose in the wake of punk—but album rock.