In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group, The Five Crowns. Later that same year, The Drifters' manager fired the members of the group and replaced them with The Five Crowns, who had performed several engagements with The Drifters. He co-wrote the first hit by the new version of The Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead, using his birth name, on "Save the Last Dance for Me," a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, "Dance With Me," "This Magic Moment," "I Count the Tears," and other The Drifters hits.
In 1960 he left the group after failing to gain a salary increase and a fairer share of the group's royalties. At this point he assumed the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on Atlantic, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961). "Stand by Me" was his next recording. "Stand by Me", written by King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller was voted one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" were named as two of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were both also given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
King's records continued to place well on the pop charts until 1963, when British pop bands began to dominate the popular music scene. His hits after 1963 were "What is Soul?" (1967), "Supernatural Thing, part 1" (1975), and the re-issue in 1986 of "Stand by Me" following the song's use as the theme music to the movie of the same name.
Sweets for my Sweet
Ben E. King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your tasty kiss thrills me so
Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
I'll never ever let you go
If you wanted that star that shines so brightly
To match the star dust in your eyes
Darlin', I would chase that bright star nightly
'Cause I would give sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
Your tasty kiss thrills me so
Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
I'll never ever let you go
And if you needed a dream to keep you smiling
I'll tell the sandman you were blue
And I'd ask him to keep that sand a-piling
'Till your dreams would come true
'Cause I would give sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
Your tasty kiss thrills me so
Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
I'll never ever let you go
If you wanted a love to last forever
Then I would send my love your way
And my love would only last forever
But forever and a day
'Cause I would give sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
Your tasty kiss thrills me so
Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
I'll never ever let you go
The lyrics to "Sweets for my Sweet" by Ben E. King & The Drifters talks about the lengths one would go for the person they love. The song talks about sweets and sugar as a metaphor for love and affection. The first verse sets the tone with "sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey," indicating that the singer will do whatever it takes to satisfy their lover's needs. The second verse continues with the idea of chasing stars or making dreams come true for their partner. The third verse talks about the theme of everlasting love, with the promise of sending love their way forever and a day.
Overall, the song is about expressing one's love and devotion through material items such as sweets or symbolic gestures like chasing stars. The song's upbeat tempo, coupled with the romantic lyrics, makes it a popular love song that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey
I am willing to give all the sweetness to the one I love.
Your tasty kiss thrills me so
Your kiss is a source of pleasure that deeply satisfies me.
I'll never ever let you go
I will always hold onto this love for you and never let it slip away.
If you wanted that star that shines so brightly
I would do anything to fulfill your desires and make you happy.
To match the star dust in your eyes
I see the beautiful stardust of love in your eyes and I want you to have everything that will bring you joy.
Darlin', I would chase that bright star nightly
I will do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true, even if it means reaching for the stars.
And try to steal it from the skies
I will go to great lengths to show my love for you and make you happy.
If you needed a dream to keep you smiling
If you are sad, I will do anything to bring back your happiness.
I'll tell the sandman you were blue
I will even talk to the Sandman to ensure your dreams are happy and he puts abundance of sand for you to drift off into a happy dreamland.
And I'd ask him to keep that sand a-piling
I will request the Sandman to put a lot of sand on your eyes so your dreams can last even longer.
'Till your dreams would come true
I will ensure that you get to live your happiest dream in reality, too.
If you wanted a love to last forever
I'm ready to offer a love that will never end, a love that will remain constant and caring forever.
Then I would send my love your way
I will give you all the warmth of my love, expressing that every day, every moment, making sure that you feel it always.
And my love would only last forever
My love would endure the test of time and grow stronger.
But forever and a day
It's beyond eternity and forever, my love for you only grows over time.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerome Pomus, Mortimer Shuman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@billyangus
All four of these gentlemen (pictured) are in the Spirit World now.
Charlie Thomas(1937-2023), lead vocalist,
answered the call of Creator on January 31st
to take stage with his bandmates,
following his bout with liver cancer.
R.I.P. Charlie 🕯🕯🌈🌈
@billyangus
All four of these gentlemen (pictured) are in the Spirit World now.
Charlie Thomas(1937-2023), lead vocalist,
answered the call of Creator on January 31st
to take stage with his bandmates,
following his bout with liver cancer.
R.I.P. Charlie 🕯🕯🌈🌈
@MrJamieMurph4141969
May they all RIP, in Rock and Roll Heaven. They all had such great voices. :)
@michaelesralian1268
The entire percussion section is done beautifully. The drummer is insane and the cymbal work (triplets) is outstanding. I also hear cow bell, bongos and rim shots placed just right. The piano player is also outstanding. The females singing background are excellent. Great arrangement!
@hertstraveller
I believe the background singers were Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick, Cissy Houston and Doris Troy
@gillianshaw9403
Being a white "Baby Boomer from Britain" I heard the Searchers version first. And I loved it. Only recently did I hear this version. And yeah...it's an absolute gem! Fabulous vocals & instrumentation. And the tempo is... just to die for! One very classy recording. Hats off to the team that produced it.
@barrycole6162
Exactly what I've been saying all along, love both versions
@kathleendelloiacono1240
Amen😊
@clarkewi
One of my first 45's I bought when I was 10. And I must say, I had pretty good taste. This is a great track.
@miketheshanmanmangan
Nothing makes a better DAILY DOSE OF THE DRIFTERS than "SWEETS FOR MY SWEET"
@purpletigers4020
Oh!! YES!!!!