The group's initial years were characterized by bubblegum songs that they were only allowed to sing on, with heavier self-penned rock songs as the b-sides. They achieved their first hit in 1970 with the release of Funny Funny. In the following months, Sweet released "Co-Co" and Poppa Joe, both achieving huge success in the charts. In 1971 they released the album "Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be", which consisted mostly of songs written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman.
Sweet's success continued with more glam rock and power pop oriented tunes, such as "Little Willy", "Wig Wam Bam", Hellraiser and Ballroom Blitz. By this time Sweet had a world-wide following, clocking up no less than 18 top 20 hit singles, and the guys were most notably popular in Germany and the U.K.
The group's members are perhaps best remembered for their very 'glam' outfits, featuring a lot of glitter, platform boots, chain mail shirts, and plenty of makeup. The group practically defining the camp extreme of the glam rock look, Steve Priest would later say it was very short-lived and only happened by accident, as some sort of ongoing rivalry between them and artists such as David Bowie and T. Rex. Everyone tried to outdo each other’s ridiculousness on Top Of The Pops. Sweet’s glam rock era lasted from 1972 to 1973.
In 1974, Sweet released Teenage Rampage, The Six Teens and Turn It Down, showing their desire to take a more hard rock direction. By this time tensions between the band and the songwriters and producer started to grow. The guys also pushed for more songwriting control, which increased tensions between them, the songwriters and producer.
In 1975, Sweet wrote, recorded and produced the smash hit Fox on the Run on their own, essentially severing ties with Chinn and Chapman. Following the song’s success, they released the acclaimed track Action. Their momentum went on, the band embarking their first U.S. tour.
After their recent success, Sweet released the “Give Us A Wink” album in 1976, which was notably heavy. It contained the single The Lies In Your Eyes, which achieved moderate success. A year later, in 1977, they released the album “Off The Record”, but singles such as Fever Of Love and Lost Angels failed to gain traction, partly due to bad marketing from their label. Despite this, the band continued to distance themselves from their earlier commercial ventures.
Sweet’s career was revitalized with the release of Love Is Like Oxygen in 1978. By this time Connolly had developed a drinking problem and started to be increasingly unreliable during recording sessions. Following a disastrous U.S. tour, he left the band officially in early 1979. The band continued on as a three piece band for three more years, releasing “Cut Above The Rest”, “Waters Edge”, and “Identity Crisis”. Priest took over most of the lead vocals until Sweet’s disbandment in 1981.
In 1985, Andy Scott and Mick Tucker re-formed Sweet with various new vocalists and bass players, the most notable being a 1986 reunion featuring Paul Mario Day (the first singer of Iron Maiden), keyboardist Phil Lanzon, and bass player Malcolm McNulty (who is now lead singer for fellow glam rock band Slade). Steve Priest was asked to join Tucker and Scott for the 1985 Australian tour, but declined at the last moment. Vocalist and bass player Jeff Brown joined in 1988. In 1991, Mick Tucker departed due to ill health, leaving Andy Scott as the only original member. He was replaced by German Bodo Schopf, and subsequently, Bruce Bisland. After Tucker's departure, Andy Scott changed the band's name to 'Andy Scott's Sweet'.
During this time, Brian Connolly, now in bad health, also performed with his version of Sweet. In 1981, he suffered multiple cardiac arrests, which permanently affected his health. He died on 9 February 1997, aged 51. He was cremated after a ceremony at Most Holy Name Roman Catholic Church at Old Mill Lane, Denham, Buckinghamshire and his ashes were scattered over the water by his adult daughters Nicola and Michelle. He also left an ex-wife, Marilyn, and a two-year-old son called Brian Junior (BJ) by his girlfriend Jean.
Michael Thomas (Mick) Tucker died 14 February 2002 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire from leukemia, aged 54; his funeral took place 25 February 2002. He is buried in an unnamed grave in Chorleywood House cemetery. It is marked by a sleeping angel. A wooden bench with a brass plaque funded by fans as a dedication to Mick is also positioned in the grave's vicinity.[2] He left behind a widow, Jan, and a daughter Ayston from his first marriage to Pauline (†1979). According to Steve Priest: "He was the most underrated drummer that ever came out of England. He was the powerhouse of the band. He was technically marvellous. His timing was impeccable, but he had a lot of soul as well and he really felt what he was playing."
In 1994, Steve Priest published his autobiography “Are You Ready Steve?”, which was a raw expose of his time with Sweet and pre-Sweet. In 2006 he released Priest's Precious Poems, a CD of tracks largely consisting of his more recent material. In 2008, he came out of retirement to form his own version of Sweet, based in the US. A year later this band released a live CD called Live In America. In March 2020, he was admitted to a hospital in L.A. After battling pneumonia for a few months, he died on June 4th 2020 at the age of 72.
Andy Scott currently continues to tour with Sweet. In 2002, Sweet released a new album called Sweetlife. February 2006 saw the release of a new Suzi Quatro album, Back To The Drive, which was produced by Scott. In March 2012, Scott released a covers album called New York Connection. Scott teamed up with Suzi Quatro and Don Powell to release a CD called Quatro, Scott and Powell in 2017. Scott has continued to produce for bands throughout the years, currently being the producer for Novatines.
In recent years, Sweet's popularity has surged again. The song Ballroom Blitz was featured in 2016's Suicide Squad, while Fox on the Run was featured in the trailer for 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy 2.
Alexander Graham Bell
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two thousand miles away she waits there
There's a young man thinking by a window
How was she to know just how much he cared
He always knew just what he could do
He always knew that his dream would come true
Alexander Graham Bell
That he could find the only way
To talk across the USA
Telephone, telephone
Never be on your own
Many many years ago
He started something with his first "Hello, hello"
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham, Alexander Graham
Alexander Graham Bell
The sun rises early in the morning
Millions of people still unaware
Of something he discovered without warning
So he could show a girl just how much he cared
He always knew just what he could do
He always knew that his dream would come true
Alexander Graham Bell
Well, he knew darned well
That he could find the only way
To talk across the USA
Telephone, telephone
Never be on your own
Many many years ago
He started something with his first "Hello, hello"
Alexander Graham Bell, Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Well, he knew darned well
That he could find the only way
To talk across the USA
Telephone, telephone
Never be on your own
Many many years ago
He started something with his first "Hello, hello"... (repeat twice till fade)
The lyrics to Sweet's song "Alexander Graham Bell" describe the story of a young man in love with a woman who lives two thousand miles away. The man is illuminated by a candle while sitting by the window, thinking about the woman he loves. He is confident in his love for her and knows that his dream of being with her will come true. The lyrics pay tribute to the inventor, Alexander Graham Bell, who made it possible for people to talk across the United States by inventing the telephone. The lyrics suggest that the man uses the telephone to communicate with the woman and show her how much he cares. The song emphasizes the power of communication technology, which helps bring people closer together, bridging gaps in distance and time.
Line by Line Meaning
A candle flickers in a window
A small flame burns in a window, a symbol of someone waiting patiently
Two thousand miles away she waits there
A woman waits for her lover, who is far away
There's a young man thinking by a window
A young man contemplates his love for the woman waiting for him
How was she to know just how much he cared
The man wonders if the woman understands the depth of his feelings for her
He always knew just what he could do
The man was confident in his abilities and had a clear vision of his goals
He always knew that his dream would come true
The man believed that his aspirations would be realized through his hard work and determination
Alexander Graham Bell
The song refers to Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone
Well, he knew darned well
Alexander Graham Bell was aware of his own intelligence and expertise
That he could find the only way
Bell was confident that he could discover a way to communicate over long distances
To talk across the USA
Bell's invention would allow people to communicate with each other across the entire United States
Telephone, telephone
This refrain highlights the key focus of the song: the invention of the telephone
Never be on your own
The telephone allowed people to stay connected, no matter how far apart they were
Many many years ago
The song emphasizes that the invention of the telephone was a long time ago
He started something with his first 'Hello, hello'
Bell's first successful telephone call was a historical moment that changed the world forever
The sun rises early in the morning
A new day begins, full of possibilities and discoveries
Millions of people still unaware
Most people were unaware of Bell's invention and the impact it would have on society
Of something he discovered without warning
Bell's invention was a surprise to most people and had far-reaching effects
So he could show a girl just how much he cared
The man in the song was able to profess his love to the woman he cared for, thanks to Bell's invention
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MICHAEL DONALD CHAPMAN, NICHOLAS BARRY CHINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RoseNguyen-rm4pj
Oh, my gosh, I love this song sung by Sweet, their harmony is just beautiful and Brian's voice is so magical (as usual) ... his voice is just like his look...classy, sophisticate, delicate, strong, beautiful, gorgeously hot and.... COOL! He transformed the songs he sing to its most meanings and feelings, just like an actor performed to the utmost character he/she was in. What a talent, one and only: "BRIAN"
That's right, no other band like SWEET, they represented it all: bubble gum, Glam rock, Hard Rock, some Blues, some Country and everything in between. The best!
@birgitpeters7975
Es ist gut, mit dieser Musik und den Bildern dazu, sich an frühere Zeiten zuerinnern. 🗝
@user-xq1pe3lx4h
Solche Sachen und sweet hört leider niemand mehr. War meine Generation. Bin schon 64. Lg
@80smusicfan90
I'd absolutely die to hear music like this nowadays. Music is horrible nowadays. It's not real like this.
@martinawrobel4900
Ich schon😊Bin 68 und liebe die und "solche Sachen" immer noch.😊
@Toni62R
Don' t worry - wird dauernd angehört - bin 61
@birgitpeters7975
Dafür hören auch 66 jährige wie ich Sweet noch gerne!🗝
@dontstalkUstalker80
I could listen to (and watch 😍) Brian sing the phone book and I’d still be mesmerized.
@CH-he4gz
In Germany we love Sweet .Thank you very much ,for all the beautiful Songs . My favorit Song is THE SIX TEENS .
Best regards from Germany
@davesworld7961
When I was a little kid Little Willy was my favorite song and here I am 50 years later still finding amazing stuff of their's that I never heard before.