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.
Burn on the Flame
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you make feel alright
every time you whisper sweet surprise
you make feel alright
Love me like fire
burn on the flame
touch me take me higher
I'll go insane
Every little word I say to you
I make you feel alright
Every single moment I'm with you
I make you feel alright
Alright
Love me like fire
burn on the flame
Love me like fire
burn on the flame
touch me take me higher
I'll go insane
The lyrics to Sweet's song "Burn on the Flame" is a love song that expresses the deep connection and passion that the singer has for their lover. The song begins with the singer gazing into their lover's eyes and feeling a sense of contentment and joy. The lover has the power to lift their spirit and make them feel alright. This is further emphasized when the lover whispers sweet surprises, which elevates their feelings.
There is a sense of constant desire and need to be with the lover, as every little word and moment with them brings feelings of happiness and satisfaction. The chorus of the song expresses the intensity of the singer's desire to be loved, touched, and taken higher by their lover. The lyrics convey that the love between the two is like fire that is constantly burning and cannot be extinguished. This love is all-consuming, and the singer is willing to go insane at the expense of it.
Overall, the song portrays the depth of love and passion that exists between two individuals who are deeply in love with each other. The lyrics convey the powerful emotions that come with being in love and the desire to be with the one you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I look into your eyes
When I gaze into your eyes, I feel a sense of comfort and happiness
you make feel alright
Your presence and attention make me feel at peace and content
every time you whisper sweet surprise
Whenever you softly speak kind words to me, it brings joy and excitement
you make feel alright
Just being near you and hearing your voice makes me feel happy and satisfied
Alright
In your company, everything feels okay and I feel at ease
Love me like fire
Love me passionately, with intensity like flames burning hot
burn on the flame
Keep your love burning and never let it fade away
touch me take me higher
Your touch and affection elevates me to a state of bliss and ecstasy
I'll go insane
I become consumed by my desire for you, losing my rationality and self-control
Every little word I say to you
Every expression of my feelings and thoughts to you
I make you feel alright
I hope to bring you comfort and joy through my words and actions
Every single moment I'm with you
Every second spent in your presence
I make you feel alright
I aim to make you feel happy and at ease with me
Alright
Together, we create a haven where everything feels okay and we are content
Love me like fire
I long for your love to consume me with intensity and passion
burn on the flame
Let our love continue to grow and remain strong
touch me take me higher
Your touch brings me to new heights of love and happiness
I'll go insane
My love for you is so strong, it drives me to madness and obsession
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW SCOTT, BRIAN CONNOLLY, MICHAEL TUCKER, STEPHEN PRIEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vanessapedia
When you hear people talking about the Best Drummers in the world you always hear the names, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Ginger Baker...Yes All Great Drummers, but please lets give credit where it is due here and put Mick Tucker amongst these names...What a Magnificent Drummer...What a Magnificent Band
@agoogleuser4443
So right. This song is the perfect thing to showcase Mick's incredible skills. Plus he seems to be really happy doing what he's best at. He definitely shines here! 🌞🌟
@manfredlankes9148
There are so many really great drummers,Chad Wackerman,Terry Bozzio...Usually Frank Zappa picked the best🙂🙂🙂
@TheHumbuckerboy
You are absolutely right ! 😃
@tonybrown8006
I totally agree.
@lvsgirl1042
Mick Tucker & Jerry Mercer of April Wine were my Drummer idols growing up. Both absolutley spectacular at their craft. Can't get enough of them on Youtube.
@goopah
Brilliant. And proof that this band was far more than just a pop band. They were a hard-driving rock powerhouse as well, and went on to craft some of the most iconic hard rock songs ever, and even briefly ventured into prog-rock, where their instrumental prowess and vocal harmonizing were a highlight. For instance, "Action" was a killer hard-rock masterpiece, and most of the "Level Headed" album showed what they could do in prog-rock territory. When I was a kid in the 1970's, I would eagerly await each new album, as each album was different from the last, and I was never disappointed. I was always upset that this band got written off as a pop band. But while they certainly excelled at that, they worked hard to show that they were much more than that, and they succeeded tremendously, but most folks didn't notice. The fans did though, and while I want to thank Sweet for doing everything they did for brightening up my teen years and every year after that, I also want to thank my fellow fans for sticking with them and for being proud to carry the banner. Rock on!
@leosword7142
Well said . That's exactly how I feel. Can't believe it!!
@ingridthurner3651
Thank you ❤
@andreaszahn3985
Die beste Rockband der Welt 🤘👋🤘🎸🤘👋🤘 Sweet forever 🤘👋🤘🎸🤘👋🤘