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.
Dorian Gray
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Falling for you in the looks disguise
Making you feel like you're thirty
And just being dirty
Your thick brown hair
Who was that millionaire
Showing you his piles of golden hair
Trying to tease me
But I don't care
Painting your face
Finding the pace of life
Beautiful past under the mask
You wear
You're a movie star
Who's caught in a dream
The silver stream
You know what I mean
How can you sleep at night
Knowing that secrets, secrets, secrets
Secrets you locked up tight
Off your shoulder it's good being older
Without a care
Painting your face
Finding the pace of life
Beautiful past under the mask
You wear
The song "Dorian Gray" by Sweet is a contemplation on aging and the superficiality of youth and beauty. The song is written from the perspective of someone who is older, looking at a young woman who is celebrated for her looks and still able to attract the attention of younger men. The singer notes that the woman is being pursued by men who are only interested in her looks and are happy to be "dirty" with her. The song implies that the woman is not interested in anything deeper than this surface-level attention, and that she is not really happy.
The song also references the character from Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray." The singer mentions a millionaire who shows the woman his "piles of golden hair." This could be a reference to the portrait of Dorian Gray, which ages while Dorian himself remains youthful and beautiful. The song implies that the woman is like Dorian, in that she is hiding something beneath her beautiful appearance.
The chorus of the song suggests that the woman is like a movie star caught in a dream. The woman's beauty is like a facade, hiding her true self. The song suggests that even though the woman may be able to keep her secrets locked up tight, there will be a time when she can no longer hide her true self. The song ultimately suggests that there is more to life than youthful beauty and that true happiness comes from living a meaningful life.
Line by Line Meaning
Why all those younger guys
What's the reason for all those young men falling for you, who are just attracted to your appearance?
Falling for you in the looks disguise
Those men are attracted to the outer appearance of yours, which is a kind of deception.
Making you feel like you're thirty
Those young men's behavior towards you makes you feel younger and lively like a thirty-year-old.
And just being dirty
The behavior of those young men is sleazy and indecent.
Your thick brown hair
Your thick hair has an attractive quality that attracts men towards you.
Who was that millionaire
Who is that rich person who wanted to impress you with his wealth?
Showing you his piles of golden hair
He was trying to impress you by showing off his riches, which included a pile of golden hair.
He was so rich but uneasy
Despite being rich, he seemed uneasy and uncomfortable.
Trying to tease me
He was trying to provoke you for his amusement.
But I don't care
Whatever his intention was, it doesn't concern you, and you don't care about it.
Painting your face
You are concealing your true identity by painting your face with different makeup products.
Finding the pace of life
You are discovering the rhythm of life that suits you and makes you happy.
Beautiful past under the mask
You have a beautiful past, but you are hiding it under your disguise.
You're a movie star
You have become a celebrity in your own right, who is living a dream life.
Who's caught in a dream
You are engrossed in your dream life and not fully aware of the reality of things.
The silver stream
The glamorous life that you are living is like a beautiful and shining stream.
You know what I mean
You can relate to the situations you are in, and you understand the consequences of your actions.
How can you sleep at night
How can you live with yourself, knowing that you are keeping secrets from those closest to you?
Knowing that secrets, secrets, secrets
You are keeping so many secrets that you can't even share with anyone, and the weight of those secrets is heavy on you.
Secrets you locked up tight
Those secrets are so tightly locked up in your mind, and you are afraid to share them with anyone.
Off your shoulder it's good being older
As you grow older, those secrets will become less important, and you will be able to move on without them weighing you down.
Without a care
You will be able to move on from those secrets without any regrets since you have lived a good life.
Painting your face
Continuing to hide yourself behind makeup to conceal your true self.
Finding the pace of life
You are discovering the kind of life that suits you and makes you happy.
Beautiful past under the mask
You have a wonderful past, but you are hiding it under the guise of your glamorous new life.
You wear
You wear this facade to keep up with the celebrity lifestyle you're living.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW SCOTT, MICHAEL TUCKER, STEPHEN PRIEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@backpages9885
Andy's guitar work on this entire album is fantastic
@benjaminglover1570
Mick Tucker, a modest genius of a musician. Thanks.
@TheHumbuckerboy
Phenomenal drummer !
@anjaschmied2799
You are unforgotten !! R.I.P. Mick !!❤
@312b3
Great ! Nice to hear the voice of Mick Tucker on lead vocals .
@youthrevisitedagain
Mick Tucker on lead vocals. So nice, so rare. Thank you.
@kimm.3560
This song sounds like a cross of Queen, ELO, and Styx all rolled up into an awesome song with Mick on lead. :)
@666BEASTY
Mick also did the lead vocal on Eye Games from the same album and on Own Up from Waters Edge. Not only was he the best drummer ever he also had a great voice. All three guys could do the lead vocal but none of them had Brians star like charisma
@maryanncolyer1187
first time I've ever heard mick sing lead he did have a great voice. never knew about this song. someone from song of the month let me know about this 1. song of the month love is like oxygen
@Erferon
It was a great band!