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.
Hellraiser
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Momma let me out on a Saturday night
She said Now go out and get her, go and hold her tight
I said Momma you don't understand everytime I touch her
Hand it starts a-burning in the fires of Hell
If I hold it too long, you never can tell
What would happen to me, I wouldn't want you to see
Star gazer
Trail Blazer
Natural born raver yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
She's like a live bombshell, like a flash out of hell
When she shakes it up, Oooo! Everyone fell
It's a feeling that's neat and she took me completely
By suprise with her ultrasonic eyes
Flashing like hysterical danger signs that said
Beware where you tread or you'll go out of your head!
Look out! She's a Hellraiser
Star gazer
Trail Blazer
Natural born raver yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Look Out!
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Momma you don't understand everytime I touch her
Hand it starts a-burning in the fires of Hell
If I hold it too long, you never can tell
What would happen to me, I wouldn't want you to see
Look out! She's a Hellraiser
Star gazer
Trail Blazer
Natural born raver yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Ooooooo! Look out!
The lyrics of Sweet's song "Hellraiser" follows the story of a young man who is warned by his mother about his girlfriend. He explains that whenever he holds her hand, it starts burning in the fires of Hell, and he fears that something will happen to him if he holds her for too long. The girl is described as a hellraiser, star gazer, trail blazer, and natural born raver, with a magnetic personality that's hard to resist. She's like a live bombshell, and her ultrasonic eyes flash like danger signs that warn the young man to beware where he treads before he goes out of his head.
The song portrays the girl as a sexual predator who's hard to resist. The young man is afraid of falling under her spell and losing control, as she's an enigma that he can't completely understand. He's torn between his desire for her and his fear of the consequences that come with being too close to her. The song serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of succumbing to temptation.
Line by Line Meaning
Look Out!
The singer is warning others to be cautious of the woman he is about to describe.
Momma let me out on a Saturday night
The singer's mother allowed him to go out on a weekend night.
She said Now go out and get her, go and hold her tight
The singer's mother encouraged him to pursue a woman and be affectionate with her.
I said Momma you don't understand everytime I touch her
Hand it starts a-burning in the fires of Hell
If I hold it too long, you never can tell
What would happen to me, I wouldn't want you to see
The artist is expressing concern to his mother that being intimate with this woman causes him physical pain and could lead to negative consequences.
Look out! She's a Hellraiser
Star gazer
Trail Blazer
Natural born raver yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
The woman the artist is describing is wild, spontaneous, and has an irresistible energy that draws people in.
She's like a live bombshell, like a flash out of hell
When she shakes it up, Oooo! Everyone fell
It's a feeling that's neat and she took me completely
By suprise with her ultrasonic eyes
Flashing like hysterical danger signs that said
Beware where you tread or you'll go out of your head!
The singer is describing how the woman's energy is explosive and captivating, but also dangerous and unpredictable. Her eyes communicate a sense of danger to those around her.
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser
The repetition of this word emphasizes how the woman is a force to be reckoned with, and is almost like a demon or supernatural entity.
Ooooooo! Look out!
The artist is once again warning others to be cautious of the woman he is describing.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL DONALD CHAPMAN, NICHOLAS BARRY CHINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@christopherradford58
I'm 63 ,,, and boy did we have the greatest years of our lives , in the 70, & 80,s ,, best music , best clubs & pubs , brilliant cars , & freedom to enjoy life , without anyone trying to run our lives ,,
@garyrunningfox6115
You got that right, brother. The good old days 😎👍🏼🎹 🎸
@user-ue6tp7rm6q
Мне 71 год и я могу часами слушать и исмотреть их .❤❤❤2024 год.
@weejim48
Oh to be 17 again. No money , no car but really happy listening to great music like this. 🇬🇧👍
@nsnopper
1973. I was 13. And I loved The Sweet.
@patrickwest3076
True words spoken.man after my own heart.
@user-io9cd5ft9l
У меня такие же чувства , снова я пацан
@deewaters8994
Me too, I was 17.
@chica044
In ‘73 I was 10/11 years old and Sweet was my intro to Glam Rock. I’ve been hooked for 50yrs. This brings back sooooo many memories of me hanging out with people too old for me to hang out with and going places I was too young to go. 😂😂😂
@MrBlurpBlurp-hg3dj
Brian Connolly looks so cool in his early years and so are the rest of the band. RIP Brian, Mick and Steve. You guys certainly rock and I'm so glad I was part of the journey.