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.
Hold me
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said I'm leaving here
As I moved on
Turning, no waving hands
I should have known better
Than to believe that she really cared
But though I know better
When somebody leaves you
I drew down the blind
Tried to get me some sleep
Oh I felt my eyes close
And the hurt went away
I woke up next morning
And a new day was already dawning
Your my reason for living
You came into my life and you kissed
All my heartaches away
Hold me, hold me
So that I can love again
Hold me, hold me
So that I can love again (Repeat Twice)
You gave me a new start
So I gave you my heart
I'll lay down my soul for you
I'll weave it to gold for you
Don't let me chase rainbows
Cause if you ever leave me
It will be the end of the world
Hold me, hold me
So that I can love again
Hold me, hold me
So that I can love again
Your love has
Set me free
You make me laugh all day
Your love is all I need
No way, well I've found mine
Hold me, hold me
So that I can love again
Hold me, hold me
So that I can love again
The song "Hold Me" by Sweet is a tale of heartache, healing, and new beginnings. It's a song about leaving someone who didn't care and finding someone who does. The opening lines of the song tell the story of the singer leaving a relationship where he realized that the one he loved didn't love him back. He packed his bags and walked away without a backward glance. However, the singer knows that this isn't the end of the world and that he will find someone who loves him back.
The second verse tells us about the singer's attempts to move on from his past relationship. He drew down the blinds and tried to sleep, hoping to escape his pain. He wakes up the next morning and realizes that a new day has dawned, and he has a reason to live again. The singer's new love interest is the person who helped him forget his heartaches and ushered in a new chapter in his life.
The chorus of the song, "hold me, hold me so that I can love again," is a plea from the singer to his new lover to never let go. The singer acknowledges that his new lover has helped him find love again and set him free from the pain of his previous relationship. He promises to give his all to his new lover and weave his soul into gold for them. He acknowledges that he has found the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
Line by Line Meaning
I packed the bag
I put my things together in order to leave
Said I'm leaving here
I announced to myself and perhaps others, that I am leaving this place
As I moved on
As I went on my way to leave and to move on to something different and new
Turning, no waving hands
I didn't look back or wave goodbye as I left
I should have known better
I should have known that she wasn't really invested in our relationship
Than to believe that she really cared
I was foolish to believe that she truly cared for me
But though I know better
Despite my knowledge of the situation
When somebody leaves you
When someone decides to leave a relationship
It isn't the end of the world
It may seem like everything is falling apart, but there is still hope and life goes on
I drew down the blind
I closed the curtain or shade to darken the room
Tried to get me some sleep
I tried to go to sleep, perhaps to forget the pain of the situation
Oh I felt my eyes close
I felt myself falling asleep and perhaps finding peace in slumber
And the hurt went away
The physical or emotional pain subsided somewhat
I woke up next morning
I opened my eyes the next day
And a new day was already dawning
Daylight started to emerge into my room
Your my reason for living
You are the motivation for me to live and love again
You came into my life and you kissed
You entered into my life and kissed away all of my previous hurt and heartache
All my heartaches away
All of my past hurt and pain dissipated with your entrance into my life
Hold me, hold me
Embrace me
So that I can love again
Allow me to love and trust again
You gave me a new start
You helped me begin anew and start over
So I gave you my heart
I entrusted my heart to you
I'll lay down my soul for you
I would make great sacrifices for you
I'll weave it to gold for you
I would make even the small things in life special for you
Don't let me chase rainbows
Don't let me pursue things that will never come to fruition
Cause if you ever leave me
If you ever leave me, it would seem like the world has ended
Your love has
Your love has done something to me or changed me in a significant way
Set me free
Your love has liberated me from pain and previous hurt
You make me laugh all day
You bring joy and laughter to my life
Your love is all I need
Your love is sufficient and necessary for my happiness
No way, well I've found mine
I am happy with the love that I have found, and there is no turning back
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ballroomblitzkid1994
I love Andy's voice in this one. This is very rare of him to sing like that, isn't it?
Cl4rendon
Very „soul like“ in the outro.
charlie50201
lady starlight very similar
Anja Schmied
the voice is wonderful !!!!!!! great andy !!!!!!!!!!!!
Roadhouse Blues
Simply Amazing... I was 7 when this album released, my brother had this album and i began to listen to classic rock wth this album.. will listen to it till i die..
JUan RODriguez
The perfect power ballad.
lepoetress
Nice!! Sweet knew how to hit you with those choice cuts. Andy broke it down on this one. Good to hear him get his lead vocals on.
Doris Oldham
❤️ Amazing wonderful lovely talented Andy!!!! ❤️🎸😻🎶😘
John O'Brien
sweet went prog with level headed and cut above the rest is great not many bands can say they were pop glam heavy and prog sweet can.saw this line up great musicaly and vocaly great might have been different if california nights and call me with steve on vocals were hits saw brians sweet i know he wasnt well his vocals werent what they.should be and his backing a poor imitation of sweet.sweet didnt tour the uk after 1974 played no festivals so a lot of so called rock fans didnt hear those great albums they slipped up.when they didnt play with the who at charlton beacause of what happend to brian at that time in 1974.they didnt capitolise on it big mistake.sadly wasnt to be they should have been a stadium band
mick Warnie
playing second fiddle to the who in 74 when sweet were already huge would have been like led zep backing up the beatles in 70 so it would have been a backward step. The rest of the world heard of their albums and know how good they were unlike in england