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 otherβs ridiculousness on Top Of The Pops. Sweetβs 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 songβs 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 βGive Us A Winkβ 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 βOff The Recordβ, 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.
Sweetβs 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 βCut Above The Restβ, βWaters Edgeβ, and βIdentity Crisisβ. Priest took over most of the lead vocals until Sweetβs 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 (β 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 βAre You Ready Steve?β, 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.
It Makes Me Wonder
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am left to wonder why it all went so wrong
Maybe I was born to late
In a time when love so quickly turned to age
Don't go outside
Alive
Safe is inside
Inside outside
It's feel so good to be alive
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why"
Why
Shield my face against the rain
I can never see the world I knew again
By playing god they went too fare
But why have I been left alone to bear the scar
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why"
Why
Why
Why
Don't go outside
Alive
Safe is inside
Goodbye
I inside outside
It's feel so good to be alive
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why"
Why
The lyrics to Sweet's song "It Makes Me Wonder" reflect a sense of confusion and uncertainty about the state of the world. The opening verse suggests a feeling of isolation, with the singer wondering why things have gone so wrong. They seem to feel out of place in the world, as if they were born too late to experience a time when love was more prevalent. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "why why why," expressing the singer's ongoing sense of bewilderment.
The second verse suggests that the world has become a darker place, with rain acting as a metaphor for sadness or difficulty. The singer suggests that those in power have gone too far in playing god or manipulating natural forces, and that they have been left to bear the scars of these actions alone. The repetition of "why" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's sense of confusion and frustration, as they struggle to understand why things have turned out the way they have.
The line "don't go outside / alive / safe is inside / goodbye / inside outside" suggests a desire for safety or protection, and a fear of venturing into the outside world. The structure of the lyrics is fragmented and disjointed, reflecting the singer's sense of confusion and disorientation.
Overall, "It Makes Me Wonder" is a song that captures a sense of uncertainty about the state of the world, and a feeling of disconnection or isolation from it.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that every body is gone
With everyone gone, I'm left pondering about what went wrong
I am left to wonder why it all went so wrong
I'm wondering why everything took a sour turn
Maybe I was born to late
Perhaps I was born in the wrong era
In a time when love so quickly turned to age
In a time where love fades too quickly
Don't go outside
It's safer to stay inside
Alive
Being alive is a blessing
Safe is inside
Staying safe is better indoors
Goodbye
Saying goodbye to the outside world
Inside outside
Contemplating where it's safer to be
It's feel so good to be alive
The sensation of being alive is wonderful
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why why"
And it makes me wonder
"Why why"
Why
Repeatedly asking myself why
Shield my face against the rain
Protecting myself from the rain while moving forward
I can never see the world I knew again
The world I saw before is gone forever
By playing god they went too fare
Their quest for power led them down a dangerous path
But why have I been left alone to bear the scar
Questioning why I am the one who was left to deal with the after-effects
Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW SCOTT, MICHAEL TUCKER, STEPHEN PRIEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Andreas Uhlbrandt
Steve Priest is singing this song, like most of their latter songs, since Brian left 1979. Identity Crisis is a very good album and totally different than CATR album 1979. Identity was an album which Swet went back on their former roots, back to early 70Β΄s sound. Thanx Andy, Mick and Steve.
stobbi38
Andy sings the verses though
jinjagohst
Insanely good song. Also quite nice to hear them tackling subjects more weighty than usual.
SoozeeQ
Love this song!
Anja Schmied
I β€ it !!!!
sweetladystarlight
Thanks a million for uploading this album.Identity Crisis is almost impossible to find! Then when I did find one seller,it was $75.00!!I've been a Sweet fan for over 40 years & these albums with just the 3 are very rare!!!
Sha Dow
thank u so much for this song!! its now officially on my top 5's list! thank u! :D
Kevin Sabatonski
Great Song π
Andreas Uhlbrandt
Andy is just perfect on this song.......they 3 made it working, without Brian and cos .....Andy Mick and Steve, they did it 100%.
Gerardo Islas Montes de Oca
Que buena Rola!!!