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.
Keep It In
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you got power
Keep it in
Don't need no distraction
You got my reaction
Keep it in
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on
Take me to the tower
Take me to the tower
Keep me in
Set my soul on fire
Burn me with desire
Keep me in
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on oh, yeah
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on
If you want the power
If you got the power
Keep it in
Take me to the tower
Take me to the tower
Keep me in
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on, yeah, yeah
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on
The lyrics to Sweet's song "Keep It In" are quite straightforward, with the singer directly addressing someone with power and telling them to not let it get to their head. The first two lines state "If you want power/If you got power," acknowledging that the person in question already has some level of authority. However, the singer advises them to "keep it in," or not let it consume them. They then declare that the person doesn't need any distractions, as they have the singer's attention and reaction already.
The chorus urges the person to "hold on to what you've got," emphasizing the importance of not letting go of their power or letting it control them. The second verse echoes the sentiments of the first, with the added request to "take me to the tower" and "set my soul on fire/Burn me with desire." These lines suggest that the person may be using their power to seduce or control the singer, but the chorus still advises them to hold onto their power and not let it get out of control.
Overall, the song seems to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of power and the importance of self-control. It also touches on the themes of desire and seduction, as the singer seems to be both attracted to and wary of the person with power.
Line by Line Meaning
If you want power
If you desire to have power
If you got power
If you already have power
Keep it in
Don't let anyone know or see that you have it
Don't need no distraction
Don't let anything or anyone interrupt or divert your attention
You got my reaction
You have my response or feedback
Hold on to what you've got
Maintain the possession or control of what you already have
Take me to the tower
Bring me to a place of isolation and security
Set my soul on fire
Make me passionate and intense towards something
Burn me with desire
Make me crave or want something badly
Hold on, yeah, yeah
Continue to keep what you have and not let go
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW SCOTT, BRIAN CONNOLLY, MICHAEL TUCKER, STEPHEN PRIEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnny zell
If you want power
If you got power
Keep it in
Don't need no distraction
You got my reaction
Keep it in
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on oh, yeah
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on
Take me to the tower
Take me to the tower
Keep me in
Set my soul on fire
Burn me with desire
Keep me in
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on oh, yeah
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on
If you want the power
If you got the power
Keep it in
Take me to the tower
Take me to the tower
Keep me in
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on, yeah, yeah
Hold on to what you've got
Hold on
Songwriters: SCOTT, ANDREW / PRIEST, STEPHEN / CONNOLLY, BRIAN / TUCKER, MICHAEL
Publisher: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
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Cosgrove Pennybaker
This is some crazy and insane shit. They don't build bands like 'em anymore or so it seems. Mick Tucker was a beast. The group on fire and atop of their game.
Music Guy
Their best work,. First album to be totally self-written and produced by the band -- scorching guitar riffs shredding their bubble-gum past!
Carlo Dave
That drummer's doing a helluva lot of work. Jeez'm!
jeff abaray
To me, this is the stand out track on this album. The whole record is mixed with a hard driving feel. This track really hits on that. That middle section around the solo is insane!!
Arch Hall
Agree. Fave tracks here are this, 'Yesterday's Rain', and 'Healer'. This track's frenzied guitar work reminds me a little of 'Sweet F.A.' towards the end. Their ability to change time signatures was incredible, almost sounds like edits until you see them do it live. The amphetamine rush of U.K. punk owes more to this stuff than most fans ever knew. Wasn't surprised Mick Jones of the Clash was a fan. The same is true of Status Quo during their 'On The Level' period.
Owen Awesome
Really digging this Sweet album Hear the roots of a lot of 80's LA metal scene in this LP
The wurm
You hit it on the nose Owen. I was hanging out in the late '70s & '80s and witnessed their influence on the L.A. sound
Phil mole
Sweet rocked harder than all of those hair bands.
christina færch
Sweet is rock´n roll...... One of the greatest bands in the world ;-).
RøβєяŦ R๏ƙɨ F.
Marry me