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.
Need A Lot Of Lovin'
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Need her by my side
So I can rock and roll it
I can feel my pride
I gotta find a chicken
Gotta make up to
But I ain't no telling Sally
Don't let go
'Cause ya got me going
You're moving fast
And there ain't no slowin' you
I need a lot of lovin'
Gonna have a lot of lovin'
Need a lot of lovin' tonight
Early in the morning
'To the middle of the night
Gonna rock it to the rhythm
Of the early morning light
With my baby boogalooin'
And the feeling's getting strong
Gonna keep it in the move
Until the darkness come along
Don't let go
'Cause ya got me going
You're moving fast
And there ain't no slowin' you
I need a lot of lovin'
Gonna have a lot of lovin'
Need a lot of lovin' tonight
Mighty fine woman
Need her by my side
So I can rock and roll it
I can feel my pride...
The song "Need a Lot of Lovin'" by Sweet is an upbeat rock and roll track that speaks about the need for a lot of love to keep the fire burning. The first verse talks about the singer yearning for a woman to be by his side so that he can rock and roll it and feel his pride. The second verse talks about him wanting to find a chicken (a slang term for a woman) to make it up to, but he doesn't want to tell Sally that he is feeling blue. The refrain emphasizes the need for a lot of loving tonight and how he doesn't want to let go because his partner is moving too fast.
The song seems to be about the desire for physical intimacy, but there is an underlying sense of desperation and loneliness that is being masked by the upbeat tempo and catchy chorus. The singer wants to keep the rhythm going until the darkness comes along, which could be a metaphor for facing his inner demons. Overall, the song's message is quite simple- the singer needs a lot of love, and he needs it now.
Line by Line Meaning
Mighty fine woman
I am looking for a woman who is really great
Need her by my side
I want this woman to be with me
So I can rock and roll it
We will enjoy ourselves by listening and dancing to music
I can feel my pride
I will be happy and confident
I gotta find a chicken
I need to find a girl
Gotta make up to
I have to apologize
But I ain't no telling Sally
I won't tell Sally anything
That I'm feeling blue
That I am sad
Don't let go
Don't stop
'Cause ya got me going
You are making me feel good
You're moving fast
You are moving quickly
And there ain't no slowin' you
You are unrelenting
I need a lot of lovin'
I require a lot of affection
Gonna have a lot of lovin'
I am going to receive a lot of affection
Need a lot of lovin' tonight
I need a lot of affection tonight
Early in the morning
At the beginning of the day
'To the middle of the night
Until very late in the night
Gonna rock it to the rhythm
We will dance to the beat
Of the early morning light
As the sun is rising
With my baby boogalooin'
Dancing with my partner
And the feeling's getting strong
Emotions are intensifying
Gonna keep it in the move
We will continue dancing
Until the darkness come along
Until nightfall arrives
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW SCOTT, BRIAN CONNOLLY, MICHAEL TUCKER, STEPHEN PRIEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mick62mick
This is one of the hardest rock songs, you will ever hear! LONG LIVE THE SWEET!
@habibi9200
My all time favourite track from Sweet !...so much raw energy !!!!!
@maraluciaduclosduclos7496
Um grande som e uma enorme musica que faz agitar o coração. Maravilhosa banda. Grande sucesso.
@billjones3720
That kick ass drum riff at the end, unbelievable!
@petebest22
That's Mick for ya, loves showing what he's learned 😊
@stephenmccarthy102
The heavier rock stuff written by themselves was much better than the mainstream side
@eddyvanvijfeijken6365
Pure rock and roll , unbelievable good pure rock and roll band , even after all those years they still give me the goose bumps, I'm 60 now got to know them as a teenager early 70s , and to me they still are one of the best bands I know , " good music never dies "
@goesjem
A massive part of my 35 years on this planet. This one is for my beloved lost dad. x
@xensboy1
Ultracool song, rocking like crazy. The video rocks too- I love the guitar solo section. Thanks, mate!
@rogermassey7036
Love this song and group.