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 lyrics to Sweet’s song Need a Lot of Lovin’ is all about the singer’s desire for love and companionship from a ‘mighty fine woman’. The singer sings about needing a woman by their side so that they can rock and roll and feel pride. There is a slight element of sadness, as the singer mentions wanting to make up to a woman who they have upset, and not wanting to let another woman named Sally know that they are feeling blue.
The song is all about the pursuit of love, and the singer’s desire to keep the energy and excitement of love going through the night. The lyrics suggest that the singer is looking for a lot of love, and plans to have a lot of love tonight. The song celebrates the excitement and energy of love, with the singer wanting to ‘rock it to the rhythm of the early morning light’ with their ‘baby’. The song is ultimately a joyful celebration of love, energy and passion.
Line by Line Meaning
Mighty fine woman
I am looking for a particular type of woman.
Need her by my side
I need this woman to be with me physically and emotionally.
So I can rock and roll it
So we can enjoy and indulge in our desires.
I can feel my pride
This relationship makes me feel good about myself.
I gotta find a chicken
I need to find someone to pursue romantically.
Gotta make up to
I need to apologize and make amends for past mistakes if I want to be with this person.
But I ain't no telling Sally
I don't want Sally to know how I'm feeling because it might hurt her.
That I'm feeling blue
I'm not feeling happy and content in my current situation.
Don't let go
I need this person to stay with me and not leave me.
'Cause ya got me going
You are motivating me and making me feel good.
You're moving fast
You are aggressive and energetic.
And there ain't no slowin' you
You can't be stopped or slowed down.
I need a lot of lovin'
I crave and desire love and affection.
Gonna have a lot of lovin'
I am confident that I will find and receive the love and affection I desire.
Need a lot of lovin' tonight
I want to feel loved and valued tonight specifically.
Early in the morning
From the beginning of the day.
To the middle of the night
Until late at night.
Gonna rock it to the rhythm
I want to have a good time and enjoy myself.
Of the early morning light
From the start of the day, I want to be active and involved in the world around me.
With my baby boogalooin'
I want to dance and be playful with my partner.
And the feeling's getting strong
I am feeling more and more confident and excited about our relationship.
Gonna keep it in the move
I want to continue being active and having fun together.
Until the darkness come along
Until it gets late and time to go to bed.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW SCOTT, BRIAN CONNOLLY, MICHAEL TUCKER, STEPHEN PRIEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Neil Taylor
What a great band!
Frenske
Don't forget Steve's bass during the solo......after all these years still a killer track.
Paul Hudson
Always loved the B sides to their singles. This is the real sweet sound
Stephen Waller
Totally agree this was one of my favorites. "Own up take a look at yourself" the 'B' side of Teenage Rampage was up there as well
Ellen R.
Incredible Andy's guitar solo. And not to despise Brian's singing! Overall, a rat-sharp version👍
Alan Strom
This is a great LIVE recording.
It's Proof of what a really genuine band they were.
Ironically, the studio version is much dirtier and a bit slower.
One of the best bands of all time.
The Glam Metal Bands of the 80's were heavily influenced by this track and the band SWEET.
Jens Hagelskjær
What a beat, what a tune, that’s really good rock’n Roll
Габдель Юссон
Супер. Россия любит Sweet!!
vladimir5182
Любит старшее поколение.А постсоветское поколение их не знают.
Antony Wiggins
How on earth this was never released is a mystery, a great track 👍