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.
Sweetlife
Sweet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of colour race and creed
No matter what religion
The world's is on its knees
There's never any goodness
War could ever bring
The tactical destruction
Of every living thing.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, sweetlife
There's a new religion
Compassion turns to greed
The cynical decision
Too many mouth to feed
Finding a solution
Try to make a stand
Marching down the highway
With a banner in your hand
'Cause I'm all right, living the sweetlife
Oh, oh, oh, oh, sweetlife
Calling all the people
Of colour race and creed
No matter what religion
The world's is on its knees
Now heed the voice of reason
Tugging at your soul
Like the changing of the seasons
It's out of our control
'Cause I'm all right, living the sweetlife
Oh, oh, oh, oh, sweetlife
The song "Sweetlife" by Sweet is a call to action for people of all colors, races, and creeds to find unity during times of turmoil. The lyrics speak about the inherent goodness that exists within people, and how war and destruction can never bring about lasting peace. The song emphasizes the importance of compassion and finding a solution to issues facing humanity.
The line "There's a new religion, compassion turns to greed" is a commentary on how the desire for wealth and power can often overshadow the need for empathy and kindness. The song suggests that finding a solution to global problems requires individuals to stand up for what they believe in and take action. The line "marching down the highway with a banner in your hand" is a visual representation of the power of protest and activism.
The final lines of the song, "Now heed the voice of reason, tugging at your soul, like the changing of the seasons, it's out of our control," speaks to the idea that change is inevitable and often out of our hands. However, the song encourages individuals to listen to their inner voice and take action when they can.
Overall, "Sweetlife" is a powerful anthem that implores individuals to come together in the face of adversity and work towards a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Calling all the people
Inviting everyone
Of colour race and creed
Irrespective of skin color, ethnicity, and belief
No matter what religion
Regardless of faith
The world's is on its knees
The world is facing dire circumstances
There's never any goodness
No good comes from war
War could ever bring
War only brings destruction
The tactical destruction
The deliberate obliteration
Of every living thing.
Of every being that exists
'Cause I'm all right, living the sweetlife
I'm doing well, enjoying life
Oh, oh, oh, oh, sweetlife
Life is good
There's a new religion
A different ideology
Compassion turns to greed
Caring becomes corrupted by selfish desires
The cynical decision
The dubious choice
Too many mouth to feed
Too many people to take care of
Finding a solution
Looking for answers
Try to make a stand
Taking action
Marching down the highway
Moving forward together
With a banner in your hand
Holding a symbol of unity
'Cause I'm all right, living the sweetlife
I'm still doing well
Now heed the voice of reason
Listen to logic
Tugging at your soul
Pulling at your inner being
Like the changing of the seasons
As inevitable as the shift from one season to another
It's out of our control
Uncontrollable
'Cause I'm all right, living the sweetlife
But I'm still doing well
Oh, oh, oh, oh, sweetlife
Life is still good
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: CALVIN SCOTT, DONALD DENNIS, PAUL HENTON, PHILIP BURRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hans Rößler
Endlich scheint Andy wieder zu sich gefunden zu haben. Das drückt sich auch in der neuen geilen Musik aus. Respekt!
CARFV ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
Been loving you guys for 40+ years.
Missing the passed members but you guys sound GREAT! Still have that SWEET sound. So much love thrown your way.
Jaime Hernando San Martín Jara
Increibles musicos aun vigentes....que emocionante musica....gracias....tambien tienen seguisores latinos....desde Arica...Chile....GRACIAS SWETt
Doris Oldham
❤️ Great song!! 🎸💙🎶❤️
Jackie
We need another album like this Andy 😁
Feld Berg
THE SWEET Live in Offenbach next Frankfurt/Germany 02.02.1973..GREAT CONCERT 💥💥🎸🎸🌌🌌🎉🎉🎸🎸🎇🎇
Hannover Edamm
You 're absolutely right. Sweet life is one of the best songs of all times.
Rhonda Hershman
So glad that Sweet is making new music and still performing. Thank you for the 48 years that I have enjoyed listening to you.
Robert Sen
Great song! The whole album Sweetlife, from which this song is taken, is an enjoyment.
Nice G
+100!