Together with Dave Parsons and Anthony Doughty (AKA Tex Axile) made up the the band's four permanent members. Additional members Pol Burton, James Piper and Martin Hallett were musicians engaged to play during live concerts: Burton, then later Hallett (AKA Mallet), on drums, and Piper on guitar.
The band was signed by MCA and released a cover single of the Holly and the Italians song "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" in April 1988 . A month later the follow-up single "I Want Your Love", with its pop/punk crossover appeal, entered the Top 5 in the United Kingdom. The band went on to release the hit album Pop Art in October.
1989 was the band's most successful year, with the number 3 hit single "Baby I Don't Care" and hit album Velveteen.
In 1990 MCA refused to release Transvision Vamp's third album Little Magnets Versus The Bubble Of Babble in the UK, reportedly disliking the mellower direction of the music. Wendy James has stated "...it came out in America and did better than the other two albums in America. But then we decided to split up, during which time the English record label had said they weren't convinced about this record, we're going to hold off on it and see how well it does in other countries first. By the time they were ready to release it, we'd already decided to split up, and so it never came out". The band formally split early in 1991. Tex Axile left to Join Max with John Reynolds, Kevin Mooney and Mathew Ashman formerly of Sinead O'connor, Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow. Dave Parsons Joined Gavin Rossdale and formed Bush.
James went on to a solo career and in 2004 formed the band Racine.
www.transvisionvamp.com
Sweet Thing
Transvision Vamp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is be true
Is baby, oh be true to me
All you gotta say
Is hey, hey, hey, hey
Buzz, buzz, buzz
I'm your honey bee
Hey, that's me
And if you want my kiss
All you gotta do is
Be a Sweet Thing
Sweet, Sweet Thing
Be a Sweet Thing to me
It doesn't matter how
It doesn't matter why
'Cause I can see the truth in your eyes
And what you've had to know
It always shows
Like the stars in the sky
Your's never lie
Cause you're a Sweet Thing
Sweet, Sweet Thing
You're a Sweet Thing to me
Now when you're driving in your car
Driving down by my heart
Oh honey don't drive too far
'Cause if you drive too far
You'll miss my heart
But if you go right past
All you gotta do is stop
Be a Sweet Thing
Sweet, Sweet Thing
Be a Sweet Thing to me
Be a Sweet Thing to me, to me
Sweet Thing, Sweet Thing
Be a Sweet Thing to me, to me
Be a Sweet Thing to me, Sweet Thing
Be a Sweet Thing to me, Sweet Thing
Be a Sweet Thing to me
Sweet Thing, Sweet Thing
Sweet Thing, I Love You
Sweet Thing, be a sweet thing to me
Sweet Thing
The lyrics to Transvision Vamp's "Sweet Thing" are about a person asking their lover to simply be honest and true to them. The opening lines of "All you've gotta do is be true" and "All you gotta say is hey, hey, hey, hey" convey a sense of simplicity and straightforwardness, as if the singer is saying that they don't need grand gestures, just honesty and upfront communication.
The chorus, "Be a Sweet Thing, Sweet, Sweet Thing, Be a Sweet Thing to me," reinforces the idea that the singer wants their lover to be loving and kind to them. It's clear that the singer is willing to reciprocate this affection, as seen with the lines "And if you want my kiss, all you gotta do is be a Sweet Thing to me."
The song also features a driving metaphor. The bridge contains the lyrics "Now when you're driving in your car, driving down by my heart" and later warns "But if you drive too far, you'll miss my heart." These lines suggest that the singer wants their lover to come closer and not take their love for granted.
Overall, "Sweet Thing" is a simple but charming love song that emphasizes honesty and kindness.
Line by Line Meaning
All you've gotta do
The only thing you need to do
Is be true
Is to tell the truth
Is baby, oh be true to me
Is, baby, tell me the truth
All you gotta say
All you need to say
Is hey, hey, hey, hey
Is just hey, hey, hey, hey
Buzz, buzz, buzz
A metaphor for the singer's attraction
I'm your honey bee
The singer is attracted to you
Oh I'm your honey bee
The artist is your honey bee
Hey, that's me
The artist is referring to herself
And if you want my kiss
If you want to kiss me
All you gotta do is
All you need to do is
Be a Sweet Thing
Act like a kind person
Sweet, Sweet Thing
A kindly person
It doesn't matter how
The method doesn't matter
It doesn't matter why
The reason doesn't matter
'Cause I can see the truth in your eyes
The artist can see the true intentions of the listener
And what you've had to know
And what you needed to know
It always shows
It's always apparent
Like the stars in the sky
Like the stars in the sky
Your's never lie
Your eyes never lie
Cause you're a Sweet Thing
Because you are a kind person
You're a Sweet Thing to me
You are kind to the artist
Now when you're driving in your car
When you are driving your car
Driving down by my heart
Driving by the artist's heart
Oh honey don't drive too far
Do not go too far
'Cause if you drive too far
If you go too far
You'll miss my heart
You will miss the singer's heart
But if you go right past
But if you go straight past it
All you gotta do is stop
All you need to do is stop
Be a Sweet Thing
Act like a kind person
Be a Sweet Thing to me
Be kind to the singer
Be a Sweet Thing to me, to me
Be kind to the artist, to me
Sweet Thing, Sweet Thing
A kind person, a kind person
I Love You
The artist loves you
Sweet Thing, be a sweet thing to me
A kind person, be kind to the singer
Sweet Thing
A kind person
Contributed by Eli S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.