Sweet

The Sweet, or Sweet as they were known after 1974, was a British glam rock band. Their best known line-up consisted of lead singer Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker. Formed in 1968 in London, Sweet started out as a bubblegum pop group making songs such as “The Lollypop Man”. This proved to be a bad business move as the genre was well on it’s way out by the late 1960’s, and their first few singles did not chart well.

The band’s fortunes changed in March, 1971 with the release of the single “Funny, Funny”, which fused the softer pop sound of artists like The Hollies and The Archies with the edgier sound popularized by The Who. Lyrical content was of much higher quality than their previous singles thanks to the efforts of writing duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who would pen a number of top 20 hits for the band and other popular groups throughout the 1970s. “Funny, Funny”’s success, however, was only matched by the single “Co-Co”. The rest of Sweet’s other 1971 singles along with their album Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be failed to chart.

Through 1972 and 1973 the Sweet had multiple top 5 hits and released their first album in the US, simply titled The Sweet, which saw moderate success. By 1974 the band members were weary of the commercialized, artificial image and sound typical of glam rock. On their next album, Sweet Fanny Adams, the band experimented with the bold, rock-oriented instrumentals and shrill backing vocals that would define their music from this point forward.

Released in November, 1974, Desolation Boulevard is arguably Sweet’s most recognizable album; the U.S. edition contained the singles “Fox on the Run” and “The Ballroom Blitz”. “The Ballroom Blitz”’s instantly recognizable shouted dialogue and fast guitar hook launched the song to the top of the charts, peaking at number 5 on the pop charts. The song has been used frequently in soundtracks, including Wayne’s World (1992) where it was performed by Tia Carrere. The track continues to garner considerable airplay after being released 45 years earlier, and “The Ballroom Blitz” has joined the pantheon of timelessly popular classic rock songs.

By 1978 the wave of popularity generated by Sweet Fanny Adams, Desolation Boulevard, and a 1975 single release of “Fox on the Run” had largely subsided despite other successful singles. The band’s waning fortunes culminated in the departure of Brian Connolly during that year. A 3-piece incarnation of Sweet with bassist Steve Priest performing lead vocals remained active until 1982, when changing tastes in music, and the remaining band members’ desires to pursue other interests, put the final nails in the coffin of one of the most iconic bands in the glam era.