Chart Performance: Pop (#5); 1976
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The late 1960’s bubblegum music explosion evolved into the glam movement overseas. Among its chief proponents: Sweet. Originally formed in 1968 as Sweetshop, the band released four failed singles before hot songwriters Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn took them in hand in late 1970. Three months later Chapman/Chinn’s Funny Funny launched them onto the UK chart. In the summer of 1972 Little Willy went to #4 in England, and 10 months later it peaked at #3 in the States. Sweet’s star continued to burn brightly in Britain thanks to the band’s catchy singles, outrageous costumes, and frequent TV appearances. Chapman/Chinn’s Ballroom Blitz, from the fall of 1973, became the Sweet’s next U.S. Top 5 in 1975, by which time C&C were gone from the Sweet camp. The band members pitched in for early 1975’s Fox On The Run. It reached #2 in England and #5 in the U.S. a year later. Sweet’s run ended after 1978’s Love Is Like Oxygen
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2023 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Sweet
Lyrics Written by:
- Brian Connolly
- Steve Priest
- Andy Scott
- Mick Tucker
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).
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