"Then the man at the back said 'everyone attack!',
And it turned into a ballroom blitz…."

In the early 70s, English bands began experimenting with a new sound, one that melded pop melodies with the driving rhythms and forceful harmonies of hard rock. Paired with an androgynous flashy look, the era of glam rock was born. Although quite popular across the pond, it never really took root in America, with the exception of one notable band called Sweet, who, for a brief time at least, found a comfortable home on the American charts.

Comprised of a collection of British club band veterans, the origin of Sweet’s success can be traced to their eventual pairing with songwriter/producers Mike Chapman and Nicky Chin.  A bubblegum pop song titled “Funny Funny” was presented to the band who proceeded to add lush vocal harmonies, ala Queen, to the recording. Decked out in shocking makeup and glittery costumes, the band found a formula for their earlier success and, in the process, helped to form what would eventually be known as the glam movement.

Other songs followed – “Wig-Wam Bam,” “Teenage Rampage” and “Blockbuster,” all chronicling a gradual inclusion of heavier, more rock-inspired guitars to the pop sound. The glam sound was now fully realized and things were looking up for the band. By 1974, they finally achieved a hit in the United States, a playful little ditty about a perpetual party animal called “Little Willy.” With a driving groove, attitude-laden distorted guitars and a playful sing-song chorus, the song went to #4 on the pop charts.

The band followed with perhaps their best-known song, the hard-driving ode to dance-crazy clubgoers, “Barroom Blitz” which rose to the #5 position on the charts. The accompanying album, Desolation Boulevard rose to #30 on the respective album charts and Sweet finally achieved legitimate mainstream success. They fully took over the writing and producing responsibilities in 1976 and the result was a huge hit that charted in the #5 position in America and all the way to #2 in Britain called “Fox on the Run.” They followed with another Top-20 offering the same year with “Action” – a rock spectacle of sorts that included the sound effects of a cash register as well as a very echo-heavy chorus.

It would take until 1978 for Sweet to achieve another chart-topping single, and this time, they put aside their rocker roots to release a romantic piano ballad titled “Love is Like Oxygen.” Soon after, lead vocalist Brian Connolly would depart the group in search of a solo career. The band persevered, releasing three more albums and continuing to tour as a trio, before officially throwing in the towel in 1982.

The band would occasionally reunite over the years that followed, to the delight of their loyal fans but this came to a halt with the passing of Connolly in 1997. Their influence is undeniable, however, as they eventually paved the way for the surge of hard-rocking pop bands in the 80s such as Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and Poison who continued to carry the torch of Sweet, one of the original glam bands to define this distinct genre.