Action (Sweet song)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2023) |
| "Action" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sweet | ||||
| from the album Strung Up and Give Us a Wink | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | July 1975 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[1] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Sweet | |||
| Sweet singles chronology | ||||
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"Action" is a self-written and produced 1975 song by British glam rock band Sweet.
Background
The song went through several iterations; a 7" single version was recorded at Ian Gillan's Kingsway Studios in London and slightly different versions appear on the albums Strung Up and Give Us a Wink.[citation needed] The lyrics refer to Sweet's negative treatment as pop stars, particularly by the music press, and to the demands of the music industry. The track features a masked "backwards vocal" with the words "You kiss my arse".[citation needed]
The first verse has a striking resemblance to the hard rock section of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was not released for another four months.[citation needed] Lead singer Brian Connolly called it a "blatant rip-off".[citation needed]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
The single reached No. 15 in the UK in July 1975, and went to the Top 40 in the US the following year.
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] | 4 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[3] | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 20 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1975) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] | 37 |
Def Leppard version
| "Action" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Def Leppard | ||||
| from the album Retro Active | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 3 January 1994 (UK)[5] | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | Bludgeon Riffola | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Def Leppard | |||
| Def Leppard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1993, English rock band Def Leppard covered "Action" on their album Retro Active. "Andy [Scott] said that our version of 'Action' was the best cover of a Sweet song he'd ever heard," noted singer Joe Elliott.[6] The original 1992 recording, recorded before guitarist Vivian Campbell joined the band, was released as a B-side to "Make Love Like a Man"; the version featured on Retro Active and released as a single features a newly-recorded snare drum from drummer Rick Allen and additional backing vocals from Campbell and P.J. Smith. The single charted at number 14 on UK Singles Chart.[7]
The music video was directed by Phil Tuckett from NFL entertainment. The approximate shooting date was between June and December 1993; in Sheffield, Ottawa, and Joe Elliott's home in Ireland. The band 'discovered' the masked backwards vocal on the original track and refer to it on the CD single cover.
Leppard's version reappeared on a special edition of their 2006 album Yeah!.
Track listing
CD: Bludgeon Riffola/LEPCD 13 (UK)/858 093-2 (INT)
- "Action"
- "She's Too Tough" (Joe's demo)
- "Miss You in a Heartbeat" (Phil's demo)
Other cover versions
- Raven on their 1981 album Rock Until You Drop
- Black 'n Blue on their 1984 album Black 'n Blue
- Vengeance Incorporated on their 1992 album Bad Crazy
- Steve Stevens on his 1989 album Atomic Playboys
- Nelson on their 1996 album Imaginator
- Scorpions released it in German translation as "Wenn es richtig losgeht" on the B-side of the single "Fuchs geh' voran" (a translation of "Fox on the Run", also by Sweet)
- Jon Mikl Thor once performed the song on The Mike Douglas Show[8]
- Burning Airlines recorded a cover during the sessions for their album Identikit[9]
References
- ^ Popoff, Martin (January 5, 2024). "The Top 20 unlikely Progressive Rock hits, ranked". Goldmine. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. 29 December 1975. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
- ^ "UK Official Charts". Officialcharts.com. 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 821.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Def Leppard - Action". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Ling, Dave (July 2006). "The dirt: Joe Elliott". Classic Rock #94. p. 38.
- ^ "UK Official Charts". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "?". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2014-06-05.
- ^ "Action, by Burning Airlines". Burning Airlines. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
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