"Bittersweet" is a song by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group

Hoodoo Gurus Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner (songwriter, lead singer and guitarist) and later joined by Richard Grossman (bass), Mark Kingsmill (drums), and Brad Shepherd (guitar, vocals, ha ...

. It was written by Dave Faulkner, released in June 1985 as the lead single from the group's second studio album, ''

Mars Needs Guitars! ''Mars Needs Guitars!'' is Australian rock group Hoodoo Gurus' second album, released in March 1985. The title is a reference to the 1967 science fiction film, '' Mars Needs Women''. Singles from the album were " Bittersweet", "Like Wow – Wipeo ...

''. It peaked at number 16 on the Australian charts In 2000, Dave Faulkner said "... I vowed to myself that I would write less comic narratives and try to express my sentiments in a more forthright way. I feel I succeeded with 'Bittersweet' though at the time I didn't think that a) the band would want to play it and b) our audience would want to hear it. I was happily wrong on both counts.".

Track listings

; 7" single (BTS1503) # "Bittersweet" (Dave Faulkner) — 3:46 # "Mars Needs Guitars" (

James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...

, Clyde Bramley, Faulkner,

Mark Kingsmill Mark Adrian Kingsmill (born 4 December 1956) is an Australian rock musician. He has drummed with several bands including the Hitmen (1979–84), New Christs (1983–84), the Screaming Tribesmen (1984) and Hoodoo Gurus (1984–98, 2003–15). H ...

and

Brad Shepherd Bradley Mark Shepherd (born 1 February 1961) is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially Hoodoo Gurus. Biography Early life Shepherd was born ...

) — 2:51

Personnel

Credited to: *

— drums * Clyde Bramley — bass, backing vocals * Dave Faulkner — lead vocals (track A), guitar *

— drums, cymbals *

— guitar, lead vocals (track B), harmonica * Producer — Charles Fisher * Engineer — John Bee * Mastering — Don Bartley

Charts

Cover versions & others

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as t ...

provided lead vocals for her band Hole's version of "Bittersweet" with Brad Shepard playing guitar and contributing backing vocals at Hole's 1999 Big Day Out performance.

References

{{authority control 1985 singles Hoodoo Gurus songs 1985 songs Songs written by Dave Faulkner (musician) Chrysalis Records singles Elektra Records singles