"Sweets for My Sweet" is a song written by the songwriting team of

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall ...

and

Mort Shuman Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as ...

, originally recorded by American

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

and R&B/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

vocal group

the Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

The Drifters version

The group's first single featuring Charlie Thomas on lead vocal, "Sweets for My Sweet" reached 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 10 on the R&B chart, in October 1961. This was one of the few post-1958 Drifters singles that did not feature a string section. The song has a strong piano and bongo-led Cuban-style cha-cha rhythm. It also featured

Jimmy Radcliffe James Radcliffe (November 18, 1936 – July 27, 1973) was an American soul singer, composer, arranger, conductor and record producer. Biography James Radcliffe was born in New York City. He released such singles as "My Ship is Coming In", a so ...

and four female backup vocalists, all of whom would later have hit records:

Cissy Houston Emily "Cissy" Houston ( ''née'' Drinkard; born September 30, 1933) is an American soul and gospel singer. After a successful career singing backup for such artists as Roy Hamilton, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, Houston embar ...

Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

, and

Dee Dee Warwick Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, and a f ...

. The recording also features an up-in-front piano provided by co-writer

. Other musicians on the recording included George Barnes and Allan Hanlon on guitar, Abie Baker on bass,

Ed Shaughnessy Edwin Thomas "Ed" Shaughnessy (January 29, 1929 – May 24, 2013) was a swing music and jazz drummer long associated with Doc Severinsen and a member of The Tonight Show Band on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Biography Shaughn ...

and

Gary Chester Gary Chester (born Cesario Gurciullo; October 27, 1924 – August 17, 1987) was an American studio drummer, author, and teacher. Beginning in the 1960s, he played on hundreds of records for bands such as The Coasters, The Monkees, and The Lovin ...

on drums and

Bobby Rosengarden Robert Marshall Rosengarden (April 23, 1924 – February 27, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A native of Elgin, Illinois, United States, he played on many recordings and in television orchestras and talk show bands. Rosenga ...

and Ray Kessler on percussion.

The Searchers version

In 1963, "Sweets for My Sweet" was released by English Merseybeat band

the Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

as their debut single, reaching No. 1 on the

UK Single Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

for two weeks that August. The Searchers' version was also issued in the US in 1964 but failed to chart.

C. J. Lewis version

British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer C. J. Lewis released his version of "Sweets for My Sweet" as his debut single in April 1994 via Black Market International and MCA. It reached No. 3 in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The song was produced by

Phillip Leo Philip Ernest Pottinger (born 29 April 1967), known professionally as Phillip Leo, is a British reggae singer, songwriter and producer. He is the last of five children from South London who were born to Jamaican parents. Biography Born in Gre ...

, who also produced Lewis' debut album, ''Dollars'' (1994). The female vocals are performed by singer Samantha Depasois. Jerome Redfarne directed the song's music video.

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' noted that here,

1963 classic "is completely reworked in a dead trendy

ragga Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music. Wayne Sm ...

version, which is so cheerful that you can't believe storms and depression ever existed. Nobody will be surprised that it's heavily played on Bay Radio/ St. Julian's on holiday island Malta." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' wrote, "Yes, it is the old Searchers hit, and it sounds surprisingly good too considering it has been dragged uncompromisingly into the Nineties. Now an easy to swallow confection, part

, part jackswing, it slips down a treat." Pete Stanton from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' gave Lewis' version four out of five, adding, "Though CJ's a bit of a star in the reggae charts he has yet to set the proper charts alight — but Sweets should do that." He also remarked that the singer "has reggaed it up and turned it into a groovy, radio-friendly bopper."

Chart performance

In addition to reaching No. 3 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, "Sweets for My Sweet" also had big success in New Zealand, peaking for two weeks at No. 3. After debuting at No. 6, it then spent a further 10 consecutive weeks inside the top 10. After dropping to No.11 the following week, it returned to No. 6. Six weeks later after fluctuating around the top 40, it returned for one final week in the top 10, at No. 10. At the end of 1994, the song was ranked No. 6 on New Zealand's year-end chart. "Sweets for My Sweet" was also a top-ten hit in Austria, Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The track also charted in Australia and Germany.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Sweets for My Sweet" was directed by Jerome Redfarne.

Track listings

* 7-inch vinyl, UK (1994) #"Sweets for My Sweet" (7-inch version) #"Sweets for My Sweet" (ska 7-inch) * CD single, Europe (1994) #"Sweets for My Sweet" (original 7-inch) – 3:24 #"Sweets for My Sweet" (ska 7-inch) – 3:47 #"Sweets for My Sweet" (original 12-inch) – 4:33 * CD single, UK (1994) #"Sweets for My Sweet" (original 7-inch) – 3:24 #"Sweets for My Sweet" (ska 7-inch) – 3:47 #"Sweets for My Sweet" (original 12-inch) – 4:33 #"Sweets for My Sweet" (ska straight mix) – 4:01 #"Sweets for My Sweet" (dub mix 1) – 4:01 #"Sweets for My Sweet" 8original dub) – 3:23

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other cover versions

* In 1965,

the Buckinghams The Buckinghams are an American sunshine pop band from Chicago. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed ...

released it as a single. *

The McCoys The McCoys were a rock music, rock group formed in Union City, Indiana, Union City, Indiana, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Their name was changed from Rick and the Raiders to The McCoys, ...

released a version of the song on their 1966 album, ''You Make Me Feel So Good''. * "Sweets for My Sweet" was remade in 1966 by

Don and the Goodtimes Don and the Goodtimes were an American garage rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1964. Fronted by Don Gallucci, former keyboardist of the Kingsmen, the group made a name for itself in the Northwest rock scene performing in ...

- a

sunshine pop Sunshine pop (originally known as soft pop) is a subgenre of pop music that originated in Southern California in the mid-1960s. Rooted in easy listening and advertising jingles, sunshine pop acts combined nostalgic or anxious moods with "an appre ...

band led by Don Galucci formerly of

the Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and ha ...

- and in 1967 by

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

area

garage band Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

, the Riddles. * In 1967 the jamaican vocal group

The Sensations The Sensations were an American doo-wop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The group formed in 1954 under the name the Cavaliers, soon after changing to the Sensations. The group scored two hits on the US R&B chart in 1956 with ...

backed by the Carib Beats released the single "Sweets for my sweet" * In 1968 Cashman Pistilli & West remade "Sweets for My Sweet" under the name Central Park West. * In 1968 Yugoslav rock band

Džentlmeni Džentlmeni ( sr-Cyrl, Џентлмени, lit=The Gentlemen) were a Yugoslav rock band formed in Belgrade in 1966. A year after the formation, the band split into two factions. The first faction featured original rhythm guitarist Milan Buza, a ...

released a

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...

version of the song entitled "Slatko" ("Sweet"). * "Sweets for My Sweet" was a 1969 single for

the Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Cis ...

serving as the title cut for their 1969 album cut at

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is an American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969 by four session musicians known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They had left nearby FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to create their own recor ...

with

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recordings ...

producing. * In the UK, Tina Charles remade "Sweets for My Sweet" in 1977 in tandem with "Love Bug". The track was included on her album ''Rendezvous'' and issued as a single reaching No. 26; however the single edit only featured one chorus from "Sweets for My Sweet" at its close. * In 1975, the British band Magnum released it as their first single. *

Frank Alamo Frank Alamo (born Jean-François Grandin; 12 October 1941 – 11 October 2012) was a French singer. He achieved his greatest success in the 1960s. Biography He was born in Paris. He sang in a leading French children's choir, "Les Petits Chanteu ...

helped popularise the ''

yé-yé ''Yé-yé'' () (''yeyé'' in Spanish) was a style of pop music that emerged in Western-Southern Europe in the early 1960s. The French term "''yé-yé''" was derived from the English "yeah! yeah!", popularized by British beat music bands such as ...

'' style of music in France. His hit records included "''Biche ô ma Biche''" ("Sweets for My Sweet") * The only US remake of "Sweets for My Sweet" to reach the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

or any ''Billboard'' chart to date is that by

Tony Orlando Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...

which reached No. 54 and No. 20 on the

Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

chart in 1979. * In 1986, Europop and

Italo disco Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the early 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, p ...

singer Chriss recorded the song for her album "Sweets for My Sweet." * In 1988,

Super Cat William Anthony Maragh (born 25 June 1963),Huey, Steve " Super Cat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 18 July 2010 also known as Super Cat, is a Jamaican deejay who achieved widespread popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s dancehall mo ...

released his album "Sweets for My Sweet", including his remake of the song. * "Sweets for My Sweet" was also recorded by the Carnival,

Manolo Muñoz Manolo Muñoz (14 March 1941 –29 October 2000) was a Mexican singer and actor, who was famous for an interpretation of the song "Speedy Gonzales" in the 1960s. He was also one of the first soloists in Mexico to sing, a style that later bec ...

(as "Dulces Para Mi Nena"), and

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

(on his 1993 "oldies" album '' Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building''. * In 1995,

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

recorded "Sweets for My Sweet" on Til The Night Has Gone - A Tribute to Doc Pomus'', as part of the Andy Paley sessions. * In 2004, German pop group

Preluders The Preluders were a pop girl group from Germany. The original group comprised singers Tertia Botha, Miriam Cani, Anh-Thu Doan, Rebecca Miro, and Anne Ross. Created through the ProSieben talent show '' Popstars – Das Duell'' (2003), in which ...

covered the song for their album ''

Prelude to History ''Prelude to History'' is the second and final studio album by German girl group Preluders. It was released on 27 September 2004 by Cheyenne Records, Polydor and Zeitgeist. A collection of cover versions of songs from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, ...

''.

References

{{Authority control 1961 songs 1961 singles The Drifters songs 1963 debut singles The Searchers (band) songs 1994 debut singles C. J. Lewis songs Songs with music by Mort Shuman Songs with lyrics by Doc Pomus The McCoys songs Tina Charles (singer) songs Neil Diamond songs Tony Orlando songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Atlantic Records singles Pye Records singles