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1975 song by Sweet

"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]

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.

Year-end charts

Def Leppard version

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)

1. "Action"
2. "She`s Too Tough" (Joe`s demo)
3. "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]