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"Action"
Single by Sweet
from the album Strung Up and Give Us a Wink
B-side	"Sweet F.A." (Europe) "Medussa" (US)
Released	July 1975 (UK)
Recorded	1975
Genre	Hard rock [1]
Length	3 : 18 (single version) 3:44 (album version) 3:35 ( Strung Up edit)
Label	RCA (Europe) Capitol (US)
Songwriter(s)	Andy Scott Brian Connolly Steve Priest Mick Tucker
Producer(s)	Sweet
Sweet singles chronology
" Fox on the Run " (1975) " Action " (1975) "The Lies in Your Eyes" (1976)

" Action " is a self-written and produced 1975 song by British glam rock band Sweet .

Background [ edit ]

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 [ edit ]

Weekly charts [ edit ]

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 [ edit ]

Def Leppard version [ edit ]

"Action"
Single by Def Leppard
from the album Retro Active
B-side	"She's Too Tough" (Joe's demo) "Miss You in a Heartbeat" (Phil's demo)
Released	3 January 1994 (UK) [5]
Recorded	1992?1993
Genre	Heavy metal glam metal speed metal
Length	3 : 41
Label	Bludgeon Riffola
Songwriter(s)	Andy Scott Brian Connolly Steve Priest Mick Tucker
Producer(s)	Def Leppard
Def Leppard singles chronology
" Miss You in a Heartbeat " (1993) " Action " (1994) " When Love & Hate Collide " (1995)

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 [ edit ]

CD: Bludgeon Riffola/LEPCD 13 (UK)/858 093-2 (INT) [ edit ]

1. "Action"
2. "She's Too Tough" (Joe's demo)
3. "Miss You in a Heartbeat" (Phil's demo)

Other cover versions [ edit ]

• The song was also covered by Raven (on their 1981 album Rock Until You Drop )
• Black 'n Blue (on their 1984 album Black 'n Blue )
• Power Metal band Vengeance Incorporated on their 1992 album Bad Crazy
• Steve Stevens (on his 1989 album Atomic Playboys ).
• 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).
• Bodybuilder/hard rock singer 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 [ edit ]