"We Could Be Sweet Lovers" | |
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Song by Bill Withers | |
from the album Watching You Watching Me | |
Language | English |
Released | 1985 |
Genre | Pop |
Length | 3:26 |
Label | Columbia |
Songwriter(s) | Bill Withers |
Producer(s) | Bill Withers, Denny Diante |
"We Could Be Sweet Lovers" is a 1985 song written by Bill Withers from his final studio album Watching You, Watching Me .
The song is best known in New Zealand as a 1988 one-hit wonder by New Zealand band Holidaymakers, who released their version of the song under the title "Sweet Lovers". This version charted at number one in the New Zealand singles chart and held that position for six weeks. [1]
"Sweet Lovers" | |
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Single by Holidaymakers | |
B-side | "Sensible Shoes" |
Released | 1988 |
Recorded | Marmalade Studios, Wellington |
Genre | Pop |
Length | 3:40 |
Label | Pagan |
Songwriter(s) | Bill Withers |
Producer(s) | Nigel Stone |
Music video | |
"Sweet Lovers" at NZ On Screen |
In 1988, Wellington band Holidaymakers released a cover of the song in New Zealand. The single was a huge success in New Zealand, staying at number one for six weeks, [1] ultimately being the biggest selling single of the year.
The group's follow-up single "Waiting in the Sunshine" briefly charted at number six. Holidaymakers split up soon after. [2]
New Zealand director Fane Flaws was a friend of the band and did the shoot with no budget. The lampshades in the video all belonged to the band members, who were all asked to bring one along on the day. [3] Flaw's creativity was rewarded with a Best Video award at the 1988 New Zealand Music Awards. [4]
The band was awarded Best Single, Most Promising Group, Most Promising Male Vocalist and Most Promising Female Vocalist of the year at the 1988 New Zealand Music Awards for "Sweet Lovers", while the song's producer Nigel Stone was awarded both Best Producer and Best Engineer of the year. Music video director Fane Flaws rounded off the group's dominance of the 1988 awards by receiving Best Video. [5]
Jennifer Patricia Morris is a New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter. Her first success came with New Zealand band The Crocodiles, who had a top 20 hit single with "Tears". Re-locating to Sydney in February 1981, she was a backing vocalist for various groups and formed a trio, QED, in 1983.
The Crocodiles was a New Zealand pop/new wave band formed in 1979 with lead singer Jenny Morris, who went on to commercial success as a solo artist in Australia; and later included drummer Barton Price, who subsequently joined Sardine v and then Models. The Crocodiles top 20 hit single in New Zealand was "Tears" in 1980 from debut album, Tears; a second album, Looking at Ourselves, appeared in November. The band relocated to Australia in February 1981 but disbanded in July without further releases.
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Fane Michael Flaws was a New Zealand musician, songwriter, and artist.
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The following lists events that happened during 1988 in New Zealand.
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Holidaymakers was a New Zealand musical group from Wellington. The band scored two top ten hits in New Zealand in 1988, including the number-one single "Sweet Lovers", a cover of the Bill Withers song "We Could Be Sweet Lovers".
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This is a list of the top 50 singles in New Zealand of 1988 as compiled by Recorded Music NZ in the end-of-year chart of the Official New Zealand Music Chart. Six singles by New Zealand artists are included on the chart, the highest being the Holidaymakers' debut single "Sweet Lovers" at No. 1.
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