"Wig-Wam Bam" | ||||
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Single by The Sweet | ||||
from the album The Sweet | ||||
B-side | "New York Connection" | |||
Released | 1 September 1972 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:01 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Wainman | |||
The Sweet singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Wig-Wam Bam" on YouTube |
"Wig-Wam Bam" is a song by British glam rock band The Sweet, written by songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, released as a single in September 1972. It was the first Sweet single on which the band members actually played their instruments, as previous singles featured producer Phil Wainman on drums, and session musicians John Roberts and Pip Williams (later producer of Status Quo albums) on bass and guitars respectively.
The song's lyrics are inspired by Henry Longfellow's Hiawatha poem from 1855. [4] The poem tells the legend of a Native American warrior Hiawatha and his lover Minnehaha. The lyrics also refer to Running Bear and his lover Little White Dove, two characters from the 1959 song "Running Bear" written by Jiles Perry Richardson.
The song featured a significant change in the band's sound, and is often considered the band's first glam rock single.[ citation needed ] Also, this was the first Sweet single with bass player Steve Priest singing some parts of the lead vocal: the "try a little touch, try a little too much" line at the chorus. This became an important part of Sweet's later style; on most of their later singles they also used this technique, with Priest singing some lines of the song. After the song became a hit, Sweet adopted a glam image, starting to wear glitter and makeup.[ citation needed ]
The band appeared on BBC's Top of the Pops , performing the song, three times in 1972: on 14 September, on 21 September and on 5 October, with Priest wearing an extravagant Native American feathered headress. [5] [6]
The song reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1972. [7]
The song was featured in the 2023 Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales . [17]
Sweet are a British glam rock band who rose to prominence in the 1970s. Their best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker.
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