 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2023) |
| "Action" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sweet | ||||
| from the album Strung Up and Give Us a Wink | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | July 1975 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock [1] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Sweet | |||
| Sweet singles chronology | ||||
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"Action" is a self-written and produced 1975 song by British glam rock band Sweet.
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 ]
The single reached No. 15 in the UK in July 1975, and went to the Top 40 in the US the following year.
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [2] | 4 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [3] | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 20 |
| Chart (1975) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [2] | 37 |
| "Action" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Def Leppard | ||||
| from the album Retro Active | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 3 January 1994 (UK) [5] | |||
| Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | Bludgeon Riffola | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Def Leppard | |||
| Def Leppard singles chronology | ||||
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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! .
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1976 in Sheffield. Since 1992, it has consisted of Rick Savage, Joe Elliott, Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal of the early 1980s. Their greatest commercial success came between the early 1980s and early 1990s.
Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987 through Phonogram Records. It is Def Leppard's best-selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, including 12 million in the US, and spawning seven hit singles. The album charted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart.
Slang is the sixth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 14 May 1996. The album marked a musical departure from their signature sound; it was produced by the band with Pete Woodroffe and was their first album since 1980 without involvement by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Slang is the first album with new material to feature new guitarist Vivian Campbell. It charted at #14 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on the UK Albums Chart. It is also the only Def Leppard album that does not feature their recognisable font logo on the album cover, though all its singles still bore the classic logo.
X is the eighth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 30 July 2002 by Island Records in the US and sister label Mercury worldwide. Much like 1996's Slang, it featured another departure from their signature sound by moving into the pop genre. The album charted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 and No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart. Most of the album was produced by Pete Woodroffe and the band, with remaining tracks produced by either Marti Frederiksen or Per Aldeheim and Andreas Carlsson.
Retro Active is a compilation album by the English rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993. The album features touched-up versions of B-sides and previously unreleased recordings from the band's recording sessions from 1984 to 1993. The album charted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart.
"Bringin' On the Heartbreak" is a song by English rock band Def Leppard. A power ballad, it was the second single from their 1981 album High 'n' Dry. The song was written by three of the band's members, Steve Clark, Pete Willis and Joe Elliott.
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. It reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 23 July 1988, behind "Hold On to the Nights" by Richard Marx. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is considered the band's signature song, and was ranked #2 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s" in 2006.
"Rocket" is a song recorded by English rock band Def Leppard in 1987 from the album Hysteria. It was released in January 1989 as the seventh and final single from the album and reached the Top 15 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. It is the band’s final single to be released with guitarist Steve Clark before his death in 1991.
"Animal" is a song recorded by English rock band Def Leppard in 1987 from the album Hysteria. It was the first single release off the album, and became the band's first Top 10 hit in their native UK, reaching No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Rock of Ages" is a song by Def Leppard from their 1983 album Pyromania. When issued as a single in the United States, the song reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #19 on the Cash Box Top 100. It also hit #1 on the Top Tracks Rock chart.
"The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" is a single by Mott the Hoople, written by Ian Hunter. It is a release from 1974's The Hoople.
"Photograph" is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It is the lead single from the band's third studio album, Pyromania (1983). Their lead vocalist Joe Elliott has described the song as generally about "something you can't ever get your hands on". When released as a single it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for six weeks, and No. 12 on the Pop Singles chart.
"Hysteria" is a song by English rock band Def Leppard. It is the tenth track on their 1987 album of the same name and was released as the album's fourth single in November 1987. The song became the band's first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10.
"Make Love Like a Man" is a 1992 single by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their multi-platinum album Adrenalize. The song reached No. 3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
"Heaven Is" is a song by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1992 album, Adrenalize. The single was released in January 1993 and reached number 13 in the United Kingdom.
"Let it Go" is a 1981 song by English rock band Def Leppard from their multi-platinum album High 'n' Dry. It was one of two singles from the album, and reached number 34 on the US Mainstream Rock charts. It was originally titled "When the Rain Falls" with different lyrics as played at New Theatre in Oxford in 1980.
"Two Steps Behind" is a song by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their album Retro Active and the soundtrack to the film Last Action Hero. It reached number five on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. In the 1993 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Awards, the song was voted "Song of the Year" and "Best Song from a Movie Soundtrack".
"Miss You in a Heartbeat" is a 1994 song by English hard rock band Def Leppard. The song was released as a single from their album Retro Active.
"Stay with Me" is a song by English rock band Faces, written jointly by lead singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood. Released from the band's third studio album A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse (1971), it became their only major hit in the United States, although they had a further three Top 20 singles in the UK chart. The song has also appeared on various Faces compilations and on albums by both songwriters. The lyrics describe a woman named Rita, who has a face that she has "nothing to laugh about", and with whom the singer proposes a one-night stand, on the condition that she be gone when he wakes up.
"Rock On" is a song written by English singer David Essex. Recorded in 1973 and released as a single by Essex, it became an international hit. In 1989, American actor and singer Michael Damian recorded a cover version that went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been recorded many times, including a 2006 version by the English hard rock group Def Leppard.
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