Little Willy (song)

"Little Willy"
Single by The Sweet
from the album The Sweet
B-side"Man from Mecca"
Released19 May 1972
RecordedApril 1972
StudioNova Sound
Genre
Length3:13
LabelRCA (UK)
Bell (US & Canada)[7]
Songwriters
ProducerPhil Wainman
The Sweet singles chronology
"Poppa Joe"
(1972) 		"Little Willy"
(1972) 		"Wig-Wam Bam"
(1972)
Official audio
"Little Willy" on YouTube

"Little Willy" is a song written by songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and performed by the British glam rock band the Sweet, released in 1972 as a non-album single in the UK, peaking at number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. It was released in the US in January 1973 and also appeared on their US debut album The Sweet and became their biggest hit in the US, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[8] Billboard ranked it as the number 18 song for 1973.

"Little Willy" was used extensively in the pilot of the television series Life on Mars.

Background

The Sweet's previous single, "Poppa Joe", whilst more successful elsewhere in Europe, had failed to make the top-ten in the UK, peaking at number 11. The song was in the bubblegum pop formula with which the Sweet had first gained success in 1971 with "Funny, Funny" and "Co-Co". Songwriter Nicky Chinn recognised that interest in bubblegum pop songs was waning in the UK and decided to write a song that more closely reflected the band's self-penned rock songs (which had been released as the B-sides of their previous singles). The resulting song, "Little Willy", took elements of glam rock but still kept elements of bubblegum with the lyrics full of double entendres.[9] Regarding the more risqué lyrics, Andy Scott said that "If the BBC had realised it was that blatant, it would never have got played and would never have been the hit that it was".[9]

The song marked the last A-side on which all the instruments were played by session musicians, with the band members only providing the vocals. The session musicians were John Roberts, Phil Wainman and Pip Williams, who had also performed on the band's previous singles.[9]

Release and reception

"Little Willy" was released as a single on 19 May 1972 in the UK by RCA Records. The B-side, "Man from Mecca", was written by the band and refers to the Mecca Leisure Group. The band had been touring around the UK at Mecca Ballrooms, but at the Portsmouth Locarno, the band were banned from the rest of the tour following an alleged "suggestive stage act".[10][11] Reviewing the single for Record Mirror, Peter Jones wrote that "the vocal sound is fuller, more dominant and better controlled [than "Poppa Joe"]" and that "it's a pop song of simplicity and catchy, despite not having much of a range".[12]

The single was released in the US by Bell Records in July 1972, with Cash Box describing the song as having "raunchy vocals and driving rhythms".[13] It did not make much of an impact at the time, though gained more traction after being reissued in January 1973. It entered the charts that month, though did not reach its peak on the Billboard and Cash Box until May, peaking at number three on both.[14][15]

In a retrospective review of glitter rock, Bomp! noted that although rock music journalists almost uniformly "loathed it", the song was a huge commercial success and "helped launch the essential glitter rock formula sound".[16]

Personnel

The Sweet

Additional personnel

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1972–1973) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] 65
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[19] 19
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[20] 1
Denmark (IFPI)[21] 3
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[23] 9
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] 6
New Zealand (Listener)[26] 7
Norway (VG-lista)[27] 7
Singapore (Rediffusion)[28] 1
South Africa (Springbok) [29] 9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[31] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 3
US Cash Box Top 100[15] 3
West Germany (GfK)[32] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1972) Rank
Denmark (IFPI)[33] 12
UK (BMRB)[34] 41
Chart (1973) Rank
Canada (RPM)[35] 17
US Billboard Hot 100[36] 18

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Parody versions

Bob Rivers recorded a parody called "Little Billy's Willy", about President Bill Clinton and the Lewinsky scandal.

References

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (2014). The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal?s Debauched Decade. Voyageur Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-62788-375-7.
  2. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Golden Groups & Glitter Sounds – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  3. ^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Deluxe and Delightful: Glam". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 338. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  4. ^ Cantwell, David (4 November 1998). "Power Pop It Ain't". MTV News. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sweet | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  6. ^ a b Dolan, Joe; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob (20 November 2024). "The 74 Best Albums of 1974". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 November 2024. Sweet started out as the Sweet, doing bubblegum pop-rock tunes like "Funny, Funny," "Little Willy," and the even-more-problematic-than-it-sounds "Wig Wam Bam
  7. ^ "The Sweet – Little Willy". Discogs.com. 1972. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Little Willy by Sweet". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Johnson, Darren (22 October 2024). The Sweet in the 1970s. Sonicbond Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78952-092-7.
  10. ^ "'72". Ready Steady Gone!. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Slade's Noddy: Obscenity Bust" (PDF). Record Mirror. 20 May 1972. p. 4. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Mirrorpick" (PDF). Record Mirror. 20 May 1972. p. 21. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 2 September 1972. p. 14. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Sweet Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. ^ a b Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffman, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950–1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited Inc. p. 340. ISBN 1563083167.
  16. ^ Barnes, Ken (March 1978). "The Glitter Era: Teenage Rampage". Bomp!. Retrieved 25 January 2019 – via Rock's Backpages.
  17. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. ^ "The Sweet – Little Willy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  19. ^ "The Sweet – Little Willy" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  20. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 4817". RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  21. ^ "Hitlisten". Ekstra Bladet. 3 August 1972. p. 20.
  22. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  23. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Little Willy". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 26, 1972" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  25. ^ "The Sweet – Little Willy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  26. ^ "NZ Listener chart summary: Sweet". flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  27. ^ "The Sweet – Little Willy". VG-lista. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  28. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 9 September 1972. p. 44. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  29. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  30. ^ "The Sweet – Little Willy". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  31. ^ "Sweet Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  32. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Årets Hits". Ekstra Bladet. 2 January 1973. p. 23.
  34. ^ "Top Selling Singles for 1972". Sounds. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 4. 6 January 1973.
  35. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (26 December 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  37. ^ "American single certifications – Sweet – Little Willy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
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