Little Willy (song)

"Little Willy"
Single by The Sweet
from the album The Sweet
B-side	"Man from Mecca"
Released	19 May 1972 (UK) May 1973 (US)
Format	7" vinyl
Recorded	1972
Genre	Bubblegum pop[1]
Length	3:13
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman
Producer(s)	Phil Wainman
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
The Sweet singles chronology
"Poppa Joe" (1972) "Little Willy" (1972) "Wig-Wam Bam" (1972)

"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 #4 in the best seller charts. It was released in the United States in May 1973,^[2] from the album The Sweet and became Sweet's biggest hit in the United States, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[3]

This is the last single on which Steve Priest, Andy Scott, and Mick Tucker did not perform, as on "Little Willy" and all previous singles, producer Phil Wainman played drums, and session musicians John Roberts and Pip Williams were on bass and guitars respectively.

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

Chart performance

Cover versions

• U.S. glam metal band Poison recorded a cover version of "Little Willy" on their album Poison'd!
• Bob Rivers recorded a parody called "Little Billy's Willy", about President Bill Clinton and the Lewinsky scandal.

References