Wig-Wam Bam

"Wig-Wam Bam"
Single by The Sweet
from the album The Sweet
B-side	"New York Connection"
Released	1 September 1972 (UK)[1] September 1973 (US)
Format	7" vinyl
Recorded	1972
Genre	Glam rock,[2] bubblegum[3]
Length	3:01
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman
Producer(s)	Phil Wainman
The Sweet singles chronology
"Little Willy" (1972) "Wig-Wam Bam" (1972) "Blockbuster" (1972)
"Little Willy" (1972) "Wig-Wam Bam" (1972) "Blockbuster" (1972)

"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 played their instruments, as previous singles featured producer Phil Wainman on drums, and session musicians John Roberts and Pip Williams on bass and guitars respectively.

Lyrics

The song's lyrics are inspired by Henry Longfellow's Hiawatha poem from 1855.^[4] The story is about a Native American named Hiawatha. He doesn't bother much about Minnehaha, but Minnehaha appears to be in love with Hiawatha and wants to make him her man.

Music

The song featured a significant change in the band's sound, and is often considered the band's first glam rock single. 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 style later, and at 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, Native American clothes and makeup.

Personnel

• Brian Connolly - lead vocals
• Steve Priest - bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals
• Andy Scott - guitar, backing vocals
• Mick Tucker - drums, backing vocals

Cover versions

• In 1989, a cover by English pop musician Damian was released as a single and reached #49 on the UK music charts.
• In 2000, all-female rock band The Donnas recorded a cover for the compilation Runnin' on Fumes!/The Gearhead Magazine Singles Compilation. It was later released as a single in 2002.

References

1. ↑ 45cat - The Sweet - Wig-Wam Bam / New York Connection - RCA Victor - UK - RCA 2260
2. ↑ Martin Popoff. The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal?s ... Books.google.no. p. 16. Retrieved 2016-10-08. 
3. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Sweet | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-08. 
4. ↑ Wig-Wam Bam - Sweet: Listen, Appearances, Song Review - AllMusic