Fox on the Run (Sweet song)
"Fox on the Run" is a 1975 song by the British glam rock band Sweet, first recorded in 1974. It was the first Sweet single written by the band, rather than producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and was their 14th single overall. The song became the best charting single in Australia in 1975, with six weeks at number one.[4]
"Fox on the Run" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Sweet | ||||
from the album Desolation Boulevard | ||||
B-side | "Miss Demeanor" | |||
Released | March 7, 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:24 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Brian Connolly, Steve Priest Andy Scott, Mick Tucker | |||
Producer(s) | Sweet | |||
Sweet singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Fox on the Run" on YouTube |
Two versions were recorded by Sweet. The original version was produced by Mike Chapman in association with Nicky Chinn on the European version of the 1974 album Desolation Boulevard. Sweet also recorded and produced a more pop-oriented version as a 7" single in 1975, which is the more familiar version of the song. The 1975 single version was included on the Capitol Records version of Desolation Boulevard.
The song's inclusion in the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 led to the song reaching number one on the iTunes Rock Chart in late 2016.[5][6]
Background
"Fox" being slang for an attractive woman, the lyrics are apparently about one of the band's groupies;[7] Bomp! called the song "a definitive hard-rock bubblegum record" and "one of the last glitter classics".[3]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[32] | Gold | 75,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] | Silver | 250,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[34] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Personnel
- Brian Connolly – lead vocals
- Steve Priest – bass, lead vocal, backing vocals
- Andy Scott – guitars, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Mick Tucker – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Scorpions version
"Fuchs geh' voran" | |
---|---|
Single by Scorpions | |
Released | 1975 |
Genre | Hard rock |
Length | 3:17 |
Songwriter(s) | Brian Connolly, Steve Priest Andy Scott, Mick Tucker |
"Fuchs geh' voran" is a German cover version of the song with lyrics about a fox being chased by hunters to sell its fur. It was released as a single in 1975 by the German rock band Scorpions as The Hunters. The B-side also features a German cover version of another Sweet song, "Action", as "Wenn es richtig losgeht".
Other covers
Many artists and groups have covered this song, including:
- The Regrettes (for the AV Undercover series)
- Eric Singer
- Girlschool
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- You Am I
- Mad Max
- Deadsy
- Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13
- Ace Frehley
- Make-Up
- The Academy Is...
- Sweet Savage
- Nip Drivers for the Desperate Teenage Lovedolls soundtrack.
- A 1986 recording by The Replacements is featured on the 2017 live album For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986.
Popular culture
- The song appears in numerous films, including: Dazed and Confused, Detroit Rock City, When in Rome, Catch .44, Lords of Dogtown, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, and The Black Phone.
- The song was used in the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
- The song was used in the opening credits of the Australian film Kath & Kimderella starring Gina Riley and Jane Turner. It was also used in the series "Kath and Kim" in the season 3, episode 7 titled "Foxy on the Run".
- The song was used in the 2023 Peacock Television series Poker Face season 1 episode 2 titled "The Night Shift".
- The song was used in the 2017 Netflix series Mindhunter season 1 episode 5.
See also
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Desolation Boulevard - Sweet | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- Cantwell, David (4 November 1998). "Power Pop It Ain't". MTV News. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
- Barnes, Ken (March 1978). "The Glitter Era: Teenage Rampage". Bomp!. Retrieved 25 January 2019 – via Rock's Backpages.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
- "Sweet's "Fox on the Run" Tops iTunes Rock Chart Thanks to "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" Trailer". ABC News Radio. 5 December 2016.
- Shepard, Jack (April 19, 2017). "Tracklist for Guardians of the Galaxy's Awesome Mixtape Vol. 2 revealed". The Independent. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
- "Fox On The Run by Sweet". Songfacts.
- "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. 29 December 1975. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
- "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4061a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Fox on the Run". Irish Singles Chart.
- "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. 18 August 1975. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- "The Sweet – Fox on the Run". VG-lista.
- "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "The Sweet – Fox on the Run". Singles Top 100.
- "The Sweet – Fox on the Run". Swiss Singles Chart.
- "The Sweet: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. 1991. ISBN 0-89820-089-X.
- Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffman, Frank (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited Inc. p. 340. ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- "Australian Chart Book". Australian Chart Book. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1975". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- "Top Selling Singles of 1975". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. 31 December 1975. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1975". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 8, 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- "Britain's best selling records of '75". Record Mirror. London: Billboard. 10 January 1976. p. 12. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
- "Singles". Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 52. 25 December 1976. ISSN 0006-2510.
- "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1976". Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- "Canadian single certifications – Sweet – Fox on the Run". Music Canada. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- "British single certifications – Sweet – Fox on the Run". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- "American single certifications – Sweet – Fox on the Run". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 June 2023.