Fox on the Run (Sweet song)

For the Manfred Mann song, see Fox on the Run (Manfred Mann 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 with the A-side written by the band, rather than by 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.^[5] It is about the band's groupie. She was unnamed on purpose.^{[citation needed]}

"Fox on the Run"
Single by Sweet
from the album Desolation Boulevard
B-side	"Miss Demeanor" (Europe) "Burn on the Flame" (US)
Released	7 March 1975[1]
Recorded	1974
Genre	Glam rock[2] power pop[3] hard rock[4]
Length	3:24
Label	RCA (Europe) Capitol (US)
Songwriter(s)	Brian Connolly, Steve Priest Andy Scott, Mick Tucker
Producer(s)	Sweet
Sweet singles chronology
"Peppermint Twist" (1974) "Fox on the Run" (1975) "Action" (1975)
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 rendition as a 7" single in 1975, which is the more familiar version of the song. The 1975 single 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 a number one spot on the iTunes Rock Chart in late 2016.^[6][7]

Background

"Fox" being slang for an attractive woman, the lyrics are apparently about one of the band's groupies;^[8] Bomp! called the song "a definitive hard-rock bubblegum record" and "one of the last glitter classics".^[4]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1975–1976) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 4 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[11] 9 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 3 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 2 Finland[citation needed] 10 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 3 Norway (VG-lista)[17] 2 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[18] 1 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 10 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 3 UK Singles (OCC)[21] 2 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[22] 5 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[23] 5 West Germany (GfK)[24] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1975) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[9][25] 1 Netherlands[26] 19 New Zealand[27] 12 South Africa[28] 2 UK[29] 37 Chart (1976) Rank Canada[30] 37 US Billboard Hot 100[31] 76 US Cash Box[32] 63

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33]	Gold	75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Silver	250,000^
United States (RIAA)[35]	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.^[36] 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".^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s
• List of number-one hits of 1975 (Germany)

References

1. "BPI". Archived from the original on 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Desolation Boulevard - Sweet | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
3. Cantwell, David (4 November 1998). "Power Pop It Ain't". MTV News. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
4. Barnes, Ken (March 1978). "The Glitter Era: Teenage Rampage". Bomp!. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2019 – via Rock's Backpages.
5. 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.
6. "Sweet's 'Fox on the Run' Tops iTunes Rock Chart Thanks to 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2' Trailer". ABC News Radio. 5 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
7. Shepard, Jack (April 19, 2017). "Tracklist for Guardians of the Galaxy's Awesome Mixtape Vol. 2 revealed". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
8. "Fox On The Run by Sweet". Songfacts. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
9. "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. 29 December 1975. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
10. "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
11. "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in French). Ultratop 50.
12. "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4061a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Fox on the Run". Irish Singles Chart.
15. "The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
16. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. 18 August 1975. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
17. "The Sweet – Fox on the Run". VG-lista.
18. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Rock.co.za. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
19. "The Sweet – Fox on the Run". Singles Top 100.
20. "The Sweet – Fox on the Run". Swiss Singles Chart.
21. "The Sweet: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
22. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. 1991. ISBN 0-89820-089-X.
23. 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.
24. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Sweet – Fox on the Run" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
25. "Australian Chart Book". Australian Chart Book. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
26. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1975". Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
27. "Top Selling Singles of 1975". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. 31 December 1975. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
28. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1975". Rock.co.za. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
29. "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.
30. "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.
31. "Singles". Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 52. 25 December 1976. ISSN 0006-2510.
32. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1976". Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
33. "Canadian single certifications – Sweet – Fox on the Run". Music Canada. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
34. "British single certifications – Sweet – Fox on the Run". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
35. "American single certifications – Sweet – Fox on the Run". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
36. Lewrypublished, Fraser (18 August 2023). "How secretly embracing English glam rockers The Sweet put Scorpions on the launch pad to global stardom". louder. Retrieved 4 June 2024.

External links

• Sweet - Fox on the Run on YouTube