"Cold Sweat" is a song by Irish rock band

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or s ...

, and is the fifth track on their final studio album '' Thunder and Lightning''. It was co-written by guitarist

John Sykes John James Sykes (born 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums. Following a stint in ...

and

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...

, and became the biggest single from the album, entering the UK charts at No. 28 (peaking at No. 27), and peaking at No. 23 in Ireland. The song is known for Sykes's guitar solo, which features a tapping playing style that was becoming popular at the time of the album's release, though also used at the time by players such as

Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...

and

Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo a ...

Recording and promotion

"Cold Sweat" was recorded as one of the last songs on the ''Thunder and Lightning'' album. Thin Lizzy had already written all the other material that was required, and by the time Sykes joined the band, it only remained to record the songs. He recalled, "Because I hadn't contributed anything at this stage I just let go with an outline of what was to become "Cold Sweat"; all of that was made up there and then in the studio."Alan Byrne, "Thin Lizzy: Soldiers of Fortune", Firefly, 2004, pp. 158. Producer Chris Tsangarides was surprised that the song was chosen as a single: "It was a bit heavy, even for them." Thin Lizzy were asked to perform the song on the British TV show ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...

'', but were deselected after Lynott argued with a stage manager. On 28 January 1983, the band performed the song on the British TV music show '' The Tube'', along with " The Sun Goes Down" and " The Boys Are Back in Town".

Cover versions

* 1990:

Sodom Sodom may refer to: Places Historic * Sodom and Gomorrah, cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis United States * Sodom, Kentucky, a ghost town * Sodom, New York, a hamlet * Sodom, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Sodom, West Virginia, an ...

('' Better off Dead'') * 1992: Re-Animator (''That Was Then This Is Now'') * 1994:

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael W ...

('' Perfect Gentleman'') * 2001: Adam West (''Hi-Balls Are Rolling!'') * 2001:

Dreadnaught Dreadnaught may refer to: * Dreadnaught (band), a heavy metal band in Melbourne, Australia * ''Dreadnaught'' (film), a 1981 film by Yuen Woo-Ping * Dreadnaught USA Dreadnaught is a New Hampshire, United States of America (United States)-based e ...

(''One Piece Missing'') * 2007: Jorn ('' Unlocking the Past'') * 2007: Dublin Death Patrol ('' DDP 4 Life'') * 2010: Kalmah (Japanese bonus track on '' 12 Gauge'') * 2010:

The Sword The Sword was an American heavy metal band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band was composed of vocalist and guitarist John D. Cronise, guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago "Jimmy" Vela III for most of its te ...

('' Cold Sweat/Maiden, Mother & Crone'' single) * 2013:

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wi ...

('' Super Collider'')

Personnel

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

Scott Gorham William Scott Gorham (born March 17, 1951) is an American guitarist and songwriter who is one of the "twin lead guitarists" for the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. Although not a founding member of Thin Lizzy, he served a continuous membership after ...

–

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the feature ...

– lead guitar * Brian Downey –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

* Darren Wharton – keyboards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cold Sweat 1983 songs 1983 singles Thin Lizzy songs Songs written by John Sykes Songs written by Phil Lynott Vertigo Records singles