"Sweet Pea" is a
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a more specific rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States in the late 1960s, th ...
song written and performed by
Tommy Roe
Thomas David Roe (born May 9, 1942) is an American rock and pop singer-songwriter.
Best-remembered for his hits " Sheila" (1962), "Sweet Pea" (1966) and " Dizzy" (1969), Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of th ...
. It was produced by
Gary S. Paxton
and featured on his 1966 album, ''Sweet Pea''. In the lyrics, the singer spots a girl at a dance whom her friends call "Sweet Pea." There's no explanation of how she got this nickname. After dancing with her, he suggests they go for a walk where he tells her he loves her and wants her to be his girl.
YouTube.com "Sweet Pea by Tommy Roe" Retrieved Feb. 5, 2024
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Chart performance
The song reached number 1 in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, number 1 in New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, number 7 in Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine's Top ''Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
'' songs of 1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
.
Other versions
*The Ventures
The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...
included an instrumental version on their 1966 album, ''Wild Things!''
*Roger Williams
Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...
made it the B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
to his single "Love Me Forever" in April 1967.
*Friar Tuck
Friar Tuck is one of the Merry Men, the band of heroic outlaws in the folklore of Robin Hood.
History
The figure of the jovial friar was common in the May Games festivals of England and Scotland during the 15th to 17th centuries. He appears ...
recorded it as the B-side to his single "Alley-Oop
In basketball, an alley-oop is an offensive play in which one player passes the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and dunks or lays it in before touching the ground.
The alley-oop combines elements of t ...
" in May 1967.
*Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. They were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The group had two l ...
released it as a single in May 1967
The following events occurred in May 1967:
May 1, 1967 (Monday)
*With aspirations to become the fourth United States commercial television network (after NBC, CBS and ABC), the United Network began broadcasting on more than 100 independent s ...
that reached number 36 in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
*Donald Lautrec
Donald Lautrec (born Donald Bourgeois, July 13, 1940, in Jonquière, Quebec) is a Canadian (Quebec) singer and actor.
Career
With a friend in 1957, Lautrec created the acrobatic duo, ''Don and Lee'', which performed on trampolines throughout Can ...
put out a single in 1967.
*Gang Starr
Gang Starr was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru (rapper), Guru.
Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-pr ...
sampled Roe's version on their 1989 song "Movin' On" from the album '' No More Mr. Nice Guy''.
* Big Audio Dynamite's song " Rush" samples the drum break
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion instrument, percussion section during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main section (music), parts of the song or piece. A break is usually interp ...
from Roe's "Sweet Pea".
*The 2007 re-release of Cub's 1993 album '' Betti-Cola'' featured a cover of the song.
In media
*Samantha Morton
Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her work in independent film with dark and tragic themes, particularly in period dramas. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship ...
performs a frenetic dance to the tune in the 1999 film '' Jesus' Son''.''Jesus' Son'' "Sweet Pea" clip
Retrieved May 15, 2015.
*The song is also played in the background in two episodes of the Hulu drama mini series, ''The Girl from Plainville'' (2022)''.''
References
1966 songs
1966 singles
1967 singles
Songs written by Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe songs
The Ventures songs
Manfred Mann songs
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Number-one singles in New Zealand
ABC Records singles
Fontana Records singles
{{1960s-single-stub