"Sweet Thing" is a song performed by American

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and R&B band

Rufus Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin ''wikt:rufus, rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Marcus Caelius Rufus, (28 May 82 BC – after 48 ...

with vocals by band member Chaka Khan. As a single, it peaked number five on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1976.

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

recorded her version, which charted in the United States and New Zealand in 1993.

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan version

Initially recorded and released a single in late 1975, it was first a hit with

featuring Chaka Khan when they recorded the song in 1975, eventually reaching number-one on the R&B singles chart and number five on the pop chart. The song was co-written by Khan and Rufus bandmate Tony Maiden and became one of the band and Khan's signature songs. The record appears on the band's fourth album '' Rufus featuring Chaka Khan'' (1975). Khan re-recorded it for the 1998 soundtrack '' New York Undercover: A Night at Natalie's''. In 2024, Rufus bassist Bobby Watson claimed he helped composed the song but that Maiden refused to share writing credit. In 2009, ''Essence'' magazine included the song in their list of the "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time".

Track listing

"Sweet Thing"
"Circles"

Charts

Certifications

Mary J. Blige version

In 1992, American singer

recorded a rendition for her debut album '' What's the 411?'' (1992). It became Blige's third top 40 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number 28. In addition, it marked Blige's first entry on the New Zealand Singles Chart. Blige also performed the song live on the eighteenth season of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' on March 13, 1993.

Critical reception

Daryl McIntosh from Albumism stated that Blige's "savory rendition" of the

song "helped provide depth to her groundbreaking album". Stanton Swihart from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described it as "

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

-thrusted", stating that songs like "Sweet Thing" "are and will remain timeless slices of

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

even after their trendiness has worn off". Larry Flick from ''

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 ...

'' said that the singer's version is "a faithful rendition of the Chaka Khan & Rufus classic. A shoulder-swaying rhythm base firmly supports an appealing, diva-style vocal and familiar

guitar chords." He added, "Watch this one glide onto pop and urban playlists within seconds." The Daily Vault's Mark Millan noted that "Sweet Thing" "is probably the most "pop" of all the songs on offer here. It's another love song and Blige softens her tone a little to keep everything sweet." Havelock Nelson from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' called it "a jazzy remake".

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the ''What's the 411?'' liner notes. * Sean "Puffy" Combs –

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

* Charlie Davis – executive producer * Mark Morales – producer * Mark C. Rooney – producer * Kurt Woodley – executive producer

Track listing

* US cassette/7" vinyl single # "Sweet Thing" – 3:44 # "Slow Down" – 4:30 * US CD promo # "Sweet Thing" (live) – 3:45 # "Sweet Thing" (album version) – 3:44 # "Sweet Thing" (TV) – 4:45 * US 12" vinyl promo :A1. "Sweet Thing" (live version) – 3:45 :A2. "Sweet Thing" (album version) – 3:44 :B1. "Sweet Thing" (Daddy Hip Hop) – 5:05 :B2. "Sweet Thing" (Daddy Hip Hop TV) – 4:45

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

In 1997, contemporary jazz

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

Boney James did another remake of the song; it was included on the album titled '' Sweet Thing''. The album's title track included background vocals by original co-writer Tony Maiden. UK soul singer

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and radio personality. She released her first album, ''The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke ...

has also recorded a version of the song. Knight's version was recorded for a BBC Radio 2 session and was included as the B-side to her 2004 single " Not Too Late for Love". Due to the popularity of Knight's version with her fans, it was later included on her '' Voice - The Best of Beverley Knight'' (2006) compilation. Knight has since been invited to perform the song at Khan's

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

O2 Arena date on her UK tour, after collaborating with the singer on her Blige duet "Disrespectful" at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Filipina pop/RnB singer Nina also performed her own version of this song, which served as the opening track of her 2005 mega hit album Nina Live, which was recorded live and eventually received a diamond certification for selling over 1 million copies in the Philippines

References

{{Authority control 1975 singles 1976 singles 1993 singles Chaka Khan songs Mary J. Blige songs Songs written by Chaka Khan 1975 songs ABC Records singles MCA Records singles Uptown Records singles Rhythm and blues ballads Soul ballads 1970s ballads