"Sweet Pea" is a bubblegum pop song written and performed by Tommy Roe. It was produced by Gary S. Paxton[1] and featured on his 1966 album, Sweet Pea.[2] 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.[3]
| "Sweet Pea" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Tommy Roe | ||||
| from the album Sweet Pea | ||||
| B-side | "Much More Love" | |||
| Released | 1966 | |||
| Genre | Bubblegum pop | |||
| Length | 2:19 | |||
| Label | ABC Records 10762 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tommy Roe | |||
| Producer(s) | Gary S. Paxton | |||
| Tommy Roe singles chronology | ||||
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Chart performance
editThe song reached number 1 in Canada,[4] number 1 in New Zealand, number 7 in Australia,[5] and number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966.[6] It ranked number 44 on Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1966.[7]
Other versions
edit- The Ventures included an instrumental version on their 1966 album, Wild Things![8]
- Roger Williams made it the B-side to his single "Love Me Forever" in April 1967.[9]
- Friar Tuck recorded it as the B-side to his single "Alley-Oop" in May 1967.[10]
- Manfred Mann released it as a single in May 1967 that reached number 36 in the United Kingdom.[11]
- Donald Lautrec put out a single in 1967.[12]
- Gang Starr 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 from Roe's "Sweet Pea".
- The 2007 re-release of Cub's 1993 album Betti-Cola featured a cover of the song.
In media
edit- Samantha Morton performs a frenetic dance to the tune in the 1999 film Jesus' Son.[13]
- The song is also played in the background in two episodes of the Hulu drama mini series, The Girl from Plainville (2022).
References
edit- ^ Tommy Roe, "Sweet Pea" single release Retrieved July 16, 2014
- ^ Tommy Roe, Sweet Pea Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ YouTube.com "Sweet Pea by Tommy Roe" Retrieved Feb. 5, 2024
- ^ Tommy Roe, "Sweet Pea" Canadian Chart Position Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Forum - Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 4 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ Tommy Roe, "Sweet Pea" Billboard Chart Position Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1966". Archived from the original on June 18, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ The Ventures, Wild Things! Discogs.com, Retrieved May 29, 2015
- ^ Roger Williams, "Sweet Pea" single release, 45cat.com, Retrieved July 16, 2014
- ^ Friar Tuck, "Sweet Pea" single release, 45cat.com, Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ Manfred Mann, "Sweet Pea" Chart Position Musicvf.com, Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ Donald Lautrec, "Sweet Pea" single release Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- ^ Jesus' Son "Sweet Pea" clip Retrieved May 15, 2015.
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