Music Folks
The Story Behind Sweet’s “Blockbuster,” Their Only UK No. 1
October 14, 2026 · by Music Folks
“Blockbuster” is the song that took Sweet to the top. Released in January 1973, the glam rock stomper opened with a wailing siren, rode a heavy, bluesy riff and spent five weeks at No. 1 in Britain. It remains the band’s only UK chart-topper, and it arrived with a twist: a near-identical riff on a David Bowie single released just weeks earlier.
Quick Facts
- Song: “Blockbuster” (styled “Block Buster!” on the single)
- Artist: Sweet: Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker
- Written by: Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman
- Producer: Phil Wainman
- Released: January 5, 1973 (RCA)
- Peak: UK No. 1 for five weeks; US No. 73
The Band and the Hit Factory
Sweet formed in London in 1968 as the Sweetshop, with singer Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest and drummer Mick Tucker, and guitarist Andy Scott joined around 1970. By the early 1970s they were regulars in the charts with hits such as “Funny Funny,” “Little Willy” and “Wig-Wam Bam.” “Blockbuster” came from the songwriting team of Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, with Phil Wainman producing.
Siren and Riff
“Blockbuster” was built to grab attention from its first second. Chinn later pointed to the siren at the start as the hook that caught listeners immediately. The riff underneath has been traced by different writers to Bo Diddley or Muddy Waters, and it drove the record to No. 1 in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland and several other countries.
The Jean Genie Problem
The awkward part was timing. David Bowie’s “The Jean Genie,” also on RCA, came out on November 24, 1972, with a strikingly similar riff. Andy Scott recalled the band hearing it for the first time: “We sat there with horrified looks on our faces.” Everyone involved maintained the likeness was a coincidence, and in the end both songs did well: Bowie’s peaked at No. 2, while “Blockbuster” went to No. 1 as “The Jean Genie” was still in the Top 10.
The song also drew attention on television. When Sweet performed it on the Christmas Day 1973 edition of Top of the Pops, Priest wore a Nazi armband and fake Hitler mustache, which caused controversy and drew many complaints.
What Came Next
“Blockbuster” was the peak. Sweet’s next singles, “Hell Raiser,” “The Ballroom Blitz” and “Teenage Rampage,” each stalled at No. 2, though “The Ballroom Blitz” made the US Top 10. Connolly left in 1978, and the group split in 1982. Connolly died in February 1997, aged 51, Tucker in 2002 and Priest in 2020. Andy Scott still leads a version of Sweet, and as of October 2026 the band is heading to Australia for a 14-date tour called The Final Blitz, running from October 30 to November 28.