Action (Sweet song)

The song went through several iterations; a 7" single version was recorded at Ian Gillan's Kingsway Studios in London and slightly different versions appear on the albums Strung Up and Give Us a Wink.The lyrics refer to Sweet's negative treatment as pop stars, particularly by the music press, and to the demands of the music industry. The track features a masked "backwards vocal" with the words "You kiss my arse".

The first verse has a striking resemblance to the hard rock section of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", which was not released for another 4 months. Lead singer Brian Connolly called it a "blatant rip-off".

"Action"
Single by Def Leppard
from the album Retro Active
B-side	"She's Too Tough" (Joe's demo) "Miss You in a Heartbeat" (Phil's demo)
Released	3 January 1994 (UK) [4]
Recorded	1992-1993
Genre	Heavy metal glam metal speed metal
Length	3:41
Label	Bludgeon Riffola
Songwriter(s)	Andy Scott Brian Connolly Steve Priest Mick Tucker
Producer(s)	Def Leppard
Def Leppard singles chronology
"Miss You in a Heartbeat" (1993) "Action" (1994) "When Love & Hate Collide" (1995)

In 1993, English rock band Def Leppard covered it on their album Retro Active. "Andy [Scott] said that our version of 'Action' was the best cover of a Sweet song he'd ever heard," noted singer Joe Elliott.[5] The original 1992 recording, recorded before guitarist Vivian Campbell joined the band, was released as a B-side to "Make Love Like a Man"; the version featured on Retro Active and released as a single features a newly-recorded snare drum from drummer Rick Allen and additional backing vocals from Campbell and P.J. Smith. The single charted at number 14 on UK Singles Charts [6]

The music video was directed by Phil Tuckett from NFL entertainment. The approximate shooting date was between June and December 1993; in Sheffield, Ottawa, and Joe Elliott's home in Ireland. The band 'discovered' the masked backwards vocal on the original track and refer to it on the CD single cover.

Leppard's version reappeared on a special edition of their 2006 album Yeah!.

• The song was also covered by Raven (on their 1981 album Rock Until You Drop)
• Black 'n Blue (on their 1984 album Black 'n Blue)
• Power Metal band Vengeance Incorporated on their 1992 album Bad Crazy
• Steve Stevens (on his 1989 album Atomic Playboys).
• Scorpions released it in German translation as "Wenn es richtig losgeht" on the B-side of the single "Fuchs geh' voran" (a translation of "Fox on the Run", also by Sweet).
• Bodybuilder/hard rock singer Jon Mikl Thor once performed the song on The Mike Douglas Show.[7]
• Burning Airlines recorded a cover during the sessions for their album Identikit.[8]