"Wig-Wam Bam" is a song by British glam rock band The Sweet, written by songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, released as a single in September 1972. It was the first Sweet single on which the band members actually played their instruments, as previous singles featured producer Phil Wainman on drums, and session musicians John Roberts and Pip Williams (later producer of Status Quo albums) on bass and guitars respectively.
The song featured a significant change in the band's sound, and is often considered the band's first glam rock single.[citation needed] Also, this was the first Sweet single with bass player Steve Priest singing some parts of the lead vocal: the "try a little touch, try a little too much" line at the chorus. This became an important part of Sweet's later style; on most of their later singles they also used this technique, with Priest singing some lines of the song. After the song became a hit, Sweet adopted a glam image, starting to wear glitter and makeup.[citation needed]
In 1986, a cover by English pop band Black Lace was released as a single and reached number 63 on the UK Singles Chart.[9]
In 1989, a cover by English pop musician Damian was released as a single and reached number 49 on the UK Singles Chart.[10]
In 2000, all-female rock band The Donnas recorded a cover (with different, suggestive lyrics and no references to Hiawatha)[11] for the Runnin' on Fumes!/The Gearhead Magazine Singles Compilation[12] and Blockbuster: A 70's Glitter Glam Rock Experience.[13] It was later released as a single in 2002.
In 2000, the Swedish band Starz!? released a cover on their album Party,[14] and on enhanced single "Wig Wam Bam".[15]
^ abDolan, Joe; Martoccio, Angie; Sheffield, Rob (November 20, 2024). "The 74 Best Albums of 1974". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 29, 2024. Sweet started out as the Sweet, doing bubblegum pop-rock tunes like "Funny, Funny," "Little Willy," and the even-more-problematic-than-it-sounds "Wig Wam Bam
