Wig-Wam Bam Explained

"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.

Lyrics

The song's lyrics are inspired by Henry Longfellow's Hiawatha poem from 1855.^[5] The poem tells the legend of a Native American warrior Hiawatha and his lover Minnehaha. The lyrics also refer to Running Bear and his lover Little White Dove, two characters from the 1959 song "Running Bear" written by Jiles Perry Richardson.

Music

The song featured a significant change in the band's sound, and is often considered the band's first glam rock single. 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.

The band appeared on BBC's Top of the Pops, performing the song, three times in 1972: on 14 September, on 21 September and on 5 October, with Priest wearing an extravagant Native American feathered headress.^[6]

Personnel

• Brian Connolly - lead vocals
• Steve Priest - bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals
• Andy Scott - guitar, backing vocals
• Mick Tucker - drums, backing vocals

Chart performance

The song reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1972.^[7]

Cover versions

• In 1986, a cover by English pop band Black Lace was released as a single and reached number 63 on the UK Singles Chart.^[8]
• In 1989, a cover by English pop musician Damian was released as a single and reached number 49 on the UK Singles Chart.^[9]
• In 2000, all-female rock band The Donnas recorded a cover (with different, suggestive lyrics and no references to Hiawatha)^[10] for the Runnin' on Fumes!/The Gearhead Magazine Singles Compilation^[11] and Blockbuster: A 70's Glitter Glam Rock Experience.^[12] It was later released as a single in 2002.
• In 2000, the Swedish band Starz!? released a cover on their album Party,^[13] and on enhanced single "Wig Wam Bam".^[14]
• In 2010, the all-female Finnish hard rock band Barbe-Q-Barbies released a cover on the album All over You.^{[15] [16]}

In other media

The song was featured in the 2023 Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales.^[17]

Notes and References

1. Book: The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal?s ... . Martin Popoff . 15 August 2014 . 16 . Quarto Publishing Group USA . 9781627883757 . 2016-10-08.
2. Book: Stanley, Bob . Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Deluxe and Delightful: Glam. https://books.google.com/books?id=9emZAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT7. 13 September 2013. Faber & Faber. 978-0-571-28198-5. 338.
3. Web site: Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Sweet | Biography & History . . 2016-10-08.
4. Web site: Dolan. Joe. Martoccio. Angie. Rob. Sheffield. The 74 Best Albums of 1974. . November 20, 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. November 29, 2024.
5. Web site: Wig-Wam Bam - Sweet | Song Info. AllMusic.
6. Web site: Top Of The Pops | The Ultimate Sweet Fan Site. Sweet.thesweetweb.com. December 25, 2018.
7. Web site: UK Official Charts . 2019 . Official Charts Company . 25 January 2019 .
8. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20230423014752/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17550/black-lace/. BLACK LACE full Official Chart History. April 23, 2023. Officialcharts.com. May 11, 2023.
9. Web site: DAMIAN full Official Chart History. Officialcharts.com. May 11, 2023.
10. Web site: The Donnas – Wig-Wam Bam. Genius.com.
11. Web site: Various - Runnin' On Fumes! - The Gearhead Magazine Singles Compilation. 2000 . Discogs.com.
12. Web site: Various - Blockbuster: A 70's Glitter Glam Rock Experience. 2000. Discogs.com.
13. Web site: Starz!? - Party. 2000 . Discogs.com.
14. Web site: Starz!? - Wig Wam Bam. 2000 . Discogs.com.
15. Web site: Barbe-Q-Barbies. February 27, 2018. Nordic Metal.
16. Web site: Barbe-Q-Barbies - All Over You. 2010 . Discogs.com.
17. Web site: Welcome to Chippendales Season 1 Soundtrack. 22 November 2022. Soundtracki.com. 30 October 2023.