Sweetness and Light (song)

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"Sweetness and Light"
Single by Itch-E and Scratch-E
from the album Itch-E Kitch-E Koo
Released2 May 1994 (1994-05-02)[1]
Length4:04
LabelSecond Nature
Songwriter(s)
  • Paul Mac
  • Andy Rantzen
  • Justin Brandis
  • Miriam Williamson
Producer(s)
  • Paul Mac
  • Sheriff Lindo
Itch-E and Scratch-E singles chronology
"Sweetness and Light"
(1994) 		"Bouncing Chamber"
(1995)

"Sweetness and Light" is a song recorded by Australian electronic music group Itch-E and Scratch-E. The song was released in May 1994[1] and peaked at number 65 on the Australian singles chart.[2]

The group have later said they weren't sure if the song was good with Andy Rantzen saying "When we'd finished mixing 'Sweetness and Light' I said 'Hmm, this is a bit disappointing' and Paul replied 'I know, where did we go wrong?'[3]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995, the song won the inaugural ARIA Award for Best Dance Release. In his acceptance speech, Paul Mac controversially declared "We'd like to thank all of Sydney's ecstasy dealers, without whom this award would not be possible." The televised version censored the speech, causing a media frenzy, but Mac was unrepentant, years later calling it "the best career move I ever made. I got in so much trouble for that, but I don't care. I'm still proud of it. I meant every word, and I still do."[4]

Reception[edit]

In 2015, "Sweetness and Light" was listed at number 1 in In the Mix's '100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks of All Time' with Nick Jarvis saying "Paul Mac and Andy Rantzen's greatest track symbolises the turning point when the previously underground rave scene suddenly stepped into the mainstream consciousness."[5]

Track listings[edit]

1994 CD single

  1. "Sweetness and Light" (Radio edit) - 4:04
  2. "Sweetness and Light" (Fanatically Remixed By South End) - 5:45
  3. "Sweetness and Light" (Sound & Suthers At the Controls) - 5:32
  4. "Transcendental" (Alien Headspace's Ideal Forms remix) - 11:57

2012 Digital single

  1. "Sweetness and Light" (Puddles remix)
  2. "Sweetness and Light" (StephenFox remix)
  3. "Sweetness and Light" (Bside's Long mix)
  4. "Sweetness and Light" (Telafonica remix)
  5. "Sweetness and Light" (Highly Dubious remix)
  6. "Sweetness and Light" (Glowing Sugar remix)
  7. "Sweetness and Light" (Vajra remix)

2017 Vinyl single

  1. "Sweetness and Light"
  2. "Sweetness and Light" (For Life remix)

Charts[edit]

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[2][6] 65

Release history[edit]

Country Date Format Label Catalogue
Australia 2 May 1994[1] CD Single, cassette single Second Nature voltcd86 / voltc86
Worldwide 16 Jul 2012 digital download 4-4-2 Music
Australia 4 Aug 2017 12" vinyl Motorik! mtkxtcnrg003

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c The ARIA Report. Vol. 220. ARIA. 1 May 1994. p. 20.
  2. ^ a b "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 16 Oct 1994". ARIA. Retrieved 22 March 2016 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
  3. ^ "Itch-E & Scratch-E". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Australian anthems: Itch-E & Scratch-E – Sweetness and Light". The Guardian. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  5. ^ "The 100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks of All Time". 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-12-16. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  6. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 137.
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