Introduction
The Twist dance had exploded in late 1960 and early 1961, fueled by Chubby Checker’s smash hit “The Twist.” Joey Dee & the Starliters captured the moment with “Peppermint Twist,” named for the legendary Peppermint Lounge in Manhattan, where Dee held court each night . Split into two parts for its 4-minute-plus runtime, “Part 1” rocketed to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in early 1962, displacing Checker’s own record.
Formed in 1968, The Sweet rose to fame blending hard‐rock riffs with irresistible pop hooks. In April 1974, they slipped their cover of “Peppermint Twist” onto their dark, guitar‐driven album Sweet Fanny Adams. Although it clashed with the album’s heavier tone, the single was unleashed only in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan—where it climbed to No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report singles chart.
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Glam‐Rock Flair: The Sweet’s signature crunching guitar chords and Brian Connolly’s swaggering lead vocal transform a leather‐jacket dance number into a stadium anthem.
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Burst of Nostalgia: For fans, it’s a time machine—melding early-’60s dancehall excitement with the bombast of ’70s glam.
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Cult Status: Never officially released worldwide, it grew organically through dance‐hall DJs and late-night radio, earning a devoted following that still celebrates its wild energy.
The Sweet’s “Peppermint Twist” stands as a testament to how a song can evolve across eras—preserving the original’s kinetic spirit while supercharging it with glam‐rock bravado. Whether you’re a vinyl collector chasing import singles or a new fan discovering it on YouTube, this rollicking cover continues to inspire dancers to “kick, jump, round and round” with unbridled joy.