Keith Urban - "Sweet Thing"

[43dudleyvillas]

"Sweet Thing"
Writers: Keith Urban, Monty Powell
Album: Defying Gravity

Single Release Date: Impacting 17 November 2008 (per All Access)

Audio Clip: Full audio from All About Country (requires RealPlayer)
Video Clip: from CMT.com

Chart Status: Recurrent (w/e 29 March 2009; peaked at #1 for two weeks: the weeks ending 1 and 8 March 2009)
Chart History: Recurrent-10-3-1-1-3-3-3-4-7-8-12-12-12-13-12-16-16-17-20-25-30 (debut, w/e 9 November 2008)

Other Notes: That 12-12-12-13-12 chart ranking stretch included the Christmas airplay downturn. Apart from that one week, "Sweet Thing" was bulleted throughout its chart run until it hit #1. "Sweet Thing" hit #1 in its 18th chart week.


Lyrics (from KU Tube):

When I picked you up for our first date baby
Well, your pretty blue eyes, they were drivin' me crazy
And the tiny little thought that was so amazing
is they were lookin at me.

I held open the car door for you then you climbed
inside and slid on over
To the other side.. I thought my, oh my..

Sweet thing
The moon is high and the night is young
Come on and meet me
In the backyard under the Cottonwood tree
It's a good thing and I'm wishin'
C'mon sweet thing
Won't you climb on out of your window while the world is sleepin'
Cause you know I need you and there's no way I'll be leavin'
Til we're kissing on the porch swing, oh my little sweet thing

Yeah I know I'm gonna see you first thing tomorrow
But I just couldn't wait so I had to borrow
Uncle Jake's Mustang, it's his favorite car and so I can't stay long..

Standin' here feelin' like a love struck Romeo
All I wanna do is hold you close and steal a little more time, is that such a crime?

Sweet thing
The moon is high and the night is young
Come on and meet me
In the backyard under the Cottonwood tree
It's a good thing and I'm wishin'
C'mon sweet thing
Won't you climb on out of your window while the world is sleepin'
Cause you know I need you and there's no way I'll be leavin'
Til we're kissing on the porch swing, oh my little sweet thing

Sweet thing, sweet thing..

Oh my sweet thing
The moon is high and the night is young
Come on and meet me
In the backyard under the Cottonwood tree
It's a good thing and tell me I'm not dreamin'
C'mon sweet thing
Won't you climb on out of your window while the world is sleepin'
Cause you know I need you and there's no way I'll be leavin'
Til we're kissing on the porch swing, oh my little sweet thing

Oh cmon sweet thing, sweet thing, sweet thing..

yeah, cmon now a little now..
do do do do doo do do do do do do
oh my little sweet thing, yes you are
do do do do doo do do do do do do

[kim8]

Awesome, thanks for the heads up!! It reminds me a bit of Better Life, but how can I not like it? It's Keith :)

[Jonsolo]

Keith's not too "front and center" in Brad's Start A Band, which is also two months further into its chart run than Sweet Thing will be, so I wouldn't think there would be any harm of having "two Urban songs on the radio at the same time", and therefore, "competing for airplay". Start A Band should be able to peak where it's going to peak, no matter if Sweet Thing had ever been released or not.

And Band has actually been having a couple of weekly gains that aren't quite "#1-worthy" the last few weeks. So if Start A Band doesn't make it to #1, I think it was giving signs about that chart result long before Sweet Thing came down the pike.

[kw9461]

^ I agree Jon, plus I don't think Brad's people will push the single much once the album comes out next week. Regardless, it's nice to finally have a lead single for Keith. I can't wait for his next album.

[cufan7]

Sounds awesome! When is his album gunna be released?

[zaclord]

nothing announced yet

[sbp17]

Thanks for the clip, dudley. Maybe it's because I'm not a close follower of Keith's music but it seems like a lot of his uptempo songs sound alike.

[kevin59]

Listen to Song (Allaccess)

wm.allaccess.com/allaccess/keitswee.wma

[Uncle Lumpy]

Oct 31, 2008 5:24:19 GMT -5 sbp17 said:

Thanks for the clip, dudley. Maybe it's because I'm not a close follower of Keith's music but it seems like a lot of his uptempo songs sound alike.

That's the very reason I lost interest in his up tempos (with a few exceptions) years ago. Kinda funny , when I saw this thread just now , I remembered they played this on the radio this afternoon. I sat up to listen to it...but don't remember ANYthing past the first few lines. I guess I drifted right back away. Which that might say more about my attention span then the actual quality of the song...

[pipi]

I was wondering when he'd come back with new music. I haven't listened to it yet but just yesterday I was thinking how 'Someone Like You' and 'Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me' are so identical I can barely since the chorus of each without getting mixed up :x

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Nov 4, 2008 12:38:21 GMT -5 pipi said:

I was thinking how 'Someone Like You' and 'Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me' are so identical I can barely since the chorus of each without getting mixed up :x

You can add "Better Life" and "You're My Better Half" as well. The latter even goes a step further by ripping off some of the lyrics to Brooks & Dunn's "That's What It's All About".

[austin]

I like the verses alot and this is really catchy.

Should go Top 5. Not too sure it's a #1.

[Dustin J.]

Nov 4, 2008 0:43:58 GMT -5 Uncle Lumpy said:

That's the very reason I lost interest in his up tempos (with a few exceptions) years ago. Kinda funny , when I saw this thread just now , I remembered they played this on the radio this afternoon. I sat up to listen to it...but don't remember ANYthing past the first few lines. I guess I drifted right back away. Which that might say more about my attention span then the actual quality of the song...

My thoughts exactly. (not about your attention span but about everything else)

[kim8]

Wow, I finally heard the whole song. My gosh, this has got to be the least county song he's recorded yet! It sounds very pop, but I totally love it anyway. The music is very catchy. The song has great energy and is very singable. I think it will do really well for him. Good lead single. I didn't instantly "love" it from the clip, but the full song is fantastic.

[MFM29]

Nov 5, 2008 0:17:03 GMT -5 kim8 said:

Wow, I finally heard the whole song. My gosh, this has got to be the least county song he's recorded yet! It sounds very pop, but I totally love it anyway. The music is very catchy. The song has great energy and is very singable. I think it will do really well for him. Good lead single. I didn't instantly "love" it from the clip, but the full song is fantastic.

have u heard 'Once in a lifetime'? lol

[Uncle Lumpy]

Nov 4, 2008 16:58:02 GMT -5 Dustin J. said:

Nov 4, 2008 0:43:58 GMT -5 Uncle Lumpy said:

That's the very reason I lost interest in his up tempos (with a few exceptions) years ago. Kinda funny , when I saw this thread just now , I remembered they played this on the radio this afternoon. I sat up to listen to it...but don't remember ANYthing past the first few lines. I guess I drifted right back away. Which that might say more about my attention span then the actual quality of the song...

My thoughts exactly. (not about your attention span but about everything else)

It wouldn't be so bad , but they played it again yesterday . I sat up to listen... and drifted off again before he even hit the chorus. I'm not gonna be a fan of this. If theres a bright side , it's apparently very ignorable....lol

[kim8]

Nov 5, 2008 0:17:03 GMT -5 kim8 said:

Wow, I finally heard the whole song. My gosh, this has got to be the least county song he's recorded yet! It sounds very pop, but I totally love it anyway. The music is very catchy. The song has great energy and is very singable. I think it will do really well for him. Good lead single. I didn't instantly "love" it from the clip, but the full song is fantastic.

Yes, and the music in this one kind of reminds me a bit of Once In a Lifetime. I think this music though is even more rock/popish and driving than OIAL.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Nov 7, 2008 9:55:43 GMT -5 kim8 said:

Nov 5, 2008 0:17:03 GMT -5 kim8 said:

Wow, I finally heard the whole song. My gosh, this has got to be the least county song he's recorded yet! It sounds very pop, but I totally love it anyway. The music is very catchy. The song has great energy and is very singable. I think it will do really well for him. Good lead single. I didn't instantly "love" it from the clip, but the full song is fantastic.

Yes, and the music in this one kind of reminds me a bit of Once In a Lifetime. I think this music though is even more rock/popish and driving than OIAL.

Is that possible?

[Fanofctrymusic]

MusicRow Robert K. Oermann

KEITH URBAN/Sweet Thing
Writer: Monty Powell/Keith Urban; Producer: Dann Huff & Keith Urban; Publisher: Universal/Eden Valley/Babble On/Third Tier, SESAC/BMI; Capitol Nashville
—The deep-dish drumming is brilliantly mixed. As it goes along, the production gets more and more layered and head-twirling. It’s one of his upbeat, head-in-the-sunshine vocal performances, and I’ve loved every one of them.

[someguy]

I like this. I'll need to hear it more to really get a feel for it (because truthfully, after only hearing it once, it blends into some of his other songs), but I can see this one doing big things and lasting awhile.

[wilddustin]

I think nearly all of Keith's songs sound exactly the same. I can never tell one from another but I actually think this one is a little different. Thumbs up!

[leilamaurizia]

Country Universe

Review: Keith Urban, “Sweet Thing”
Posted by Dan Milliken

Keith Urban and Monty Powell have always known their way around a shimmering pop hook, so it’s no surprise to hear their latest offering burst into a big, sunny, singalong chorus.

What is surprising is how insubstantial it all feels this time. For all their radio friendliness, Urban and his co-writers have always demonstrated an ability to make even the simplest theme - be it open-road exhilaration in “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me” or carpe diem revivalism in “Days Go By” - sound grounded in honest, specific human experience. “Sweet Thing” walks the walk, with loads of juicy little details peppering the record’s brisk build, but comes across unusually contrived.

The issue boils down to sheer predictability. Aside from sounding like a mash-up of Urban’s signature “Somebody Like You” and Chuck Wicks’ recent “All I Ever Wanted” - the latter of which is also a Powell co-write - “Sweet Thing” feels like it was deliberately crafted to model everything country radio currently craves: tempo, verses that speed along into catchy choruses, and nondescript adolescent romance. Urban delivers a remarkably charming performance despite these narrow confines, proving again why he is one of the genre’s most distinct and technically skilled vocalists, but this one never amounts to more than hormonally-charged ear candy.

Written by Keith Urban & Monty Powell

Grade: B

[Jonsolo]

Looks like a possible debut at #30 or #31 for this song this week. Start A Band debuted at #31, which was Keith's second-highest debut of his career (after Once In A Lifetime, of course).

Projecting things out ahead, a debut on the 11/22 chart would then put this one in its 15th week of release for the 2/28/09 chart, which comes out Monday, February 16th. 15 weeks is a decent guess for how long a lead single would take to get into contention for #1. That 2/28 chart would compile the airplay data of the previous week, including Valentine's Day on Saturday. So Keith could have excellent timing, with a ton of requests during the weekend, and could be in position for #1 that week.

Start A Band still has a lot of work to do, probably at #8 this week, and about six solid contenders for #1 still in front of it. But if the recent turnstile at the top continues, it could get its chance the first week of January, and then if Sweet Thing is successful, Keith could get three #1s in a row. Those would come within a six-month period, and after a nearly-three year drought after his previous #1, Better Life.

[rowdawg21]

I think Keith has a chance for a #29 debut. According to the Real Time Tracker last night, Keith finished with an audience of about 5.5. That might be enough to get him ahead of Josh Turner and Kristy Lee Cook.

[lyrichord]

I love the instrumental on this, so crisp and beautiful.

[Jonsolo]

Nov 10, 2008 9:41:10 GMT -5 rowdawg21 said:

I think Keith has a chance for a #29 debut. According to the Real Time Tracker last night, Keith finished with an audience of about 5.5. That might be enough to get him ahead of Josh Turner and Kristy Lee Cook.

Based on the Chart Highlights, it looks like Keith split our guesses, to go for a #30 debut.

[Lee]

Available on ITunes.

[leilamaurizia]

The 9513

Keith Urban - “Sweet Thing”
Jim Malec

Urban is so damn good that he’s just doing his own thing at this point. And who’s going to stop him? It’s not really country. It’s not really pop. It’s not even really what we’d define as country-pop. But this guy sweats musical talent–rather, he would sweat musical talent if he wasn’t so cool.

So, if sugary “sweet things” like this feel-good romp, the first single from his as-yet-unnamed fifth studio album, are what makes him happy, well, more power to him. Even if this song does sound a bit like a weird cross between Billy Currington, Richard Marx and Savage Garden.

I have to admit, as “Sweet Thing” opens and Urban starts rattling off the song’s semi-hushed, quick-paced lyrics, I half expect him to say something about a “chica cherry cola.”

Similarities to 90s Aussie pop duos aside, what stands out most about this—as with all of Urban’s music—is just how well it’s spun together. If this is country-pop, it is hard to imagine anyone ever doing it with more passion, more intensity, and more effectiveness than Mr. Nicole Kidman.

Intensity is a key word in this discussion, because one of the coolest things about Urban’s music is its lack of frivolity. It may too often be unrealistically upbeat and nauseatingly optimistic, but there’s always a tangible seriousness to it, and Urban, an emotionally committed vocalist, is always insurmountably believable. There is a sense, no matter what he happens to be singing about, that he’s sharing the music that is in his heart at that given moment. It has zero pretense.

Further, Urban is a uniquely focused artist, and that focus shows most on material like this—a fluffy, otherwise inconsequential concept that he’s nonetheless able to elevate to a level that makes it hard not to like (at least a little). From lyrical detail to production to vocal phrasing to the almost inaudible “na nas” and “oh ohs” that pop up in the background, “Sweet Thing” is about as tight a record as can be made.

Well done, mate.

In case you guys couldn't tell, that was a "thumbs up."

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Wow, he actually came up with a new rhythm. I'm digging this. Sure, it's slick and poppy, but he sings the hell out of it and the lyrics are solid.

I really liked Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing, as I thought it finally showcased his musical talents to their fullest. Previously, he felt like he had been trying to play it too safe and just kept recycling the same grooves and lyrics over and over again. On LP&twct, however, every song sounded fresh, his voice was stronger, and as bombastic as the production was, it never felt overdone to me. (Which is strange, since Dann Huff usually overproduces everything into a cold bland mess.) Even if the lyrics weren't always top-notch, there was always something in every song that saved it.

This song seems to continue in the same musical direction he took with LP&twct, which I think is the best direction he should go.

[luvhonkytonk]

I can't decide if I like this or not. Most of the time I hear it on the radio when I'm at work which doesn't allow me to give it my full attention. I tend to like his ballads better.