"Fox on the Run" is a song by English glam rock band Sweet, first recorded in 1974. It was the first Sweet single with the A-side written by the band, rather than by producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, and was their 14th single overall. The song became the best charting single in Australia in 1975, with six weeks at number one. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. It also returned the group to the UK top ten after the failure of their previous single "Turn It Down" to make the top 40.

Two versions were recorded by Sweet. The original version was produced by Mike Chapman in association with Nicky Chinn on the European version of the 1974 album Desolation Boulevard. Sweet also recorded and produced a more pop-oriented rendition as a 7" single in 1975, which is the more familiar version of the song. The 1975 single was included on the Capitol Records version of Desolation Boulevard.

The song's inclusion in the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 led to a number one spot on the iTunes Rock Chart in late 2016.

Background "Fox" being slang for an attractive woman, the lyrics are apparently about one of the band's groupies; Bomp! called the song "a definitive hard-rock bubblegum record" and "one of the last glitter classics".

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1975–1976)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report)1Finland10New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)3South Africa (Springbok Radio)1U.S. Billboard Hot 1005U.S. Cash Box Top 1005

Year-end charts Chart (1975)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)1Netherlands19New Zealand12South Africa2UK37 Chart (1976)RankCanada37US Billboard Hot 10076US Cash Box63

Certifications

Personnel Brian Connolly – lead vocals Steve Priest – bass, lead vocal, backing vocals Andy Scott – guitars, synthesizer, backing vocals Mick Tucker – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Scorpions version

"Fuchs geh' voran" is a German cover version of the song with lyrics about a fox being chased by hunters to sell its fur. It was released as a single in 1975 by the German rock band Scorpions as The Hunters. The B-side also features a German cover version of another Sweet song, "Action", as "Wenn es richtig losgeht".

See also List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1970s List of number-one hits of 1975 (Germany)

References

External links