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Sweet like Chocolate

{{Short description|1999 single by Shanks & Bigfoot}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2011}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Sweet like Chocolate

| cover = Shanksbigfoot sweetlikechocolate.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Shanks & Bigfoot

| album = Swings and Roundabouts

| released = {{start date|1999|5|17|df=y}}{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1999/Music-Week-1999-05-15.pdf|title=New Releases – For Week Starting 17 May, 1999: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=23|date=15 May 1999|access-date=19 July 2021}}

| recorded =

| studio = Soul II Soul (London, England)

| genre = UK garage

| length = 3:37

| label = {{hlist|Jive|Pepper|Chocolate Boy}}

| writer = {{hlist|Danny Langsman|Steven Meade}}

| producer = Shanks & Bigfoot

| prev_title = Straight from the Heart

| prev_year = 1998

| next_title = Straight from the Heart

| next_year = 1999

}}

"Sweet like Chocolate" is a song by British garage music duo Shanks & Bigfoot with vocalist Sharon Woolf. It was released as a single on 17 May 1999 and was included on the duo's debut album, Swings and Roundabouts (2000). Vocals on the track are sung by Sharon Woolf, who had also sung on their track "Straight from the Heart", which was released under their previous band name, 'Doolally'.

"Sweet like Chocolate" was originally released on vinyl in 1998 as a promotional single, which had a short-run pressing of 1,000 copies. When released as an official single in 1999, it topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks and reached the top 10 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. The song was the first UK garage track to hit number one on the UK Singles Chart. In 2019, The Guardian listed the song at number 20 in their list of "The Best UK Garage Tracks".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/may/16/the-best-uk-garage-tracks-ranked|title=The best UK garage tracks|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|work=The Guardian|date=16 May 2019|access-date=15 September 2019}}

Music video

A music video, which is animated, was produced for the song by graphic designers "Visualisation Services".{{cite web|url=http://www.vsl3d.com/about.htm |title=Visualisation Services Limited |access-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040540/http://www.vsl3d.com/about.htm |archive-date=10 November 2018}}
It is set in a surreal world where every object, except for the protagonist, is constructed out of chocolate.

Chart performance

"Sweet like Chocolate" topped the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in May 1999, selling 251,000 copies during its first week and 142,000 copies during its second week.{{cite magazine|title=Chart Commentary|last=Jones|first=Alan|magazine=Music Week|page=15|date=5 June 1999}} It achieved platinum status in the UK and was the country's eighth biggest-selling single of 1999. It was the first song to top the UK Singles, Dance, R&B, and Indie charts, though not simultaneously. Internationally, the song was a top-10 hit in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand; in the latter two countries, the song was certified platinum and gold, respectively. It also charted in Flanders, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. In Canada, the song peaked at number 14 on the RPM Dance 30 chart in September 1999.

Track listings

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UK CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Sweet like Chocolate|others=Shanks & Bigfoot|year=1999|type=UK CD single liner notes|publisher=Jive Records, Pepper Records, Chocolate Boy Recordings|id=0530352}}

  1. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Shanks & Bigfoot radio edit) – 3:28
  2. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Metro 7-inch remix) – 3:13
  3. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Shanks & Bigfoot original mix) – 6:55
  4. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Ruff Driverz vocal) – 5:46

UK 12-inch single{{cite AV media notes|title=Sweet like Chocolate|others=Shanks & Bigfoot|year=1999|type=UK 12-inch single sleeve|publisher=Jive Records, Pepper Records, Chocolate Boy Recordings|id=0530350}}

:A. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Shanks & Bigfoot original mix) – 6:55

:B. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Ruff Driverz vocal) – 5:46

UK cassette single{{cite AV media notes|title=Sweet like Chocolate|others=Shanks & Bigfoot|year=1999|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Jive Records, Pepper Records, Chocolate Boy Recordings|id=0530354}}

  1. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Shanks & Bigfoot radio edit) – 3:28
  2. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Ruff Driverz vocal) – 5:46

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European CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Sweet like Chocolate|others=Shanks & Bigfoot|year=1999|type=European CD single sleeve|publisher=Jive Records, Chocolate Boy Recordings|id=0583752}}

  1. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Metro 7-inch remix) – 3:13
  2. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Shanks & Bigfoot radio edit) – 3:28

Australasian CD single{{cite AV media notes|title=Sweet like Chocolate|others=Shanks & Bigfoot|year=1999|type=Australasian CD single sleeve|publisher=Jive Records, Chocolate Boy Recordings|id=052375 2}}

  1. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Metro 7-inch remix) – 3:13
  2. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Shanks & Bigfoot radio edit) – 3:28
  3. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Shanks & Bigfoot original mix) – 6:55
  4. "Sweet like Chocolate" (Ruff Driverz vocal) – 5:46

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Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the UK CD single liner notes.

Studios

  • Recorded at Soul II Soul Studios (London, England)
  • Mastered at Battery Studios (London, England)

Personnel

  • Shanks & Bigfoot – production
  • Danny Langsman – writing
  • Steven Meade – writing
  • Sharon Woolf – vocals, backing vocals
  • David Newell – engineering
  • Streaky Gee – mastering

Charts

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=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1999)

!Peak
position

{{single chart|Australia|6|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|song=Sweet Like Chocolate|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Flanders|42|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|song=Sweet Like Chocolate|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Canadadance|14|chartid=8461|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018|refname="candance"}}
scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1999/MM-1999-06-05.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=16|issue=23|page=8|date=5 June 1999|access-date=26 January 2020}}

|10

{{single chart|Germany|22|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|song=Sweet Like Chocolate|songid=3981|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018}}
scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40){{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2986791#page/n9/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn (8.7–15.7. 1999)|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=10|date=9 July 1999|access-date=5 October 2019}}

|28

{{single chart|Ireland2|9|song=Sweet like Chocolate|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018}}
{{single chart|Dutch40|22|year=1999|week=28|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018}}
{{single chart|Dutch100|24|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|song=Sweet Like Chocolate|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018}}
{{single chart|New Zealand|9|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|song=Sweet Like Chocolate|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Scotland|6|date=19990606|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Sweden|25|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|song=Sweet Like Chocolate|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Switzerland|32|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|song=Sweet Like Chocolate|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|UK|1|date=19990529|rowheader=true|refname="ukchart"}}
{{single chart|UKdance|1|date=19990529|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018}}
{{single chart|UKrandb|1|date=19990529|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018}}
{{single chart|UKindie|1|date=19990605|rowheader=true|access-date=9 November 2018}}

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=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1999)

!Position

scope="row"|Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/1999/singles-chart|title=ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999|publisher=ARIA|access-date=9 April 2021}}

|46

scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40){{cite web|url=http://www.top40web.nl/jaarlijsten/jr1999.html|title=Jaarlijsten 1999|language=nl|publisher=Dutch Top 40|access-date=11 May 2022}}

|157

scope="row"|New Zealand (RIANZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1999-12-31|title=End of Year Charts 1999|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|access-date=15 March 2020}}

|22

scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC){{cite magazine|title=Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100|magazine=Music Week|location=London, England|page=27|date=22 January 2000}}

|8

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Certifications

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|access-date=9 November 2018|refname="auscert"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|title=Sweet Like Chocolate|award=Gold|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|id=1999-08-27|source=newchart|access-date=20 November 2024|refname="nzcert"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Shanks & Bigfoot|title=Sweet Like Chocolate|award=Platinum|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|id=6418-780-1|salesamount=707,000|salesref={{cite web|first=Justin|last=Myers|title=The highest charting UK garage tunes|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=27 May 2019|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-highest-charting-uk-garage-tunes__26409/}}|access-date=27 May 2019|refname="bpi"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom}}

Cover versions

In 2016, English singer Tulisa interpolated the chorus of "Sweet like Chocolate" in her song of the same name which features English rapper Akelle.

A reggae version by Hollie Cook reached No. 41 on the UK Physical Singles Chart in November 2018.https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/hollie-cook-sweet-like-chocolate/

In 2019, DJ Spoony and Lily Allen recorded their version for the UK garage orchestral covers album Garage Classical.

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{YouTube|iSTiQ6SjIbg|"DJ Spoony - Sweet Like Chocolate (Lyric Video) ft. Lily Allen"}}

{{Tulisa Contostavlos}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1998 songs

Category:1999 singles

Category:Animated music videos

Category:Jive Records singles

Category:Shanks & Bigfoot songs

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles

Category:UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles