The Sweetest Girl

Album: Songs To Remember (1981)
Charted: 64
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Scritti Politti are a UK group formed in Leeds in 1977 by vocalist Green Gartside, bassist Nial Jinks and drummer Tom Morley. Initially a left-leaning post-punk British rock band, they developed into a more mainstream pop music project in the 1980s, enjoying significant commercial success in the UK and the US. Released on the Rough Trade record label, "Sweetest Girl" became Scritti Politti's first song to chart, peaking at #64 on the UK music chart, and was cited by The New York Times as one of the ten best singles of the year.
  • At first the song appears to be tribute to a sweet couple before Green goes off on a subversive tangent and croons one of pop history's most curious couplets: "Politics is pride too, vagaries of science/ She left because she understood the value of defiance."
  • Green originally wrote this pop-R&B-reggae hybrid for an unlikely collaboration. He recalled to Mojo magazine March 2011: "It was meant to be a duet between Kraftwerk and Gregory Isaacs. Gregory Isaacs' management were keen. Years later, in New York, I went to see Tito Puente with Ralf (Hutter) and Florian (Schneider) from Kraftwerk, and I brought it up. They said they hated reggae."
  • Soft Machine founder Robert Wyatt came in to play keyboards on the song, bringing famous English actress Julie Christie with him. Green recalled to Mojo: "Robert and (his wife) Alfreda thought that she and I might make a match. But I was too frightened to talk to her!"
  • Ska-pop band Madness recorded a cover version for their 1985 album Mad Not Mad. Released as a single the following year, it spent six weeks in the British charts, peaking at #35.

Comments: 2

  • The Crane from BerlinIsn't it "politics is PRIOR TO the vagaries..."?
  • Zabadak from London, EnglandThe title is actually The "Sweetest Girl" - not the positions of the quote marks...
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.