| Sweetness and Light | |
| Cover: | Sweetness_and_light_by_Itch-E_and_Scratch-E.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Itch-E and Scratch-E |
| Album: | Itch-E Kitch-E Koo |
| Released: | [1] |
| Label: | Second Nature |
| Producer: |
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| Next Title: | Bouncing Chamber |
| Next Year: | 1995 |
"Sweetness and Light" is a song recorded by Australian electronic music group Itch-E and Scratch-E. The song was released in May 1994[1] and peaked at number 65 on the Australian singles chart.
The group have later said they weren't sure if the song was good with Andy Rantzen saying "When we'd finished mixing 'Sweetness and Light' I said 'Hmm, this is a bit disappointing' and Paul replied 'I know, where did we go wrong?'[2] At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995, the song won the inaugural ARIA Award for Best Dance Release. In his acceptance speech, Paul Mac controversially declared "We'd like to thank all of Sydney's ecstasy dealers, without whom this award would not be possible." The televised version censored the speech, causing a media frenzy, but Mac was unrepentant, years later calling it "the best career move I ever made. I got in so much trouble for that, but I don't care. I'm still proud of it. I meant every word, and I still do."[3]
In 2015, "Sweetness and Light" was listed at number 1 in In the Mix's '100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks of All Time' with Nick Jarvis saying "Paul Mac and Andy Rantzen's greatest track symbolises the turning point when the previously underground rave scene suddenly stepped into the mainstream consciousness."[4]
1994 CD single
2012 Digital single
2017 Vinyl single
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2 May 1994 | CD Single, cassette single | Second Nature | voltcd86 / voltc86 | |
| Worldwide | 16 Jul 2012 | digital download | 4-4-2 Music | ||
| Australia | 4 Aug 2017 | 12" vinyl | Motorik | mtkxtcnrg003 | |
