Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990s as a solo artist. His 1991 album Girlfriend was certified gold by the RIAA. His companion albums, Tomorrow Forever and Tomorrow's Daughter, were followed by 2018's Wicked System of Things and 2021's Catspaw, his 15th studio effort.
Early life and education
Sweet was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated from Southeast High School in Lincoln, in 1983. Upon graduation he moved to Athens, Georgia, to attend college, on the recommendation of Mitch Easter. Sweet and Easter had become pen pals after R.E.M.'s Bill Berry suggested Easter bring Sweet into his band Let's Active.
Career 1980s As a high school student in 1980, Sweet wrote songs and recorded them on four-track cassettes. He joined the band The Specs and released his first recording on a battle of bands LP produced by a local radio station, and fronted his own local band called The Dialtones. After graduating, Sweet traveled to Athens, Georgia, to attend college amid the flourishing Athens music scene. That same year, Sweet, who had met the band R.E.M. when they played a show in his hometown the previous year, collaborated with frontman Michael Stipe in a duo group under the name Community Trolls, as well as played guitar in Stipe's sister Lynda Stipe's band, Oh-OK. In addition, he formed another duo, The Buzz of Delight, with Oh-OK drummer David Pierce, releasing an EP, Sound Castles, in 1984 on DB Records. On the strength of this 12" vinyl, Sweet was signed to a solo recording contract with Columbia Records.
In 1986, he released Inside, his debut album, to good reviews but little commercial success. In 1989, he released Earth after signing with A&M Records; likewise, it was well-received critically, yet not commercially.
1990s In 1990, A&M released Sweet from his contract, and he signed with rival Zoo Entertainment, which evolved into Volcano Entertainment. Sweet formed a new band (which included Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine, Greg Leisz, Lloyd Cole, and Fred Maher), and they spent that year assembling his next work, originally titled Nothing Lasts. Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd already participated in the recording of Earth (1989).
The following year, Sweet released Girlfriend, which was widely considered an artistic breakthrough. It quickly garnered impressive U.S. sales, spawning a Top 10 single with the title track. The music video for "Girlfriend" (heavily aired on MTV, MuchMusic and Night Tracks) featured clips from the anime film Space Adventure Cobra, while the video for "I've Been Waiting" used clips of the Urusei Yatsura character Lum.
In 1993, Sweet released Altered Beast, an album which drew mixed reactions with its intense and brooding tracks (such as "Someone to Pull the Trigger" and "Knowing People"). The music video for the single "The Ugly Truth" (directed by Sweet) featured the singer being chased in the desert by police while driving his own 1970 Dodge Challenger, while the video for "Time Capsule" was a literary homage to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
In 1995, Sweet released 100% Fun, an alt-rock album best known for its lead track, the self-deprecating "Sick of Myself". The album itself fared better commercially, and even made it onto Entertainment Weekly critic David Browne's year's-best list.
In 1997, Sweet released Blue Sky on Mars, a new-wave album which featured the synth-laden singles "Where You Get Love" and "Come to California". The music video for the former featured Sweet as an astronaut traveling through outer space.
In 1998, his version of Walter Egan's "Magnet and Steel" was recorded on the Sabrina The Teenage Witch album with Lindsey Buckingham on guitar.
In 1999, Sweet released In Reverse, a psychedelic album which featured Wall of Sound singles "What Matters" and "Trade Places". The album is noteworthy for its 10-minute closing track, "Thunderstorm", a combination of several demos.
2000s
In 2000, Sweet released Time Capsule: Best of 90/00, a retrospective compilation which featured two new tracks.
In 2001, Sweet and Darius Rucker performed The Beach Boys song "Sail On, Sailor" on the special A Tribute to Brian Wilson; the musicians later performed the same song with Brian Wilson on Late Show with David Letterman.
In 2002, Sweet released To Understand: The Early Recordings of Matthew Sweet, a retrospective compilation which featured unreleased material. Also that year, he formed the group The Thorns with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge.
In 2003, Sweet released Kimi Ga Suki, a garage-rock album initially released in Japan, where Sweet has a following.
In 2004, he released Living Things, an acoustic album mainly consisted of material he wrote while recording with The Thorns.
In 2006, Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released Under the Covers, Vol. 1, which featured covers of popular 1960s songs.
In 2008, Sweet released Sunshine Lies, his 10th studio album, which also incorporated a 2-LP set featuring 4 bonus tracks."Matthew Sweet Tells Lies on New Record", PitchforkMedia.com, June 4, 2008. Retrieved on May 5, 2008.
In 2009, Sweet and Hoffs released Under the Covers, Vol. 2, which featured covers of popular 1970s songs.
2010s
In 2010, the musical Girlfriend, using songs from Sweet's album of the same name, was staged by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.Girlfriend , Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Retrieved on April 28, 2010.
In 2011, Sweet released Modern Art, an album which featured the single "She Walks the Night".
In 2012, Sweet celebrated the 20th anniversary of Girlfriend with a tour performing the entire album. Also that year, Sweet contributed an essay for the Mark Dillon book Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys on the 1967 song "Wonderful".
In 2013, Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released Under the Covers, Vol. 3, which features covers of popular 1980s songs.
In 2014, Sweet was featured on The Simpsons, the longest-running American sitcom. He wrote "Hopin' for a Dream", a song by fictitious 1980s band SunGazer, in the episode. Sweet and his wife Lisa were also research consultants for the Tim Burton film Big Eyes, a biography on painter Margaret Keane.
In 2015, Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released Completely Under the Covers, a limited 4-disc box set of all three Under the Covers albums, with 15 bonus tracks.
In 2017, Sweet released Tomorrow Forever, a rootsy album funded entirely by fans on Kickstarter; over the course of one month in 2014, the project exceeded its $32,000 goal by 75% from fewer than 800 backers.
In 2018, Sweet released Tomorrow's Daughter on May 18, a companion album to Tomorrow Forever. Also that year, Sweet was paid tribute in the compilation album Altered Sweet, which included artists such as Lisa Mychols, Andy Reed, Greg Pope, Nick Bertling, Fireking, Chris Richards & The Subtractions, simple friend, Michael Simmons, Gretchen's Wheel, The Well Wishers, Elvyn, Pop Co-Op, Stabby Robot, Lannie Flowers, Stereo Tiger, Michael Carpenter, Phil Ajjarapu, CokeRoque, Donny Brown, Nick Piunti, Paranoid Lovesick, Trolley, Keith Klingensmith, Arvidson & Butterflies, Robyn Gibson and Popdudes. Also that year, independent vinyl reissue label Intervention Records announced it would release Artist-Approved 2 LP Expanded Editions of 100% Fun, Altered Beast, and Girlfriend on vinyl and CD/SACD, along with a vinyl reissue of Son of Altered Beast. On Record Store Day's Black Friday, he released Wicked System of Things, a tribute to midwestern power pop, and a 3-inch colored vinyl of a live 1997 recording from Disney Orlando's Pleasure Island for Record Store Day in 2019.
2020s In 2021, Sweet released Catspaw, his 15th studio album, and the first to feature Sweet playing all lead guitar parts. At the time of his stroke in 2024, Sweet was writing and recording new material for an upcoming album, Midsommar. Due to the effects of his illness it is unlikely to be finished in the immediate future, according to Sweet.
Personal life Sweet and his wife Lisa have resided in Omaha, Nebraska, since 2013. He was married at least once before; a 1989 divorce inspired the songs on Sweet's commercial breakthrough album Girlfriend. Available at Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
Sweet is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.
In October 2024, Sweet suffered a debilitating stroke while on tour with Hanson. The stroke was severe and left him unable to walk due to ataxia (extreme dizziness); disabled proper use of his left arm, which keeps him from being able to play guitar; and affected his speech. He is undergoing therapy to mitigate the effects of the stroke.
Discography
Inside (1986) Earth (1989) Girlfriend (1991) Altered Beast (1993) 100% Fun (1995) Blue Sky on Mars (1997) In Reverse (1999) Kimi Ga Suki (2003) Living Things (2004) Under the Covers, Vol. 1 (with Susanna Hoffs) (2006) Sunshine Lies (2008) Under the Covers, Vol. 2 (with Susanna Hoffs) (2009) Modern Art (2011) Under the Covers, Vol. 3 (with Susanna Hoffs) (2013) Tomorrow Forever (2017) Tomorrow's Daughter (2018) Wicked System of Things (2018) Catspaw (2021)
Film and television 1992 "Silent City", Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1993 "Girlfriend", Baywatch 1994 "Superdeformed", Beavis and Butthead 1995 "Ultrasuede", National Lampoon's Senior Trip "My Pet", Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls "Everything Changes", The Babysitters Club "Urges", Space Ghost Coast to Coast 1996 "Flipper", Flipper "Happiness", Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy "Dark Secret", The Craft "Swan Song", Bed of Roses 1997 "Hollow", The Game "BBC" (with Mike Myers), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1998 "Farther Down", Can't Hardly Wait "Magnet & Steel" (Walter Egan cover), Sabrina the Teenage Witch "Magnet & Steel" (Walter Egan cover), Overnight Delivery "Sick of Myself", I Think I Do 1999 "Faith in You", Drive Me Crazy 2000 "Faith in You", Roswell 2001 "I've Been Waiting", All Over the Guy 2002 "It Don't Matter to Me", Ash Wednesday "Girlfriend", Crossroads 2003 "Daddy Wasn't There" (with Mike Myers), Austin Powers in Goldmember "Warmth of the Sun" (Beach Boys cover), American Dreams "I've Been Waiting", Scrubs 2004 "Cats Vs Dogs", Garfield: The Movie "Blue" (Jayhawks cover), Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! "No Blue Sky", Smallville 2005 Theme song, Camp Burlesque 2006 "Girlfriend", Guitar Hero II (game) "The Tide Is High", How to Eat Fried Worms "Livin' Thing", My Name Is Earl 2007 "Come to California", Nancy Drew "Different Drum" (Michael Nesmith cover), The Heartbreak Kid 2009 "Got to Get You into My Life" (Beatles cover), Imagine That "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (w/ All Too Much), Ghosts of Girlfriends Past 2010 "Wild", The Bigtop Theme song, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 2012 "Girlfriend", Chasing Mavericks 2014 "Hopin' For a Dream", The Simpsons "Girlfriend", One Hit Wonderland 2016 "Save Time for Me", Documentary Now! 2018 "Penny's Deep Sea Dive", Top Wing 2019 "Girlfriend", Wonder Park
Tributes and benefits 1993 "Superdeformed", No Alternative "She Said She Said" (Beatles cover), Born to Choose "This Moment", Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams 1994 "Let Me Be The One", If I Were A Carpenter "Bovine Connection", Yellow Pills, Vol. 2: More of the Best of American Pop 1995 "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?", Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits 1996 "A Day in the Life of a Tree" (Beach Boys cover), Honor: A Benefit for the Honor the Earth Campaign "Dragon Lady", A Small Circle of Friends: Germs (Tribute) 1997 "Do Ya" (Move cover), Live from 6A: Great Musical Performances from Late Night with Conan O'Brien 1998 "Girlfriend", Onxrt: Live From the Archives, Vol. 4