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"Sweet Thing"
Side A of the US 7-inch vinyl single
Single by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
from the album Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
B-side	"Circles"
Released	November 28, 1975
Recorded	1975
Genre	Funk • soft rock
Length	3:19
Label	ABC
Songwriter(s)	Chaka Khan Tony Maiden
Producer(s)	Russ Titelman Rufus
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan singles chronology
"Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me of a Friend)" (1975) "Sweet Thing" (1975) "Dance Wit Me" (1976)

"Sweet Thing" is a song performed by American funk and R&B band Rufus with vocals by band member Chaka Khan. As a single, it peaked number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. Mary J. Blige recorded her version, which charted in the United States and New Zealand in 1993.

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan version

Initially recorded and released a single in late 1975, it was first a hit with Rufus featuring Chaka Khan when they recorded the song in 1975, eventually reaching number-one on the R&B singles chart and number five on the pop chart. The song was co-written by Khan and Rufus bandmate Tony Maiden and became one of the band and Khan's signature songs. The record appears on the band's fourth album Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (1975). Khan re-recorded it for the 1998 soundtrack New York Undercover: A Night at Natalie's.

In 2009, Essence magazine included the song in their list of the "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time".

Track listing

1. "Sweet Thing"
2. "Circles"

Charts

Certifications

Mary J. Blige version

"Sweet Thing"
US retail cassette edition; the US CD release was promo-only
Single by Mary J. Blige
from the album What's the 411?
Released	April 2, 1993 (1993-04-02)
Recorded	1992
Genre	R&B soul
Length	3:44
Label	Uptown MCA
Songwriter(s)	Chaka Khan Tony Maiden
Producer(s)	Mark Morales Mark C. Rooney
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"Reminisce" (1992) "Sweet Thing" (1993) "Love No Limit" (1993)

In 1992, American singer Mary J. Blige recorded a rendition for her debut album What's the 411? (1992). It became Blige's third top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 28. In addition, it marked Blige's first entry on the New Zealand Singles Chart. Blige also performed the song live on the eighteenth season of Saturday Night Live on March 13, 1993.

Critical reception

Daryl McIntosh from Albumism stated that Blige's "savory rendition" of the Rufus song "helped provide depth to her groundbreaking album". Stanton Swihart from AllMusic described it as "gospel-thrusted", stating that songs like "Sweet Thing" "are and will remain timeless slices of soul even after their trendiness has worn off". Larry Flick from Billboard said that the singer's version is "a faithful rendition of the Chaka Khan & Rufus classic. A shoulder-swaying rhythm base firmly supports an appealing, diva-style vocal and familiar funk guitar chords." He added, "Watch this one glide onto pop and urban playlists within seconds." The Daily Vault's Mark Millan noted that "Sweet Thing" "is probably the most "pop" of all the songs on offer here. It's another love song and Blige softens her tone a little to keep everything sweet." Havelock Nelson from Entertainment Weekly called it "a jazzy remake".

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the What's the 411? liner notes.

• Sean "Puffy" Combs – executive producer
• Charlie Davis – executive producer
• Mark Morales – producer
• Mark C. Rooney – producer
• Kurt Woodley – executive producer

Track listing

Charts

Other cover versions

In 1997, contemporary jazz saxophonist Boney James did another remake of the song; it was included on the album titled Sweet Thing. The album's title track included background vocals by original co-writer Tony Maiden. UK soul singer Beverley Knight has also recorded a version of the song. Knight's version was recorded for a BBC Radio 2 session and was included as the B-side to her 2004 single "Not Too Late for Love". Due to the popularity of Knight's version with her fans, it was later included on her Voice - The Best of Beverley Knight (2006) compilation. Knight has since been invited to perform the song at Khan's London O2 Arena date on her UK tour, after collaborating with the singer on her Blige duet "Disrespectful" at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Filipina pop/RnB singer Nina also performed her own version of this song, which served as the opening track of her 2005 mega hit album Nina Live, which was recorded live and eventually received a diamond certification for selling over 1 million copies in the Philippines

References

1. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (July 17, 2000). "The Clinton Administration: Funk". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 505.
3. "25 Best Slow Jams of All Time". Essence.com. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
4. "Rufus Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
5. "Rufus Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April , 2017.
6. "American single certifications – Rufus – Sweet Thing". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
7. McIntosh, Daryl (July 28, 2017). "Mary J. Blige's Debut Album 'What's the 411?' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
8. Swihart, Stanton. "Mary J. Blige – What's the 411?". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
9. Flick, Larry (January 30, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 83. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
10. Millan, Mark (July 5, 2010). "What's The 411? – Mary J. Blige". The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
11. Nelson, Havelock (August 7, 1992). "Music Review: 'What's the 411?'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
12. Blige, Mary J. (1992). What's the 411? (Liner Notes) (Compact Disc). Mary J. Blige. Uptown Records.
13. "Mary J Blige – Sweet Thing". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
14. "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
15. "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April , 2017.
16. "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
17. "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
18. "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVI, no. 29. March 27, 1993. p. 4. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
19. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
20. Widran, Jonathan. "Sweet Thing - Boney James | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
21. "Boney James | Festival Preview". Archived from the original on 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-05-24.

• 1975 singles
• 1976 singles
• 1993 singles
• Chaka Khan songs
• Mary J. Blige songs
• Songs written by Chaka Khan
• 1975 songs
• ABC Records singles
• MCA Records singles
• Uptown Records singles
• Rhythm and blues ballads
• Soul ballads
• 1970s ballads