A Haunting Glimpse of Vulnerability Beneath Glam’s Glitter
“Reflections” by The Sweet, featured on their 1971 debut album Funny How Sweet Co‑Co Can Be, is not the kind of chart-topping single the band would be best known for — their early LP itself failed to make a serious dent on the charts. Yet this delicate cover of the Supremes’ classic reveals an emotional dimension of the band often hidden behind bubblegum-pop hooks and later glam-rock bombast.
When the Sweet released their first LP in November 1971 via RCA Records, their singles “Funny, Funny” and “Co-Co” had already made modest chart waves (the latter peaking at No. 2 in the UK). Nestled in this collection, “Reflections” stands as a plaintive confession rather than a radio smash — a song of heartbreak and nostalgia, not rebellion or reckless abandon.
What makes “Reflections” compelling is how The Sweet transform a Motown legacy into their own introspective canvas. The original, by The Supremes, is suffused with psychedelic flourishes and emotional urgency. The Sweet, however, strip it down to a more melancholic core. Lead singer Brian Connolly’s voice, tender and restrained, carries a raw sense of loss, while the band’s harmonies provide a wistful echo around him.
Lyrically, the song is a meditation on memory — the narrator peers “through the mirror of my mind” and sees repeated images of a love that has slipped away. There’s a profound loneliness in lines like “I’m all alone now / No love to shield me / Trapped in a world that’s a distorted reality,” and the repetition of “reflections” underscores how often the past resurfaces, unbidden and haunting.
Musically, this version sits at a crossroad in The Sweet’s evolution. At that time, they were still largely working under the direction of songwriters Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, producing pop-oriented tunes. But even here, the band’s instrumental and vocal chemistry hints at the broader ambitions they would later realize. According to contemporary review, the album’s covers — including this one — suggest a “surprising depth beneath their glam image.”
In many ways, “Reflections” is a quietly courageous choice for a young band trying to find its identity. It’s a cover, yes — but not a safe one. By choosing to reinterpret a deeply soulful Motown song in their own style, The Sweet signal that they’re not just about flashy hooks and theatrics. Even before songs like “Ballroom Blitz” or “Fox on the Run” defined them, the band was already negotiating conflicting impulses: pop accessibility, musical sophistication, and emotional resonance.
Over time, “Reflections” has become something of a hidden jewel in The Sweet’s catalog. For listeners accustomed to their party anthems and glam rock bravado, this song offers a tender counterpoint: a moment where the band lets down their guard, confronts loss, and turns memory itself into melody. It remains a powerful reminder that beneath the glitter, The Sweet carried real heart — and they knew how to pour it into a song.