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Matthew Sweet was born in Nebraska in 1964, and drew inspiration from the British Invasion bands dominating the charts just as he came into the world. Sweet went to college in Athens, Georgia, and started several bands in the city’s buzzing scene, including a short-lived project with Michael Stipe called Community Trolls. Sweet released two major label solo albums in the late ’80s, both without major commercial success.
In 1991, Sweet signed with Zoo Entertainment and released Girlfriend, one of the greatest power pop albums of all time, brimming over with hooks and scene-stealing guitar solos by Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd. Sweet remained a fixture on alternative radio for most of the ’90s with hits like “Girlfriend,” “Sick of Myself,” “The Ugly Truth,” and “Divine Intervention.” And in the 20th century, he continued to make unapologetically hooky, nostalgic pop/rock, while also recording collaborative records with the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, and with Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins as the Thorns.
Sweet suffered a stroke in October 2024 while on tour in Canada, and fans have rallied around the singer-songwriter, donating to a GoFundMe to help with his recovery. Let’s look back at Sweet’s sprawling catalog on the 30th anniversary of one of his most popular albums, 1995’s 100% Fun.
21. Modern Art (2011)
Many artists commonly categorized as power pop have been reluctant to embrace the label. Matthew Sweet, however, wrote an affectionate ode to the genre called “Late Nights with the Power Pop.” The self-produced Modern Art has a loose, playful vibe, but the mix never sounds quite right, with Sweet’s vocals sometimes drowning out the instrumentation. Former Trenchmouth drummer and Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen plays on “Ivory Tower,” adding to Sweet’s lengthy roster of famous sidemen.
20. Under the Covers, Vol. 1 with Susanna Hoffs (2006)
Sweet and Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs started playing British Invasion covers together in the mid-’90s, forming the band Ming Tea with comedy star Mike Myers. The swinging ’60s persona Myers created for the band, Austin Powers, eventually became the title character in his hugely successful film franchise, with Ming Tea making cameos in all three Austin Powers movies. A few years later, Sweet and Hoffs started their own trilogy, recording three collections of cover songs for the reissue-oriented label Shout! Factory. Most of the songs on the ’60s-themed first volume of Under the Covers are familiar chestnuts by the likes of the Beatles or Dylan, but the duo also dig up the Beach Boys B-side “The Warmth of the Sun” and cult classics by Marmalade and the Left Banke.
19. Sunshine Lies (2008)
Sunshine Lies is one of Sweet’s more keyboard-heavy albums, including the piano-driven ballad “Feel Fear,” a Mellotron wig-out on “Time Machine,” and an expressive organ outro on “Pleasure is Mine.” There are still some smoking guitar leads, though, and “Flying” and “Back of My Mind” are Sweet’s more recent collaborations with Television’s Richard Lloyd. “Sweet’s eased into the solid but rarely exceptional point in his career. He’s consistent to a fault,” Joshua Klein wrote in the Pitchfork review of Sunshine Lies.
18. Inside (1986)
Columbia Records signed a 21-year-old Matthew Sweet and spent a lot of money on his debut album, which was recorded in 17 studios on both sides of the Atlantic. Nearly every song was produced by a different person, a murderers’ row of ’80s alternative rock producers: Scott Litt, David M. Allen, Stephen Hague, David Kahne, Don Dixon, and Ron Saint Germain, among others. Despite its Top 40 aesthetic, Inside never charted.
17. Son of Altered Beast EP (1994)
Sweet’s “Superdeformed” was the opening track on Red Hot Organization’s hit 1993 AIDS relief compilation No Alternative, and it’s probably Sweet’s best (and heaviest) song that never appeared on one of his proper albums. It did, however, appear in live form on Son of Altered Beast, an EP released toward the end of the Altered Beast album cycle. Mostly composed of live tracks, including a cover of Neil Young’s “Don’t Cry No Tears,” as well as a remix and an excellent new song, “Ultrasuede,” Son of Altered Beast is highly enjoyable for a minor stopgap release.
16. Under the Covers, Vol. 3 with Susanna Hoffs (2013)
The third and final Under the Covers album focuses on music from the 1980s, the decade in which Sweet and Hoffs both began their careers. They tackle “Sitting Still” by Sweet’s old friends R.E.M., and “Our Lips Are Sealed” by the Bangles’ girl group contemporaries The Go-Go’s. Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” is the only song from the second half of the decade—it’s really an early ’80s cover album, with an emphasis on new wave bands like The English Beat and The Pretenders.
15. Under the Covers, Vol. 2 with Susanna Hoffs (2009)
The ’70s edition of the Under the Covers is Sweet and Hoffs’ most diverse collection, ranging from Little Feat’s country-rock trucker ballad “Willin’” to Mott the Hoople’s glam rock anthem “All the Young Dudes.” They go prog, covering all 7 minutes of Yes’s “I’ve Seen All Good People,” but also spend plenty of time in their power pop comfort zone with Big Star, Raspberries, and Todd Rundgren songs. “Hoffs and Sweet clearly love the songs they’re tackling, with the vibe throughout running more towards Fun Karaoke Night than Major Artistic Statement,” Stephen Haag wrote in the Pop Matters review of Under the Covers, Vol. 2.
14. Earth (1989)
Sweet jumped to A&M Records for his second album and started to get a little closer to finding his signature sound, working for the first time with the lead guitarists who’d help shape his most popular ’90s work: Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd. Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart, Jeff Buckley) also rips a remarkable solo on “Love.” Some might say that Earth is overproduced, with drums that were sampled and looped rather than played live, but the album remains worth hearing for the stellar guitar work.
13. The Thorns with The Thorns (2003)
The Thorns was something of a Gen X answer to Crosby, Stills & Nash, as Sweet teamed up with two other singer-songwriters who’d experienced a moderate amount of commercial success in the ’90s: Shawn Mullins of “Lullaby” fame and Pete Droge of “If You Don’t Love Me (I’ll Kill Myself)” fame. Sweet’s voice dominates some of the best songs, including the opening track “Runaway Feeling,” but what makes the album work is that the three singers harmonize together beautifully, especially on the single “I Can’t Remember” and a cover of the Jayhawks’ “Blue.” The trio opened for the Dixie Chicks in arenas before all three artists resumed their solo careers.
12. Wicked System of Things (2018)
While many artists choose to release limited-edition or rare pressings for Record Store Day, Matthew Sweet’s 2018 RSD exclusive was a whole album of solid new songs. Wicked System of Things was recorded at home in Omaha after writing music for a proposed collaborative project with Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielson and Tom Petersson that never came to fruition. “It’s a Charade” is a rare political song from Sweet, a sneering takedown of President Donald Trump. “Wicked System of Things has some Sweet power pop with tunes like ‘Good Girls are Gone’ and ‘Eternity Now,’ psychedelia with a cool melody on ‘Flashback’ and appropriately moves into Cheap Trick territory on ‘Counting the Days,’” wrote L. Kent Wolgamott in the Lincoln Journal-Star review of the album.
11. Blue Sky on Mars (1997)
Sweet’s longtime label Zoo Entertainment was sold to new ownership in 1996, and Blue Sky on Mars was one of the last albums released by Zoo before the label’s name was permanently retired. It also marked the end of Sweet’s run as a mainstream hitmaker, with “Where You Get Love” becoming the last Sweet single to get a good amount of airplay on alternative radio and MTV. The shimmering, atmospheric “Until You Break” is a preview of some of the sounds Sweet would begin exploring over his next few albums.
10. To Understand: The Early Recordings of Matthew Sweet (2002)
In 2002, Hip-O Records compiled a fairly complete overview of the first decade of Sweet’s recording career, dating all the way back to his early ’80s stint in Athens. The songs by Sweet’s early band The Buzz of Delight are heavily influenced by R.E.M., and there’s even an intriguing lo-fi track, “Tainted Obligation,” from Sweet’s project with Michael Stipe himself, Community Trolls. To Understand cherry picks the best songs from Inside and Earth, as well as Sweet’s standout appearance on “Something Becomes Nothing” by the New York art rock band The Golden Palominos. “Good Friend,” an early demo of the song that would eventually become “Girlfriend,” takes the compilation right up to the moment just before Sweet finally became a star.
9. Kimi Ga Suki (2003)
It’s an old cliché, but like many niche American artists, Sweet is big in Japan, and in 2003 he put together an album to thank his Japanese fans. Kimi Ga Suki was written in a week and recorded in his home studio with Sweet’s Girlfriend-era backing band, packed with big melodic rockers like the soaring “The Ocean In-Between.” Released in between much more complex and ambitious albums, Kimi Ga Suki is a stripped-down garage rock palette cleanser, and even the folky acoustic song “Love is Gone” has a refreshing simplicity.
8. Tomorrow Forever (2017)
By the mid-2010s, Matthew Sweet had recorded for seven different companies without ever really settling into a long-term label. The rise of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter was a godsend for a cult artist like Sweet, and he raised money on Kickstarter to record and release Tomorrow Forever on his own label, Honeycomb Hideout. In that context, “Music for Love” feels like a celebration of Sweet’s devotion to making records, no matter the circumstances, and he sounds perfectly comfortable serving these songs directly to his diehard fans. “Entangled” continues Sweet’s long tradition of false endings that began with “Divine Intervention” and “Sick of Myself.” “There’s a darkness and bleak honesty to Sweet’s lyrics that often belie the catchy tunes underneath,” Hal Horowitz wrote in the American Songwriter review of Tomorrow Forever.
7. Tomorrow’s Daughter (2018)
Much as Altered Beast was followed by Son of Altered Beast, Tomorrow’s Daughter is the offspring of Tomorrow Forever. Sweet wrote 38 songs for his 2017 album, and compiled the demos for the unused songs into an additional album, which was initially given exclusively to backers of the Kickstarter campaign. On Tomorrow’s Daughter, the songs are varied and lyrically intriguing. There’s a relaxed twang in “Something Someone” and “Run Away” that suits Sweet surprisingly well, and the main riff on “Years” has some Rolling Stones grit.
6. In Reverse (1999)
From the upside down cover painting by iconic artist Margaret Keane to the backmasked guitars and lyrics that frequently center on the theme of time, In Reverse is probably the closest thing to a concept album that Sweet has ever made. With an expanded supporting cast including legendary session musicians like Jim Keltner and Carol Kaye as well as future pop hitmaker Greg Kurstin, In Reverse is an adventurous collection of cinematic pop that closes with the 9-minute epic “Thunderstorm.” The song on the album that most resembles Sweet’s biggest hits is “Write Your Own Song,” a bitter, funny and catchy riposte to fickle fans and critics. “Sweet isn’t just making tidy date music here—he has something real to say about the passage of time and the wisdom that comes after youth,” Karen Schoemer wrote in the Rolling Stone review of In Reverse.
5. Catspaw (2021)
Given Sweet’s reputation for featuring virtuoso guitarists on his albums, one might mistakenly assume that Sweet prefers to stick to rhythm guitar. His most recent album Catspaw, however, is a strong argument to the contrary. With longtime drummer Ric Menck as the only other musician on the album, Sweet plays all the guitars, and rips impressive solos and soaring lead guitar melodies all over “Stars Explode” and “Hold on Tight.” In light of Sweet’s recent health issues, and his admission in a December 2024 letter to fans that he “may never play guitar again,” his inspired shredding on Catspaw is a bittersweet reminder of his instrumental talents. “Sweet continues to make heartbreak and heartache feel comfortable and pleasant like a warm blanket,” Russ Holsten wrote in the SLUG Magazine review of Catspaw.
4. Altered Beast (1993)
Released between his two most-popular albums, Altered Beast could be considered a somewhat dark and misunderstood entry in the Matthew Sweet catalog, even despite the strength of songs like “Devil with the Green Eyes” and “Knowing People.” In addition to Sweet’s usual cast of famous guitarists, Altered Beast boasts an all-star lineup of drummers from some of his favorite bands: Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, Jody Stephens of Big Star, and Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello & the Attractions.
3. Living Things (2004)
From the moment Doug Lacy’s steel drums open “The Big Cats of Shambala,” it’s immediately clear that Living Things is going to present a very different palette of sounds than most of Matthew Sweet’s other albums. Legendary multi-instrumentalist Van Dyke Parks (Beach Boys, Randy Newman) is a part of the lush, unpredictable sound of the album, along with longtime Sweet sideman Greg Leisz contributing lots of mandolin and mandola. Living Things still has rockers like the bass-driven “Dandelion,” but it’s texturally rich and inventive in a way that Sweet’s more guitar-driven records seldom attempt.
2. 100% Fun (1995)
Sweet thrived with his bright power pop sound during an era when brooding grunge bands dominated the charts. But one of grunge’s top producers, Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots), was a great foil for Sweet on two hard rocking efforts, 100% Fun and Blue Sky on Mars. With the former, Sweet got his highest-charting album as well as the only Hot 100 entry of his career, the bouncy and irresistible “Sick of Myself.” Despite any intended irony of the title, 100% Fun truly is a blast from front to black, and the stormy and ominous “Lost My Mind” is a rare instance when Lloyd and Quine played on the same song. “I especially like the slow ones, the Beach Boy harmonies at the end of ‘Not When I Need It,’” Jeff Salamon wrote in the SPIN review of 100% Fun.
1. Girlfriend (1991)
Producer and drummer Fred Maher (Lou Reed, Trip Shakespeare) had worked on Sweet’s second major label album, producing and co-writing a few tracks. And after the disappointment of 1989’s Earth, Sweet and Maher went back to square one with a more spontaneous and live-sounding record inspired by albums like the Beatles’ Revolver and Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, with heavy compression and old-fashioned hard panned stereo mixing. The outro of “Evangeline” features Richard Lloyd soloing wildly in the right channel and Sweet playing a second lead guitar line in the left channel. Robert Quine’s scorching solos leads on the title track and “Day for Night” threaten to upstage the artist whose name is on the cover. A sleeper hit that finally went gold in 1995, and continues to find fans decades later, Girlfriend is Sweet’s enduring classic.
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