Song · Sweet
“Love is Like Oxygen” by Sweet
From the album Level Headed (1977)
“Love is Like Oxygen” by Sweet appears on 13 radio countdowns from 9 stations between 1991 and 2025. It was first released in 1977 on the album Level Headed. Its best result is #166 on the WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #7,752 alternative song of all time.
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Sweet changed gears on "Love Is Like Oxygen", released as a single in January 1978, where the English glam rockers traded their usual guitar crunch for soaring high harmonies. Guitarist Andy Scott wrote it with Trevor Griffin, a musician who had knocked around in bands that never made it before turning roadie and sound engineer.
The album cut on Level Headed stretches to nearly seven minutes, 6:57 to be exact, with strings and a whiff of disco, while the single was an edited version. It was their first release on Polydor after leaving RCA, and it turned out to be their last top 10 hit, landing at number 8 in the United States and Canada, 9 in the UK and Australia and 4 in New Zealand. It was even nominated for Song of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards, losing out to Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street".
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1001 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1991 | 166 | WNEW-FM | WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) | 500 |
| 2002 | 851 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) | 923 |
| 2011 | 611 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) | 1100 |
| 2012 | 623 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2014 | 787 | Big 100 | BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2022 | 376 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
| 2022 | 372 | 100.7 KSLX | KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2022 | 791 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) | 1043 |
| 2023 | 990 | 101.5 WPDH | WPDH Top 1015 (2023) | 1015 |
| 2023 | 821 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) | 1043 |
| 2024 | 865 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) | 1043 |
| 2025 | 730 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) | 1043 |
Also listed as: Love Is Like Oxygen; Love Is Like Okygen.
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