[Verse 1]
I don’t wanna talk
About things we’ve gone through
Though it’s hurting me
Now it’s history

I’ve played all my cards
And that’s what you’ve done, too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play

[Chorus 1]
The winner takes it all
The loser’s standing small
Beside the victory
That’s her destiny

[Verse 2]
I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence

Building me a home
Thinking I’d be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules

[Chorus 2]
The gods may throw the dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear

The winner takes it all (Takes it all)
The loser has to fall (Has to fall)
It’s simple and it’s plain (It seems plain)
Why should I complain? (Why complain)

[Verse 3]
But tell me, does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name?

Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say?
Rules must be obeyed

[Chorus 3]
The judges will decide (They decide)
The likes of me abide (We abide)
Spectators of the show (Of the show)
Always staying low (Staying low)

“The Winner Takes It All” is a song recorded by the Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group’s Super Trouper album on 21 July 1980, it is a ballad in the key of F-sharp major, reflecting the end of a romance. The single’s B-side was the non-album track “Elaine“.

History

“The Winner Takes It All” – which had the original demo title “The Story of My Life” – was written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with Agnetha Fältskog singing the lead vocal.

Ulvaeus denies the song is about his and Fältskog’s divorce, saying the basis of the song “is the experience of a divorce, but it’s fiction. There wasn’t a winner or a loser in our case. A lot of people think it’s straight out of reality, but it’s not”.^[1] American critic Chuck Klosterman, who says “The Winner Takes It All” is “[the only] pop song that examines the self-aware guilt one feels when talking to a person who has humanely obliterated your heart” finds Ulvaeus’ denial hard to believe in light of the original title.^[2]

Track in ABBA Gold Greatest Hits MTV History 2000 in Halahup Invisible ,,The Winner Takes It All is 3:24 time.

Fältskog has also repeatedly stated that though “The Winner Takes It All” is her favorite ABBA song and that it has an excellent set of lyrics, the story is not that of her and Ulvaeus: there were no winners in their divorce, especially as children were involved.

In a 1999 poll for Channel 5, “The Winner Takes It All” was voted Britain’s favourite ABBA song. This feat was replicated in a 2010 poll for ITV. In a 2006 poll for a Channel Five programme, “The Winner Takes It All” was voted “Britain’s Favourite Break-Up Song.”

Music video

A music video to promote the song was filmed in July 1980 on Marstrand, an island on the Swedish west coast. It was directed by Lasse Hallström.

Reception

“The Winner Takes It All” was a major success for ABBA, hitting #1 in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom. It reached the Top 5 in Austria, Finland, France, West Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Zimbabwe, while peaking in the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain and the United States (where it became ABBA’s fourth and final American Top 10 hit, peaking at #8; the song spent 26 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, more than any other ABBA single).^[3] It was also the group’s second Billboard Adult Contemporary #1 (after “Fernando“).^[4] “The Winner Takes It All” was also a hit in Brazil: it was included on the soundtrack of “Coração Alado” (“Winged Heart”), a popular soap opera in 1980, as the main theme.

The track was listed as the 23rd most popular single on the US Billboard year-end chart for 1981.^[5]

The song is also featured in the ABBA-based musical and film, Mamma Mia! where it is performed by Meryl Streep.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Listen to ABBA: https://play.lnk.to/ABBA

Follow ABBA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABBA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbaofficial/

Read More About ABBA: http://www.abbasite.com/

(Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus)
© 1980 Polar Music International AB
Published by: Universal/Union Songs AB
Video produced by: Lasse Hallström

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
Can you hear the drums, Fernando?
I remember, long ago, another starry night like this
In the firelight, Fernando
You were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar

I could hear the distant drums, and sounds of bugle calls were coming from afar…

[Verse 2]
They were closer now, Fernando
Every hour, every minute seemed to last eternally
I was so afraid, Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die

And I’m not ashamed to say the roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry…

[Chorus 1]
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando

Though we never thought that we could lose
There’s no regret

If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando…

[Verse 3]
Now we’re old and grey, Fernando
Since many years I haven’t seen a rifle in your hand
Can you hear the drums, Fernando?
Do you still recall the frightful night we crossed the Rio Grande?

I can see it in your eyes, how proud you were to fight for freedom in this land…

[Chorus 2]
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando

Though I never thought that we could lose
There’s no regret

If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando…

[Chorus 3]
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando

Though I never thought that we could lose
There’s no regret

If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
Yes, if I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando…

“Fernando” is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the group’s first non-album single and was released in March 1976 through Polar Music. The track was featured on the 1976 compilation album Greatest Hits in most countries, but was included on the group’s fourth studio album Arrival in Australia and New Zealand. “Fernando” is also featured on the multi-million selling Gold: Greatest Hits compilation. The song was to become one of ABBA’s best-selling singles of all time, with six million copies sold in 1976 alone.^[1] It is one of fewer than forty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.

History

“Fernando” was not originally released as an ABBA song but by band member Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It was featured on her No. 1 Swedish solo album Frida ensam (1975). The song was composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and carried the working title of “Tango”. Preparations for recording began in August 1975. The writers made last-minute changes to the title before recording.^[2] The suggestion of the name “Fernando” was given by their limousine driver Peter Forbes in Shepperton, England.^{[citation needed]}

Swedish-language version

The original Swedish-language version’s lyrics were written by ABBA’s manager Stig Anderson and differ substantially from the English-language version. In the original, the narrator tries to console the heartbroken Fernando, who has lost his great love. “The sorrow can be hard to bear, but the fact that friends let us down is something we all have to cope with”. The chorus’ lyrics are: “Long live love, our best friend, Fernando. Raise your glass and propose a toast to it; to love, Fernando. Play the melody and sing a song of happiness. Long live love, Fernando”.

English-language version

The English version, with completely different lyrics by Björn Ulvaeus, presents a vision of nostalgia for two veterans reminiscing in old age about a long ago battle in which they participated. “I wrote all the songs as little stories. “Fernando” was about two old freedom-fighters from the war between Texas and Mexico. I was lying outside one summer night, looking at the stars and it suddenly came to me”.^[3] “I knew that the title ‘Fernando’ had to be there, and after pondering a while, I had this vivid image in my mind of two old and scarred revolutionaries in Mexico sitting outside at night talking about old memories”.^[3] The Mexican Revolution of 1910 began on 20 November of that year when a small force of revolutionaries led by Francisco Madero crossed the Rio Grande, from Texas to Mexico.^[4]

The B-side to “Fernando” was the song “Hey, Hey, Helen”, a track from the group’s self-titled third studio album (1975), although in some countries “Tropical Loveland” (also from the album ABBA) was used instead. Some copies of the single use “Rock Me” or “Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)” as a B-side.

Spanish-language version

The title and rhythm of the song made it an obvious choice for inclusion on ABBA’s Spanish album, Gracias Por La Música. The lyrics were translated into Spanish by Mary McCluskey and recorded at Polar Music Studio on 3 January 1980. The song was released as a promotional single in Spain. The lyrics, while adapted for rhythm and rhyme, carry the same sentiment and roughly the same meaning as the English version: “There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando. They were shining there for you and me, for liberty, Fernando” becomes “Something was around us perhaps of clarity Fernando, that shone for us two in protection, Fernando” (“Algo había alrededor quizá de claridad Fernando, que brillaba por nosotros dos en protección, Fernando”.)

Reception

“Fernando” would become one of ABBA’s best-selling singles upon its release in March 1976, topping the charts in at least 13 countries, and selling over 10 million copies worldwide.^[5] It was the longest-running No. 1 in Australian history (spending 14 weeks at the top and 40 weeks on the chart), and remained so for over 40 years, until it was surpassed by Ed Sheeran‘s “Shape of You“, which achieved 15 weeks at No. 1 in May 2017.^[6][7] “Fernando” also reached the top of the charts in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa and Switzerland. It was also a Top 5 hit in ABBA’s native Sweden (although Lyngstad’s version was No. 1 on Sweden’s radio chart for nine weeks), Finland, Norway, Spain, Canada and Rhodesia.

The track became ABBA’s fourth Top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 13. ^[8] It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, the first of two chart-toppers for ABBA on this chart (the second being “The Winner Takes It All“). The song remains an airplay staple on American radio stations specializing in the MOR, adult standards and easy listening formats.

“Fernando” was the fourth biggest single of 1976 in the UK.^[9] It spent 10 weeks in the UK Top 10 (more than any other ABBA single),^[10] and was also the second of three consecutive UK No. 1 singles for ABBA, after “Mamma Mia” and before “Dancing Queen“.^[11]

The song was also chosen as the “Best Studio Recording of 1975”, ABBA’s first international prize.

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Sales and certifications

Cover versions

• In the 1980s, the Dominican Merengue Pianist and Vocalist Ramón Orlando rewrote lyrics to “Fernando” as “Si tú crees que no te amo” (if you think I don’t love you).
• The Colombian duo, Angela & Consuelo, recorded a Spanish language version of Fernando in the 1970s.
• In 1976, Swedish singer Lena Andersson recorded a German language version of this song. Andersson was also signed to the Polar label and thus could use the original Anni-Frid Lyngstad/ABBA backing track produced by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. The German version is of particular interest to fans of the band since it contains a two bar long instrumental passage after the first chorus that was edited out from both the Swedish and the English-language versions.
• In 1976, Finnish saxophonist Seppo Rannikko recorded an instrumental version of “Fernando” in his album “Sahara” (only released as an LP), which also included an instrumental version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen“.
• In 1976, Paraguayan/Brazilian camp singer Perla covered “Fernando” on her album “Palabras de amor”. Perla also covered ABBA’s “Chiquitita” on her 1979 album.
• In 1976, French Canadian singer René Simard recorded a French language version of this song.
• In 1976, Czech singer Věra Špinarová recorded a Czech language version of this song.
• A Swedish country band called Nashville Train (which included some of ABBA’s own backing band members) also covered the song in 1977 on their album ABBA Our Way, released on the Polar Music label in Sweden.
• The Swedish singer Lotta Engberg has recorded a cover version of the Swedish language version of the song. The year was 1997, as her dansband recorded the song on the Tolv i topp album.
• The Swedish dansband Vikingarna has also recorded a cover version of the Swedish language version of the song.
• American actress/singer Audrey Landers (best known for her role on the TV series Dallas) recorded a cover of the song.
• U.S. musician/songwriter Pamela McNeill included a rendition of the song on her Tribute To ABBA album. Her husband, Dugan McNeill, helped produce the album.
• British dance tribute group Abbacadabra released a cover and several remixes of the song through Almighty Records in the late 1990s.
• A dance/pop cover of the song by Belgian group Sha-Na was released as a single in 1992.
• German eurodance group E-Rotic covered the song on their album Thank You for the Music.
• An electronica version by Bug Funny Foundation is included on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA.
• The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus recorded a cover of the song for their 1997 album ExtrABBAganza!.
• Local Seattle gay men’s chorus Captain Smartypants recorded a cover of the song for their album Undercover.
• New York jazz band Sex Mob covered the song for their 2000 album Solid Sender.
• Danish rock/pop duo Olsen Brothers recorded a cover for their 2003 album More Songs.
• The 2004 album ABBAMania 2 featured a cover by British TV actress Jane Danson.
• The German ABBA Mania compilation includes a cover of the song by Barbara Schöneberger and German comedian Dirk Bach.
• A cover of the song by Velvet Set can be found on the 2006 chill out music compilation ABBA Chill Out.
• Taiwanese singer Tracy Huang recorded an English cover of the song.
• A cover of the song by Finnish a cappella choral ensemble Rajaton can be found on their 2006 ABBA tribute album Rajaton Sings ABBA With Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
• The song was covered in a jazz/lounge music style by American group BNB on their 2008 album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.^[31]
• Australian rock band Audioscam covered the song on their 2008 album Abbattack. Samples from the album can be heard on their official MySpace page.^[32]
• Deborah Sasson (de) recorded “Fernando” for her 2012 album Deborah Sasson.
• Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby included a cover on their 2010 album, Two-Way Family Favourites, with Amy Rigby singing vocals.
• The von Trapps recorded a Swedish language version with Pink Martini, which appears on their 2014 album Dream a Little Dream.
• For Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, a 2018 screen musical based on the songs of ABBA and sequel to 2008’s Mamma Mia!, “Fernando” was covered by Cher.

Live cover performances

• Only a few lines of the song are sung briefly by the character of Donna in the Mamma Mia! musical. The song was originally to be featured in the musical as a flamboyant dance number, with Donna entertaining the clientele at the taverna, but was cut as it didn’t move the story along.^[33] In the movie adaptation, Meryl Streep, who plays Donna, is heard briefly humming a few notes of the song.
• The song has been performed live in English as a duet by Swedish singers Helen Sjöholm and Karin Glenmark.
• The song was sung on Australian Idol season 6 by Wes Carr during ABBA week. A recorded version of Carr’s version was included on the album Australian Idol Top 10:The Most Memorable songs from the series.
• Charo performed the song at her 1988 concert in Reno at Bally’s.

Appearances in other media

• ABBA perform parts of the song live in the film ABBA: The Movie (1977).
• During their 1981 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers would play the song over the PA system whenever star pitcher Fernando Valenzuela started games: it became strongly linked with “Fernandomania” and their eventual championship.
• The ABBA recording was featured in the films The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1993) and Muriel’s Wedding (1994).
• In 1976, the song was adapted, and performed by ABBA in this version, for use in a series of five television commercials promoting the National brand, used by the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. These were shown in countries where the brand-name “National” was still widely used by Matsushita.
• In the episode “That Disco Episode” of That ’70s Show, the characters Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti sang the song at the closing part of the show.
• In the episode “Water Park” of Malcolm in the Middle, the character Dewey dances to the song with the babysitter, who is played by Bea Arthur.
• In the episode “Epidemiology” of Community, the song plays over the loudspeakers for the episode’s climax. It is part of Dean Pelton’s playlist.
• The TV and film character Alan Partridge named his only son Fernando, having been a keen ABBA fan.

Listen to ABBA: https://play.lnk.to/ABBA

Follow ABBA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABBA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbaofficial/

Read More About ABBA: http://www.abbasite.com/

(Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus)
© 1982 Polar Music International AB
Published by: Universal/Union Songs AB
Video produced by: Kjell Sundvall and Kjell-Åke Andersson

[Verse 1]
Where are those happy days, they seem so hard to find
I tried to reach for you, but you have closed your mind
Whatever happened to our love? I wish I understood
It used to be so nice, it used to be so good

[Chorus]
So when you’re near me, darling, can’t you hear me, S. O. S
The love you gave me, nothing else can save me, S. O. S
When you’re gone, how can I even try to go on?
When you’re gone, though I try, how can I carry on?

[Verse 2]
You seem so far away, though you are standing near
You made me feel alive, but something died, I fear
I really tried to make it out, I wish I understood
What happened to our love – it used to be so good

[Chorus]
So when you’re near me, darling, can’t you hear me, S. O. S
The love you gave me, nothing else can save me, S. O. S
When you’re gone, how can I even try to go on?
When you’re gone, though I try, how can I carry on?

[Chorus]
So when you’re near me, darling, can’t you hear me, S. O. S
The love you gave me, nothing else can save me, S. O. S
When you’re gone, how can I even try to go on?
When you’re gone, though I try, how can I carry on?

[Outro]
When you’re gone, how can I even try to go on?
When you’re gone, though I try, how can I carry on?

“SOS” was the third single from Swedish pop group ABBA‘s self-titled 1975 album, their third for Polar Music and their second for Epic and Atlantic. It was released with “Man in the Middle” as the B-side. Agnetha Fältskog, who sang lead, recorded the song in Swedish on her 1975 solo album Elva kvinnor i ett hus. “SOS” was ABBA’s first major worldwide hit since “Waterloo“.

History

“SOS” (working title; “Turn Me On”) was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson and was recorded at Glen Studio in Långängen, Sweden on 22–23 August 1974.^[1] The title itself was coined by Stig, though the lyrics he provided were re-written by Ulvaeus. “SOS” was among the first of three songs recorded for the group’s 1975 album, ABBA.

The song is unique among pop songs of the period, opening with an unaccompanied classical keyboard in a subdued D-minor key. Unlike most ABBA tracks that preceded it, the vocal begins with an emotional solo performance by Fältskog. The descending chords and ominous Minimoog synthesizer melody line of the introduction set the tone for Fältskog’s vocals, sounding almost as if she were breaking down in tears. The song then transitions to a rock chorus in a major key, dominated by a distorted electric guitar and full vocals.

Despite the song’s catchiness, it was passed over as the lead single from the album; the track “So Long” was chosen instead. “So Long” was chosen primarily because it had the same uptempo beat as their 1974 hit single, “Waterloo“.

Lyricist Ulvaeus has said that, after three years of trying to figure out what style would define them, ABBA found its identity as a pop group with the release of “SOS”.^[2]

The song was the subject of one of the first pioneering music videos produced by director Lasse Hallström for the band. Much of the video is filmed from an overhead camera, as if from a tower or lighthouse, with the bandmates’ faces sometimes distorted, as though shot through a prism.^[3]

During the band’s first visit to the United States, ABBA performed “SOS” on the long-running television program American Bandstand on 15 November 1975.^[4]

ABBA performs the song live in the concert film ABBA: The Movie, Hallström’s first English-language feature film, filmed during the band’s tour of Australia in 1977.

ABBA performed the song on its 1979 tour of Europe and North America. While the track does not appear on the filmed record of that tour—released on DVD as “ABBA in Concert”—it is featured on the 2014 audio release, Live at Wembley Arena. For the first time on that tour, vocalists Fältskog and Lyngstad traded the line “when you’re gone” responsively at the song’s climax.

Music video

The promotional video was directed by Lasse Hallström and released in the same year, along with the single.^[5] The music video features the quartet miming to the song outside and utilizes distortion effects achieved by mirrors. It was later uploaded to YouTube on 8 October 2009 under the channel AbbaVEVO, and has more than 40 million views as of June 2017.^[6]

Reception

“SOS” marked a huge turnaround in ABBA’s fortunes, most notably in the UK and Ireland, where it returned the group to the Top 10 for the first time since “Waterloo“. Reaching #6 and #4 respectively, “SOS” started a run of 18 consecutive Top 10 hits for ABBA in the UK and Ireland.^[7][8] “SOS” reached #1 in Australia, Belgium, France, West Germany (where it spent 7 weeks at the top), New Zealand and South Africa, and was a Top 3 hit in Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy (where it became ABBA’s most successful hit), Mexico, Rhodesia and Switzerland. The song also became ABBA’s second Top 20 hit in the United States, peaking at #15 (due to the single charting in the U.S. before “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do“, whereas elsewhere “SOS” charted afterwards).^[9]

Chicago radio station WLS, which gave “SOS” much airplay, ranked the song as the 61st biggest hit of 1975.^[10] It peaked at number six on their survey of 22 November 1975.^[11]

“SOS” is one of the most-covered of ABBA’s songs. It has been recorded and performed in concert by several prominent artists, including John Frusciante, Peter Cetera, Chris deBurgh, and Portishead.

The track has a number of music industry devotees. The Who guitarist Pete Townshend has said “SOS” is one of the best pop songs ever written,^[1] adding that when he first heard the song he “was transported by it”.^[12]

Ray Davies of The Kinks said that he was taken with the song after seeing the group perform it on the BBC television show Seaside Special.^[13]

American singer-songwriter and former Czars frontman John Grant has called “SOS” “one of the greatest pieces of music ever made”, adding that Agnetha Fältskog‘s “perfect” lyrical interpretation and emotional delivery is “a beautiful thing”.^[2]

British conductor and producer Charles Hazlewood called the song’s “supersonic” transition from an acoustic D-minor key to an electric rock motif “absolutely genius”.^[2]

ABBA’s performance of “SOS” on American Bandstand in 1975 has been included on lists of the most significant performances in the show’s 31 seasons by several reviewers and critics. Bill Lamb put the song at number five,^[14] as did Alicia Diaz Dennis^[15] and Andres Jauregui.^[16]

To date the song is the only Hot 100 single (or #1 single in Australia^[17]) in which both the title and the credited act (and also the musical genre) are palindromes.^[18]

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Year-end charts

Agnetha Fältskog’s version

Agnetha Fältskog‘s version was the second single from her fifth Swedish solo-album Elva kvinnor i ett hus (Eleven Women In One House). It was the only song from this album not to have been composed by Fältskog herself.

Despite the fact that Fältskog never promoted the single in Sweden, it peaked at No. 4 on the singles chart on 1 January 1976 during a 20-week chart run, and it also became Fältskog’s third No. 1 on radio chart Svensktoppen, entering the chart on 22 November 1975 and spending a total of eleven weeks on the listing.

The B-side of the single, “Visa I Åttonde Månaden” (Song In The Eighth Month) was a song written from a very personal perspective, as it was composed during Fältskog’s pregnancy with daughter Linda Ulvaeus in 1973.

Other cover versions

• Dance covers of the song have been recorded by Abbacadabra (through Almighty Records), German Eurodance group E-Rotic on their album Thank You For The Music,^[34] The Element on the Lay All Your Love On ABBA compilation, Angeleyes on their album ABBAdance, Euphorica on their 2003 album ABBA Dance,^[35] Les Blue Belles, Kyria, and DJ Ensamble on the 2006 album Trancing Queen.^[36]
• An electronica version by Radha Kali is included on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA.
• Finnish rock group The Rasmus recorded a cover of the song for the 2006 compilation Come Together – A Tribute to BRAVO. An audio sample can be heard on the official German website for the compilation.^[37]
• American singer/songwriter Pamela McNeill covers it on her album Tribute To ABBA, which was produced by her husband Dugan McNeill.
• Swedish studio musicians The Black Sweden included a version of the song on their ABBA tribute album Gold. This version includes a riff from the Kiss song “God of Thunder”.
• Alternative U.K. band Th’ Faith Healers recorded a cover of the song.
• Canadian rock band Harem Scarem recorded a cover of the song.
• Indie artists Brad Sucks and The Hip Cola recorded an acoustic version that was available for download on the Internet.
• In 1975, Swedish soprano Lena Andersson released a German-language version as a single, which used the original backing track.
• In 1975, French musician Marie released a French-language version as a single.
• In 1976, Czech singer Jana Giergielová released a Czech-language version as a single.
• Released in the early 1980s, the “Stars on 45 Medley 2″ started off with a bunch of 60’s songs then ended the last third with several ABBA tracks. This section of the medley kicked off with “SOS”, followed by “Money, Money, Money”/”Knowing Me, Knowing You”/”Fernando”/”The Winner Takes It All”/”Super Trouper”.
• In 1988, Kees Zaaijer released a fully synthesized version of “SOS”, which he recorded using the up-and-coming Commodore 64 synth.
• In 1989, Canadian new wave band Men Without Hats released a cover on their album The Adventures of Women & Men Without Hate in the 21st Century.
• In 1990, Los Angeles indie band Celebrity Skin released a version on their album Melting Pot.
• In 1991, Norwegian rock group Israelvis released a cover on their album We Only Live Twice.
• In 1992, Swedish band Stonecake released a version on the compilation ABBA: The Tribute..
• In 1992, the song was covered on Erasure‘s Abba-esque EP.
• In 1995, Russian black metal band Trizna included a cover of the song on their album Out of Step. It was also later included on their 1996 album Need For Speed.
• In 1995, Peter Cetera released a cover version of the song as a duet with singer Ronna Reeves on his album One Clear Voice. The song was also included on the 1999 compilation ABBA: A Tribute – The 25th Anniversary Celebration.
• The 1995 New Zealand compilation Abbasalutely includes a cover by the Able Tasmans.
• In 1996 British musician Hazell Dean released a version on her tribute album The Winner Takes It All.
• In 1998, alternative band The Fire Apes covered the song for their album A Perfect Day For Bananafish.^[38]
• In 1999, the Swedish pop group A-Teens did a cover of “SOS” for their debut album, The ABBA Generation.
• In 2000, the ska band Mad Caddies covered “SOS” on their The Holiday Has Been Cancelled EP.
• In 2000, German neo-classical metal band At Vance recorded a version for their album Heart of Steel.
• In 2001, 2 dance covers of the song by Donna Burke were included on the Japanese import ABBA Ibiza Caliente Mix compilation.
• In 2001, the tribute album ABBAMetal (also released as A Tribute to ABBA) included a heavy metal version by German band Paradox.
• In 2001, Serbian punk rock band KBO! recorded a version on their cover album (Ne) Menjajte Stanicu ((Do Not) Change The Station)
• In 2002, the Meat Purveyors covered the song on their album, All Relationships Are Doomed to Fail.
• In 2003, American artist Lionel’s Dad (a.k.a. Mark Towner Williams) covered the song for his album Break The Normal.^[39]
• In 2004, the song was covered by TV actress Tricia Penrose on the British ABBAMania 2 album.
• In 2004, Joie Starr released a version on Abbalicious, a 2004 compilation album performed by American drag queens.
• In 2004, Swedish musician Nils Landgren covered the song on his album Funky ABBA.
• On the 2005 German ABBA Mania compilation, the song was covered by Swiss actress/model/singer Michelle Hunziker.
• In 2005, the song was covered by indie band Dodd Ferrelle and The Tin Foil Stars on their album The Murder of Love.^[40]
• In 2006, American indie band Masonic recorded a cover of the song for their album Without Warning. A sample can be heard on their official website.^[41]
• In 2007, the song was covered by Dutch rock singer/musician Robby Valentine on his album Falling Down In Misanthropolis.
• In 2007, an acoustic cover of the song by indie band Nekked was included on their album A Barrier of Skin.^[42]
• In 2008, the song was covered in a jazz/lounge music style by American group BNB on their album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.^[43]
• Tribute band Gabba (band) recorded a cover of the song, in the style of The Ramones. A sample can be heard on their official website.^[44]
• The song is performed in the Mamma Mia! musical. In the context of the musical, the song is sung by Sam and Donna when they are expressing desire for each other, unbeknownst to each other. In the 2008 Mamma Mia! film adaptation, the song is performed by Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.
• American indie band Divorcee recorded a cover which was available for download on the Internet.
• Indie band Mortimer Bustos recorded a cover of the song. An audio sample was available on their official MySpace page in the past.
• The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded an instrumental cover of the song.^[45]
• In 2009, a DNA-repair themed scientific reprise of the song appeared in the journal Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education^[46][47]
• In 2009, the song was covered by Eurobeat label Eurogrooves on the album Super Eurobeat 198.
• Versant released a cover of the song on 9 October 2009
• In 2011, Chris De Burgh covered the song on his album Footsteps 2.
• Marina Prior recorded the song for her 2012 album Both Sides Now
• In 2013, The Headstones covered the song on their latest album Love + Fury.
• On the 2013 compilation album Soldans på din grammofon Gyllene Tider (featuring Per Gessle of Roxette fame) released a rehearsal room recording of the song recorded in 1980.^[48]
• In 2014, Fozzy covered the song on their album Do You Wanna Start a War.
• In 2015 Israeli electro pop duo The Young Professionals covered the song for their album remixes and cover^[49]
• In 2015, Portishead covered the song for the film High-Rise. In June 2016, on the eve of the Brexit referendum, an official video was released in honour of the recently murdered MP Jo Cox.^[50]

Live cover performances

• Former Chicago (band) lead singer Peter Cetera performed the song regularly on his One Clear Voice concert tour of 1995-96 ^[51] and again on tour in 2009-2010.^[52]
• An acoustic version of the song was recorded by American rock band Tonic for the radio program Andrew Denton Breakfast Show. Their cover was included on the 2000 compilation Andrew Denton’s Musical Challenge.
• In 2005, The Conway Sisters sang the song on Series 2 of The X Factor.
• The James Last Orchestra performed “SOS” on tour in 2006 as part of a big band ABBA tribute. The band’s performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall was recorded and released on CD and DVD.^[53]
• In 2006, Dizzy Reed played an instrumental piano version of the song as his solo spot in Stockholm on the Chinese Democracy Tour.
• In 2007, John Frusciante sung the song six times during a solo portion of Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts on the Stadium Arcadium tour.
• Chris de Burgh performed SOS regularly in concert in 2011 and 2012, and, at an April concert in her home town of Zermatt, Switzerland, de Burgh dedicated the song to Frida Lyngstad, who was in attendance.^[54]
• In 2012, James Arthur played an acoustic version of the song live on The X Factor (UK series 9) 24 November 2012.

Appearances in other media

• In 2000, “SOS” was the main theme song in Lukas Moodysson‘s film Tillsammans.
• In 2001, ABBA’s original version of “SOS” was used as the theme song of the Japanese TV drama Strawberry on the Shortcake. The song was re-released as a single, some twenty-five years after its original release, followed by a soundtrack album. Both the single and the album were successful on the Japanese charts, and the former became that year’s best-selling single by an international music act in Japan, selling some 130,000 copies.^[55] The following year “SOS” won a gold prize at the 17th Japan Gold Disc Awards in honor of its renewed commercial success.^[56]
• The song frequently used as bumper music for the radio program Coast to Coast AM.

Sampling/Influence on other songs

• Punk rock band the Sex Pistols used the riff of “SOS” as the introduction to their track “Pretty Vacant“.^[57] The chorus of “Pretty Vacant” was also inspired by “SOS”.
• In 1989, Austrian group Edelweiss used the melody behind “SOS” as part of their biggest-selling single “Bring Me Edelweiss”.

Listen to ABBA: https://play.lnk.to/ABBA

Follow ABBA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABBA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbaofficial/

Read More About ABBA: http://www.abbasite.com/

(Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
© 1975 Polar Music International AB
Published by: Universal/Union Songs AB
Video produced by: Lasse Hallström

[Verse 1]
No more carefree laughter
Silence ever after
Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes
Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye

[Chorus]
Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
There is nothing we can do, knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
We just have to face it, this time we’re through
This time we’re through, this time we’re really through, this time we’re through, we’re really through

Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go
I have to go, this time I have to go, this time I know

Knowing me, knowing you, it’s the best I can do…

[Verse 2]
Memories (memories), good days (good days), bad days (bad days)
They’ll be (they’ll be), with me (with me) always (always)
In these old familiar rooms children would play
Now there’s only emptiness, nothing to say

[Chorus]
Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
There is nothing we can do, knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
We just have to face it, this time we’re through
This time we’re through, this time we’re really through, this time we’re through, we’re really through

Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go
I have to go, this time I have to go, this time I know

Knowing me, knowing you, it’s the best I can do…

[Chorus]
Knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
There is nothing we can do, knowing me, knowing you (ah-haa)
We just have to face it, this time we’re through
This time we’re through, this time we’re really through, this time we’re through, we’re really through

Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go
I have to go, this time I have to go, this time I know

Knowing me, knowing you, it’s the best I can do…

“Knowing Me, Knowing You” is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with Anni-Frid Lyngstad singing the lead vocals. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of “Ring It In” and “Number 1, Number 1”. The song is featured on the group’s album Arrival, and also on the compilation Gold: Greatest Hits.

History

“Knowing Me, Knowing You” was recorded in 1976 at the Metronome studio in Stockholm and was released as a single in February 1977, becoming one of the group’s most successful hits. The B-side was “Happy Hawaii“, an arrangement of another ABBA song, “Why Did It Have to Be Me?”, but with a different lead vocalist and lyrics. “Knowing Me, Knowing You” was one of the first ABBA songs to deal with the break-up of a relationship. It predates the divorces of the ABBA members, as well as further break-up songs to come: “The Winner Takes It All“, “One of Us” and “When All Is Said and Done“. Group member Benny Andersson named “Knowing Me, Knowing You” as one of ABBA’s best recordings in a 2004 interview, along with “Dancing Queen“, “The Winner Takes It All” and “When I Kissed the Teacher“. “Conociéndome, Conociéndote” is the Spanish-language version of the song. It was included in the compilation Oro: Grandes Éxitos released in 1993.

Music video

The music video depicts the band against various colored backdrops singing while facing each other, turning away as a new line is sung. At the end of the video, the band’s female members are seen walking away through thick snow. The video was directed by future Academy Award nominee Lasse Hallström and is a landmark in his career alongside most other videos of the band which were directed by him.^[2]

Reception

“Knowing Me, Knowing You” proved to be one of ABBA’s most successful singles, hitting #1 in West Germany (ABBA’s sixth consecutive chart-topper there), the United Kingdom,^[3] Ireland, Mexico and South Africa,^[4] while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It was also a Top 10 hit in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and Norway. In the United States, it became ABBA’s sixth Top 20 single, peaking at #14 on the Hot 100, and also reached #7 on Billboard’s AC chart.

In the UK, “Knowing Me, Knowing You” was the biggest single of 1977.^[5] It also began a second run of three consecutive #1 singles for ABBA (followed by “The Name of the Game” and “Take a Chance on Me“), the group having already had three consecutive #1 hit singles in 1976.

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Cover versions

• A cover recorded in 1977 by the Top of the Poppers appears on the 2002 compilation album Knowing Me, Knowing You.
• The Paraguayan singer Perla recorded a Spanish version, Conociendonos Mas for the 1977 album Relaciones Internacionales.
• Czech singer Věra Špinarová recorded a Czech version, Slunečné pobřeží (meaning Sunny Beach in Bulgaria), in 1977.
• The French conductor Franck Pourcel recorded an instrumental version for his 1978 album Pourcel meets Abba.
• British singer Cilla Black recorded a cover for her 1980 album Especially For You.
• Swedish pop group A-Teens included the song as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their debut album The ABBA Generation.
• Danish singer Sanne Salomonsen recorded her own cover of the song for the 1992 Swedish tribute album ABBA – The Tribute, released on the Polar Music label.
• American power pop band Wondermints included a cover of the song on their 1996 album Wonderful World Of The Wondermints.
• Marshall Crenshaw released a live version on his 1994 album “Live …My Truck Is My Home“.
• Evan Dando, former lead singer of The Lemonheads, recorded an acoustic version of the song which was included on the album ABBA: A Tribute – The 25th Anniversary Celebration released in 1999.
• Right Said Fred covered the song on the German album ABBA Mania which was a tie-in to a TV special in Germany.
• Swedish musician Nils Landgren included a rendition of the song on his 2004 tribute album Funky ABBA.
• A version by Swedish heavy metal band Tad Morose was included on the ABBA tribute compilation ABBAMetal (also released as A Tribute to ABBA).
• The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded an instrumental version of the song.
• Richard Clayderman played an instrumental version on his album The ABBA Collection.
• In 2016, former The Mission-guitarist Mark Thwaite released a cover of the song, featuring Ville Valo, lead singer of HIM.

Live cover performances and appearances in other media

• Brief clips from the original ABBA recording features in the film ABBA: The Movie (1977), whilst Ashley is stuck in a traffic jam; it is presumably coming from the radio of another car.
• Live versions have been performed by various artists including Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Norwegian singer/actress Anneli Drecker, Swedish band Eskobar, Canadian singer Ron Sexsmith and American singer Marshall Crenshaw.
• The song is also performed in the musical Mamma Mia! by the character of Sam. In the context of the musical, the song is used as Sam’s description of his failed marriage.
• The song is the theme of the Steve Coogan 1990’s comic vehicle Knowing Me, Knowing You… with Alan Partridge.

[Verse 1]
My, my, at Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf
Is always repeating itself

[Chorus]
Waterloo – I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo – Promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo – Couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Waterloo – Knowing my fate is to be with you

Woah, oh, oh, oh, Waterloo – Finally facing my Waterloo

[Verse 2]
My, my, I tried to hold you back but you were stronger
Oh yeah, and now, it seems my only chance is giving up the fight
And how could I ever refuse?
I feel like I win when I lose

[Chorus]
Waterloo – I was defeated, you won the war
Waterloo – Promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo – Couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Waterloo – Knowing my fate is to be with you

Woah, oh, oh, oh, Waterloo – Finally facing my Waterloo

[Hook]
So how could I ever refuse?
I feel like I win when I lose

[Outro]
Waterloo – Couldn’t escape if I wanted to
Waterloo – Knowing my fate is to be with you
Woah, oh, oh, oh, Waterloo – Finally facing my Waterloo…

Waterloo – Knowing my fate is to be with you
Woah, oh, oh, oh, Waterloo – Finally facing my Waterloo…

“Waterloo” is the first single from the Swedish pop group ABBA‘s second album, Waterloo and their first under the Epic and Atlantic labels. This was also the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA.

On 6 April 1974 the song was the winning entry for Sweden in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The victory began ABBA’s path to worldwide fame. The Swedish version of the single was a double A-side with “Honey, Honey” (Swedish version), while the English version usually featured “Watch Out” on the B-side.

The single became a No. 1 hit in several countries. It reached the U.S. Top 10 and went on to sell nearly six million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

At the 50th anniversary celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005, it was chosen as the best song in the competition’s history.^[4]

Writing and meaning

“Waterloo” was written specifically to be entered into the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, after the group finished third with “Ring Ring” the previous year in the Swedish pre-selection contest, Melodifestivalen 1973.

The original title of the song was “Honey Pie”. “Waterloo” was originally written with simultaneous rock music and jazz beats (unusual for an ABBA song).

“Waterloo” is about a woman who “surrenders” to a man and promises to love him, referencing Napoleon‘s surrender at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

At Eurovision

The band considered submitting another song to Eurovision, “Hasta Mañana“, but decided on “Waterloo” since it gave equal weight to both lead vocalists Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, while “Hasta Mañana” was sung only by Fältskog.

ABBA performed the song at Melodifestivalen 1974 in February, singing it in Swedish. The song won, and therefore advanced to Eurovision.

The song differed from the standard “dramatic ballad” tradition of the Eurovision Song Contest by its flavour and rhythm, as well as by its performance. ABBA gave the audience something that had never been seen before in Eurovision: flashy costumes (including silver platform boots), plus a catchy uptempo song and even simple choreography. The group also broke from convention by singing the song in a language other than that of their home country; prior to “Waterloo” all Eurovision singers had been required to sing in their country’s native tongue, a restriction that was lifted briefly for the 1974 and 1975 contests (thus allowing “Waterloo” to be sung in English), then reinstated before ultimately being removed again in 1998. Compared to later ABBA releases, the singers’ Swedish accents are decidedly more pronounced in “Waterloo”.

The song won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 final on 6 April by six points.

Reception

The song shot to No. 1 in the UK and stayed there for two weeks, becoming the first of the band’s nine UK No. 1’s, and the 16th biggest selling single of the year in the UK.^[5] It also topped the charts in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and ABBA’s native Sweden. (The song was immensely popular in Sweden, but did not reach No. 1 there due to Sweden having a combined Album and Singles Chart at the time: at the peak of the song’s popularity, its Swedish and English versions reached No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, while the No. 1 spot was held by the album Waterloo.) The song also spent 11 weeks on Svensktoppen (24 March – 2 June 1974), including 7 weeks at No. 1.^[6]

Unlike other Eurovision-winning tunes, the song’s appeal transcended Europe: “Waterloo” also reached the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Rhodesia and the United States (peaking at No. 6). The Waterloo album performed similarly well in Europe, although in the US it failed to match the success of the single.

ABBA had originally cited the song “See My Baby Jive“, by English glam rock band Wizzard, as a major influence; in the wake of their Eurovision victory, they were quoted as saying that it would not surprise them if artists such as Wizzard would consider entering the Eurovision in the future.

Legacy

“Waterloo” was re-released in 2004 (with the same B-side), to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision win, reaching No. 20 on the UK charts.

On 22 October 2005, at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest, “Waterloo” was chosen as the best song in the competition’s history.^[4]

Dr. Harry Witchel, physiologist and music expert at the University of Bristol, named “Waterloo” the quintessential Eurovision song.^[7]

Track listing

Swedish version

a. “Waterloo” (Swedish version) – 2:45
b. “Honey Honey” (Swedish version) – 2:55

English version

a. “Waterloo” (English version) – 2:46
b. “Watch Out” – 3:46

Official versions

• “Waterloo” (English version)
• “Waterloo” (English alternate version)
• “Waterloo” (French version) – recorded 18 April 1974 in Paris, France
• “Waterloo” (French/Swedish version) – overdubs of French and Swedish versions
• “Waterloo” (German version)
• “Waterloo” (Swedish version)

Release history

Chart performance

Chart succession

Cover versions

• In 1974, both Seija Simola and Ami Aspelund each recorded a Finnish-language cover version of “Waterloo” whose lyrics were written by Simola; that summer Simola’s recording of “Waterloo” reached the Top 10 in Finland during the same period the ABBA original was at No. 1.
• In 1974 Sarolta Zalatnay recorded the Hungarian verson of this song as Waterloo
• In 1974, Danish duo Lecia & Lucienne covered the song with Danish lyrics written by Gustav Winckler. These lyrics were largely a direct translation of the original Swedish lyrics written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson.
• In 1978, a Swedish country band called Nashville Train (which included some of ABBA’s own backing band members) covered the song on their album ABBA Our Way.
• 1970s Hong Kong pop band The Wynners recorded a cover of the song. It was last included on their 2007 compilation Stars on 33.
• In 1986, a cover version of the song was recorded and released by Doctor and the Medics,^[30] with special guest Roy Wood on saxophone and backing vocals, reached No. 45 on the UK chart.
• In 1995, Swedish metal band Nation recorded a version for their album Without Remorse. It would later be released on the compilation ABBAMetal (also released as A Tribute to ABBA).
• In 1995, New Zealand alternative rock band Cloth recorded a version for the compilation Abbasalutely.
• Spanish rock band Los Enemigos recorded an English cover of the song for their 1995 album Por la Sombra Hermana Amnesia.
• In 1998, the original line-up of UK girl group Bananarama reunited to record “Waterloo” for the Eurovision parody A Song For Eurotrash on Channel 4. Their music video featured the girls waking up from a hang-over, dancing around in wedding dresses at an altar (with male back-up dancers in military uniform), and getting into a food fight at a wedding reception. The song was included on the 1999 compilation, ABBA – A Tribute: The 25th Anniversary Celebration.
• In 1998, Swedish heavy metal band Black Ingvars covered “Waterloo” in Swedish on their 1998 album Schlager Metal.
• In 1999, ABBA tribute pop group Arrival released a version on their album First Flight.
• Dance versions of the song have been recorded by Abbacadabra (released through Almighty Records), Tiny T on the Lay All Your Love On ABBA tribute album, German Eurodance group E-Rotic on their 1997 Thank You For The Music album and the 1998 compilation Dancemania Covers 2, Baby Dolls (in 1991), and the Golden Queens.
• Singer/songwriter Pamela McNeill covered the song on her album Tribute To ABBA.
• In 2004, the song was performed by Michelle Hardwick, Vickie Gates, and Will Mellor for the tribute album ABBAMania 2.
• German pop group Banaroo covered the song for the German ABBA Mania compilation, which coincided with a TV special.
• In 2005, The Dan Band recorded a cover of Waterloo as part of an ABBA medley for his album The Dan Band Live.
• In 2006, a cover of the song by Finnish a cappella choral ensemble Rajaton was released on their ABBA tribute album Rajaton Sings ABBA With Lahti Symphony Orchestra.
• California indie band Popdudes, featuring Kenny Howes, included a cover of the song on their album Maximum Rock Stupidity. It is also featured on the 2006 power pop compilation International Pop Overthrow – Volume 9.^[31]
• Tribute band Gabba recorded a cover of the song, in the style of The Ramones.^[32]
• Danish duo Olsen Brothers (winners of the Eurovision contest in 2000) covered the song on their 2010 album Wings of Eurovision.
• Lenna Kuurmaa and Tanel Padar recorded a cover of the song in Estonian.
• Philipp Kirkorov recorded a cover of the song in Russian for album “Ya”.

Live cover performances

• The song is featured in the encore of the musical Mamma Mia!. The song does not have a context or a meaning. It is just performed as a musical number in which members of the audience are encouraged to get up off their seats and sing, dance and clap along.
• The song is performed over the closing credits of the film Mamma Mia!, but is not featured on the official soundtrack.
• Australian pop singer Chris Thornett performed it live on the Australian talk show Rove.
• The song was sung on Australian Idol season 6 by Mark Spano during Abba week.
• The song was performed by previous Eurovision Song Contest winners Ell & Nikki, Lena, Alexander Rybak, Dima Bilan, and Marija Šerifović during the Second Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• The song finished a medley of Eurovision songs in the 2015 special Eurovision’s Greatest Hits, starting as a duet by former winners Dana International and Conchita Wurst before the rest of the special’s performers (minus Loreen) joined them for the chorus.

Appearances in other media

• ABBA perform parts of the song live in the 1977 film ABBA: The Movie.
• The Australian film Muriel’s Wedding (1994), features “Waterloo” in a pivotal scene in which lead Toni Collette bonds with the character played by Rachel Griffiths. The film’s soundtrack, featuring five ABBA tracks, is widely regarded as having helped to fuel the revival of popular interest in ABBA’s music in the mid-1990s.^[33]
• “Waterloo” features prominently in the 2015 science-fiction film The Martian.^[34] The song plays as the film’s lead, played by Matt Damon, works to ready his launch vehicle for a last-chance escape from Mars.^[35]
• “Here I Go Again”, The 11th episode of the 3rd season of Legends of Tomorrow (February 19, 2018) begins in medias res, with the titual time-traveling team having apparently just restored a time-transplanted Napoleon from the 1970’s, where he had come into possession of a copy of the record^[36]. The song is also stuck in the head of one member of the team, until he erases his own memory to get it out.

[Verse 1]
I’ve been cheated by you since I don’t know when
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Look at me now, will I ever learn?
I don’t know how, but I suddenly
Lose control
There’s a fire within my soul…

Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything, woah-oh oh-oh

[Chorus 1]
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I’ve missed you

Yes, I’ve been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?

Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I could never let you go

[Verse 2]
I’ve been angry and sad about things that you do
I can’t count all the times that I’ve told you we’re through

[Pre-Chorus 2]
And when you go, when you slam the door
I think you know that you won’t be
Away too long
You know that I’m not that strong…

Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything, woah-oh oh-oh

[Chorus 2]
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I’ve missed you

Yes, I’ve been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?

Mamma mia, even if I say
Bye bye, leave me now or never
Mamma mia, it’s a game we play
Bye bye doesn’t mean forever

[Chorus 1]
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I’ve missed you

Yes, I’ve been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?

Mamma mia, now I really know
My my, I could never let you go…

“Mamma Mia” is a song recorded by the Swedish pop group ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It is the opening track on the group’s third album, the self-titled ABBA. The song’s name is derived from Italian, where it is an interjection used in situations of surprise, anguish, or excitement, which corresponds to the English interjection “my” but literally means “My mommy”. The interjection “my my” can indeed be found in some lines within the song.

History and impact

The distinctive sound at the start of the song is the marimba.^[1] According to biographer Carl Magnus Palm, the instrument was incorporated at the last minute, added after Benny Andersson found it in the studio and decided its “tick tock” rhythm was perfect for the track.^[2]

“Mamma Mia” was written at the home of Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, and was the last track recorded for the album ABBA. It was one of four songs from the album to have a music video made to promote the album. Initially, however, “Mamma Mia” was never intended for release as a single.^[1] Around this time, many artists were recording ABBA songs (such as “Honey, Honey” and “Bang a Boomerang“), similarly ABBA offered “Mamma Mia” to British pop group Brotherhood of Man, who turned it down.^[3]

“I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” topped the Australian charts for three weeks; however, the promo clip for “Mamma Mia” proved the more popular after repeat screenings on Australian television, notably Molly Meldrum‘s Countdown. ABBA’s Australian record company, RCA, asked that “Mamma Mia” be released as a single but Polar Music refused.^[4] However, Stig Anderson agreed to this; “Mamma Mia” was released in Australia in August 1975, where it spent 10 weeks at number one.^[1]

After this success in Australia, Epic Records in the United Kingdom took notice of ABBA for the first time since Eurovision and “Waterloo“. From then on, Epic began to heavily promote ABBA’s singles with the immediate result of “S.O.S.” reaching the Top 10 in the important British market, their first hit since “Waterloo“. “Mamma Mia” soon followed, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart in January 1976, the second of ABBA’s 18 consecutive Top 10 singles there.^[1]

The B-side for the Australian release of “Mamma Mia” was “Hey, Hey Helen”. In most other countries the B-side was the instrumental “Intermezzo Number 1”. ABBA’s British label Epic selected “Tropical Loveland” as the B-side for the UK release, feeling another vocal track, especially one showcasing ABBA in a different musical style, would better promote the parent album.

Track listing

International single

1. “Mamma Mia”
2. “Intermezzo No. 1“

UK single

1. “Mamma Mia”
2. “Tropical Loveland”

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

A-Teens version

“Mamma Mia” became the first single by the A-Teens which was released as the debut single from the album The ABBA Generation. The song is a cover version of the popular hit by ABBA. Unlike the original, this version leaves out the second refrain “Mamma Mia, even if I say, Bye bye, leave me now or never; Mamma Mia, it’s a game we play, Bye bye, doesn’t mean forever.”

When the single came out in the spring of 1999, it became a smash hit in their home country, Sweden, where it peaked at number-one and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks earning a platinum certification.^[21]

On the initial pressings of the single, the name of the band appeared as ABBA*Teens, but Universal Music Group thought it would be better to change the name of the band to A-Teens so the new pressings of the single were made.

The single reached the top twenty in almost every European country, reaching number three in Norway, number nine in Switzerland and the Netherlands, number ten in Germany, number twelve in the United Kingdom, number fourteen in Austria and Finland, among others. A Spanish version of the song was recorded for promotion in Latin America and Spain.

Despite the worldwide success, the song failed to attract the Australian public, peaking at seventy-two on the ARIA Charts. The album flopped, and the A-Teens stopped releasing singles or albums in that country until the 2002 single “Can’t Help Falling in Love“. “Mamma Mia” also peaked at thirteen in New Zealand, but owing to the lack of success in Australia, the further singles were never released in that country either.

In the United States the single peaked at sixty-three on the Billboard Hot Single Sales Chart, becoming the band’s first single to chart in the country.^[22]

Music video

The music video was directed by Henrik Sylvén and was filmed in Sweden. It shows the A-Teens as waiters in an art exposition, and they are suppressed by the manager; but soon they discover that one of the paintings transports them to a party where the manager and patrons he’s helping also join in on the fun.

The video reached number one on several music channels, and was the main single outside the US, where “Dancing Queen” was used as the main single to promote the album.^[23]

Chart positions

• 1 (Argentina, Chile, Sweden)
• 3 (Norway, Ukraine)
• 9 (Bavaria, Netherlands, Switzerland)
• 10 (Germany)
• 12 (Mexico, United Kingdom)
• 13 (New Zealand)
• 14 (Austria, Finland)
• 51 (France)
• 72 (Australia)

Releases

European 2-Track CD Single

1. Mamma Mia [Radio Version] – 3:43
2. Mamma Mia [Extended Version] – 5:48

International Edition

1. Mamma Mia [Radio Version] – 3:43
2. Mamma Mia [Giuseppe Remix] – 5:35
3. Mamma Mia [Jam Lab Remix] – 3:56
4. Mamma Mia [Extended Version] – 5:48

U.K. CD1

1. Mamma Mia [Radio Version] – 3:45
2. Lay All Your Love On Me – 4:04
3. Mamma Mia [Karaoke Version] – 3:45

Video: Mamma Mia

U.K. CD2

1. Mamma Mia [Extended Version] – 5:48
2. Mamma Mia [The Bold & The Beautiful Glamourmix Edit] – 3:46
3. Mamma Mia [Trouser Enthusiasts’ Undying Dub] – 9:20

U.K. Cassette

1. Mamma Mia [Radio Version] – 3:45
2. Mamma Mia [Karaoke Version] – 3:45

U.S. CD Single

1. Mamma Mia [Radio Version] – 3:43
2. Mamma Mia [Extended Version] – 5:48

Promo CD

1. Mamma Mia – 3:43

12″ Vinyl Promo

1. A. Mamma Mia [The Bold & The Beautiful Glamourmix Edit] – 3:46
2. B. Mamma Mia [Extended Version] – 5:48

Live cover performances

• Taiwanese singer A-mei has performed the song live.
• The song is featured in the Mamma Mia! musical, and sung by the character of Donna. In the context of the musical, the song is used as Donna’s surprise at finding the three men she went out with at the same time. Donna explains how much pain the men caused her at the separation, but also in the song she explains how easily she can succumb to temptation. In the 2008 Mamma Mia! film adaptation, it is sung by Meryl Streep, who plays Donna. In both cases, the length of the song is exactly the same as the original, but like the A-Teens version (see above), the second refrain is omitted and the main refrain is sung twice in succession.
• Elena Temnikova, Russian singer, sang this song on the 2003 television show Star Factory.
• Miley Cyrus sang this song in 2005 in one of her Hannah Montana audition tapes^{[citation needed]}.
• The James Last Orchestra performed the song on tour in 2006 as part of a big band ABBA tribute. The band’s performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall was recorded and released on CD and DVD.^[24]
• The Phoenix Metropolitan Men’s Chorus sang “Mamma Mia” in a show entitled ExtrABBAganza that included almost all of the group’s greatest hits.
• The song was sung on Australian Idol Season 6 by Chrislyn Hamilton during ABBA week.
• The song has also been performed, but without the lyrics, by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.^[25]
• English-Irish pop band One Direction performed part of the song on their live concert in stockholm, Sweden^[26]

References and appearances in other media

• In 1980, a Spanish version of “Mamma Mia” was included on the album Gracias Por La Música.
• In 1999, a musical with the same name, Mamma Mia! (with an exclamation point to differentiate its name from the title track), opened in London’s West End, featuring many of ABBA’s songs and production has spread to many other countries, with more than 5,000 performances on Broadway alone. A film adaptation premiered in theaters in 2008.
• ABBA perform parts of the song live in the film ABBA: The Movie (1977).
• The song is featured in the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1993) which was made in Australia, the site of the single’s greatest success.
• The song can be heard in another Australian film Muriel’s Wedding (1994).
• The song can be heard in the That ’70s Show episode “No Quarter”. Jackie plays it trying to get to sleep, to the annoyance of Donna.
• In a second-season episode of the television drama Boston Legal, the character Ivan Tiggs, performed by Tom Selleck references the song in reaction to his fiance’s breaking into a line from Dancing Queen.^[27]
• The A-Teens cover is used as the opening theme of the German reality programme Frauentausch.
• On 5 December 2010, on a British poll of the nation’s favourite ABBA song, the song was placed at number 6.
• Aus TV series sent up this video in their second season in 1990 with Jane Turner and Gina Riley in the roles of Agnetha and Fredia respectively

Listen to ABBA: https://play.lnk.to/ABBA

Follow ABBA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABBA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbaofficial/

Read More About ABBA: http://www.abbasite.com/

(Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
© 1974 Polar Music International AB
Published by: Universal/Union Songs AB
Video produced by: Lasse Hallström

 Lyrics:

Listen to ABBA: https://play.lnk.to/ABBA

Follow ABBA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABBA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbaofficial/

Read More About ABBA: http://www.abbasite.com/

(Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson)
© 1974 Polar Music International AB
Published by: Universal/Union Songs AB
Video produced by: Lasse Hallström

[Chorus 1]
If you change your mind, I’m the first in line
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you’ve got no place to go, if you’re feeling down

If you’re all alone when the pretty birds have flown
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best and it ain’t no lie
If you put me to the test, if you let me try

Take a chance on me (That’s all I ask of you honey)
Take a chance on me…

[Verse 1]
We can go dancing (Ah-ah), we can go walking (Yeah)
As long as we’re together (As long as we’re together)…
Listen to some music (Ah-ah), maybe just talking (Yeah)
Get to know you better (Get to know you better)…

[Pre-Chorus 1]
‘Cos you know I’ve got:

So much that I wanna do, when I dream I’m alone with you, it’s magic
You want me to leave it there, afraid of a love affair
But I think you know…
That I can’t let go…

[Chorus 1]
If you change your mind, I’m the first in line
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you’ve got no place to go, if you’re feeling down

If you’re all alone when the pretty birds have flown
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best and it ain’t no lie
If you put me to the test, if you let me try

Take a chance on me (Come on, give me a break, will you?)
Take a chance on me…

[Verse 2]
Oh, you can take your time, baby (Ah-ah), I’m in no hurry (Yeah)
Know I’m gonna get ya (Know I’m gonna get ya)…
You don’t wanna hurt me (Ah-ah), baby don’t worry (Yeah)
I ain’t gonna let you (I ain’t gonna let ya)…

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Let me tell you now:

My love is strong enough to last when things are rough, it’s magic
You say that I waste my time, but I can’t get you off my mind
No, I can’t let go…
‘Cause I love you so…

[Chorus 2]
If you change your mind, I’m the first in line
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
If you need me, let me know, gonna be around
If you’ve got no place to go, if you’re feeling down

If you’re all alone when the pretty birds have flown
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best, baby, can’t you see
Gotta put me to the test, take a chance on me (Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on me)

[Outro]
Ba-ba ba-ba ba, ba-ba ba-ba baa
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best, baby, can’t you see
Gotta put me to the test, take a chance on me (Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on me)

Ba-ba ba-ba ba, ba-ba ba-ba baa
Honey, I’m still free – take a chance on me
Gonna do my very best, baby, can’t you see
Gotta put me to the test, take a chance on me (Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance on me)…

“Take a Chance on Me” is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album ABBA: The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as Gold: Greatest Hits.

History

	“Take a Chance on Me”

The working title of “Take a Chance on Me” was “Billy Boy”. Written and recorded in 1977 by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, it opens as a cold intro and was sung by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, with Fältskog delivering the solo passages. It has a constant uptempo throughout the entire recording. It was one of ABBA’s first singles in which their manager Stig Anderson did not lend a hand in writing the lyrics, firmly establishing Andersson and Ulvaeus as a songwriting partnership.

The song’s origins sprang from Ulvaeus, whose hobby was running. While running, he would sing a “tck-a-ch”-style rhythm to himself over and over again, which then evolved into “take-a-chance” and the eventual lyrics.^[1] The song’s B-side was “I’m a Marionette“, which, like “Thank You for the Music” and “I Wonder (Departure)” (the B-side to their previous single, “The Name of the Game“), was intended to be part of a mini-musical entitled The Girl With the Golden Hair that Andersson and Ulvaeus had planned, but ultimately shelved.

Reception

“Take a Chance on Me” proved to be one of ABBA’s most successful chart hits, becoming the group’s seventh UK #1 (their third consecutive chart-topper in the country after “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and “The Name of the Game“).^[2] It was also ABBA’s final #1 in the UK of the 1970s, and gives the group the distinction of being the act with the most chart-topping singles of the 1970s in the UK.

“Take a Chance on Me” also topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, Ireland and Mexico, and was a Top 3 hit in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Rhodesia, Switzerland, and the United States (also reaching #9 on the AC chart), where it allegedly sold more copies than “Dancing Queen“. “Take a Chance on Me” also reached the Top 10 in France, Norway and South Africa.^[3]

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Certifications

Erasure cover version

The track was covered by English synthpop duo Erasure in 1992, as part of their Abba-esque EP, with an additional ragga-style toast performed by MC Kinky added to the song. The cover topped the UK Singles Chart for 5 weeks in 1992. In the United States, it reached number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.^[15] Although it had earned enough charting points to reach the publication’s main Hot 100 chart, it was not eligible to enter as it had not been released commercially as a single.^[16]

Critical reception

Billboard wrote about the song: “Venerable U.K. pop/dance duo lovingly covers a favorite from now-legendary Swedish pop act Abba’s catalog. Track maintains the cool kitsch of the original, while giving it electro-hip instrumentation and a jolting-but-pleasing toast interlude by MC Kinky. A must for adventurous popsters, while remixes have considerable club potential. From the “Abbaesque” EP.”^[17]

Music video

Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell played dual roles – as themselves and in drag (Clarke as Fältskog and Bell as Lyngstad) – in a music video heavily influenced by ABBA’s original. MC Kinky (aka. Caron Geary), who sings the reggae/dancehall rap part, also appears in an interlude in the video.

A-Teens version

“Take a Chance on Me” was an A-Teens promo single from their debut album The ABBA Generation, a cover of the ABBA song of the same name. Universal Music Spain released the song on Spanish radio, hoping to promote the band in Spain in the early 2000s. The song also became part of the Head Over Heels motion picture soundtrack in 2001. Unlike the original, this version omits the lines “Gonna do my very best, baby can’t you see? Gotta put me to the test, take a chance on me” from the second refrain and replaces them with the last two lines from the usual refrain.

Music video

A music video features the band at an indoor go-kart track, complete with neon lights, and the band is seen racing as they perform the song.^[18]

Other cover versions

• British synthpop duo Erasure earned an award from the UK Singles Chart for their release of Abba-esque, an ABBA cover EP that included a cover version of “Take a Chance on Me”.
• Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1982 album Chipmunk Rock.
• The song has been covered by Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band^[19]
• An a cappella version was recorded by the Belgian vocal group Voice Male for their 1999 album Colors.^[20]
• A pop/dance cover of the song by J’Nae Fincannon was included on the 2000 compilation Tokahits.^[21]
• Swedish musician Nils Landgren includes a version on his 2004 tribute album Funky ABBA.^{[citation needed]}
• The song was covered by Cashetta on the 2004 album Abbalicious, a compilation of ABBA covers songs performed by various American drag queens.^[22]
• German AC/DC tribute band Riff Raff recorded a cover in AC/DC style for their 2006 album Rock ‘N’ Roll Mutation Vol. 1: Riff Raff Performs ABBA.^{[citation needed]}
• The song was covered in a jazz/lounge music style by American group BNB on their 2008 album Bossa Mia: Songs of ABBA.^[23]
• Both the stage musical Mamma Mia! and its 2008 film adaptation cover the song, sung by Rosie to Bill when she asks him to reconsider getting married and not living the single life he’s been living. Like the A-Teens version, this version omits the lines “Gonna do my very best, baby can’t you see; gonna put me to the test, take a chance on me” from the second refrain and replaces them with the last two lines from the usual refrain. However, the whispered lines “That’s all I ask of you, honey” and “C’mon, give me a break, won’t you” are omitted as well.

Listen to ABBA: https://play.lnk.to/ABBA

Follow ABBA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABBA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbaofficial/

Read More About ABBA: http://www.abbasite.com/

(Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus)
© 1982 Polar Music International AB
Published by: Universal/Union Songs AB
Video produced by: Kjell Sundvall and Kjell-Åke Andersson