DANCING QUEEN, FERNANDO, SOS, WATERLOO & OTHERS – ABBAMay 29 '03 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The Group of Abba consisted of “Benny Andersson”, “Bjorn Ulvaeus”, Agnetha Faltskog” and “Frida Lyngstad” The group called Abba formed in Sweden and consisted of 2 male and 2 female members that were all great singers and took turns on lead on different songs. “Anni-Frid Lyngstad” who went by the nickname of Frida and was born on 15 November 1945 in Nervik, Norway. “Benny Andersson” was born “Goran Bror Benny Andersson” on 16 December 1946 in Stockholm, Sweden. “Bjorn Ulvaeus” was born on 25 April 1945 in Gothenburg, Sweden. “Agnetha Faltskog” was born on 5 April 1950 in Jonkoping, Sweden. The group got their name from the first letter of each member’s name. Benny was previously with the group called “The Hep Stars” who sold more records in Sweden then did “The Beatles”. Bjorn had previously formed his own folk band called “The West Bay Singers” in 1963. Benny met Bjorn at a friend’s party in 1966 in Vastervik, Sweden and began great friends. They decide to form a songwriting partnership including forming a publishing company titled “Union Songs”. They form a singing duo as well called “The Hootenanny Singers” and move to Stockholm, Sweden and are the first to sign a recording contract to a new company called “Polar” records. While performing on a Swedish TV show Bjorn meets Agnetha for the first time who was recording for the Swedish branch of “CBS” records since the age of 17. She had one #1 hit in Sweden titled “I Was So In Love”. Frida was brought up by her Grandmother because it was thought her German Father had been killed when his ship sank at sea during Word War II and whose Mother dies shortly thereafter. At the age of 10 she entered a local amateur singing contest and at the age of 11 sang at a “Red Cross” soiree before forming her own dance band in 1964 called the “Anni-Frid Four”. They performed on TV in Sweden and won a talent contest on 3 September 1967 on the show “Hyland’s Corner” which lead to a recording contract with “EMI” records. Benny meets Frida in 1968 and by 1969 they are living together as well as Bjorn and Agnetha are also living with each other. In 1971 Agnetha began playing the part of “Maria Magdalena in the Swedish production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”. She released her own solo version of “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” that was a big hit in Sweden. On 1 November 1970 Agnetha and Frida record back up vocals for Benny’s single “Her Old Man” and also for several songs on Bjorn’s album “Happiness”. They decide that they would start performing together as a group so they would be able to see each other more often. They first appear as a group with the name “The Festfolk Quartet” performing at a local restaurant in Gothenburg, Sweden. The local newspaper “The Expressen” gives them rave reviews and states “A fast moving and variated entertainment with some very neat libretto here and there.” It goes on to say “The Festfolk Quartet are as well matched on stage as they are off it”. In May 1971 the four begin a tour of Sweden and Swedish folk venues. On 7 July Agnetha and Bjorn marry in Verum, Sweden while Benny plays the organ at their wedding. On 10 February 1972 they submit and entry into the “Eurovision Song Contest” titled “Better To Have Loved” that only comes in 3rd but goes on to be a #1 hit in Sweden. In June 1972 they release “People Need Love” under the name of Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida that peaks at #2 in Sweden. It is released on Hugh Hefner’s “Playboy” records in the US but fails to chart. In November Bjorn and Benny who had released “She’s My Kind Of Girl” that had sold over 250,000 copies in Japan alone are invited to take part in the “World Popular Song Festival” in Tokyo, Japan. The four have their next #1 hit in Sweden also in November with “He Is Your Brother”. In January 1973 they enter a new song in the “Eurovision Song Contest” titled “Ring Ring” which they also release as a single. On 10 February 1973 their song comes in 3rd again as in the previous year and it also goes to #1 on the Swedish single charts. It is recorded and released in English, German, Spanish, and Swedish versions. Benny begins calling the foursome “ABBA” which are the first initials of each member’s first name. He finds out too late that ABBA is also the name of the largest Fish canning Company in Sweden but is able to successfully negotiate the use of the name. Even though their single “Ring Ring” was released with all four of their names on it their debut album of the same name has their new name “ABBA” on it and goes to #1 on the album charts in Sweden on 3 April 1973. In April not only is the Swedish version of the single “Ring Ring” #1 on Sweden’s charts but the English version is #1 on the charts in Austria, Holland, Belgium and South Africa. On 9 February 1974 they performed again at the “Eurovision Song Contest” and sang “Waterloo” which wins a chance to represent Sweden. On 6 April their song wins and they became the first and only Swedish act ever to win the Eurovision competition. On 4 May their song peaks at #1 on the UK singles chart. It peaks at #6 on the US Pop charts on 1 June 1974 and is their first US Top 100 single. On 15 June their album titled “Waterloo” peaks at #28 on the UK album charts. It only reaches #145 on the US album charts on 21 September. They re-release “Ring Ring” and that peaks at #32 on the UK singles chart on 27 July. One-week prior on 14 September their next release “Honey, Honey” peaks at #27 on the US singles charts. On 17 November they begin their first ever tour outside of Sweden touring Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In February 1975 they enter another song in the Annual “Eurovision Song Contest” for the 4th consecutive year. This time it’s a song titled “Bang-A-Boomerang” sung by two local artists “Svenne” and “Lotta” and it fails to win. On 21 June they begin a 14-day sold out tour beginning in Sweden and Ending in Germany on 9 July. Their next single release “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” peaks at #38 on the UK chart on 2 August and would peak at #15 on the US chart on 14 February 1976. On 9 August “S.O.S.” that had been previously done by Agnetha on a previous solo album titled “Eleven Women In One House” peaks for the group at #15 on the US singles chart on 9 August and would peak at #6 on the UK chart on 25 October. On 15 November they make their first appearance in the US on ABC TV’s “American Bandstand”. On 21 November Frida’s solo album titled “Frida Alone” peaks at #1 on Sweden’s album chart. Their 3rd album titled “Abba” peaks at #174 on the US album chart on 29 November and would peak at #13 in the UK on 14 February 1976. On 12 December Agnetha’s solo album “Eleven Women In One House” peaks at #10 on Sweden’s album chart. Also in December the group cancels several Concert dates because Agnetha is hospitalized to have her tonsils removed. On 31 January 1976 they have their very first #1 hit in the UK when “Mamma Mia” peaks on the singles chart there and it would peak at #32 in the US on 22 May. Their next single “Fernando” peaks at #1 on the UK chart on 8 May and would peak at #13 in the US on 4 September. Also in May their album “Greatest Hits” released on “Vogue” records peaks at #1 in the UK and would be the first of 6 consecutive albums to peak at #1 in the UK. It would peak at #48 on the US album chart on 27 November. Next would come their biggest hit to date when “Dancing Queen” peaks at #1 on the UK singles chart on 4 September and would peak at #1 on the US chart on 11 December. It would end up being their biggest selling single ever for the group. On 3 December “The Royal Albert Hall” would announce they have had 3.5 million requests for tickets for an upcoming concert there in February but only 11,212 tickets are even available to sell. On 11 December 1976, “Money, Money, Money” peaks at #3 on the UK singles chart and would peak at #56 in the US on 22 October 1977. Their 5th album “Arrival” peaks at #1 on the UK album charts and moves the previous #1 album by them “Greatest Hits” to #2 on 15 January 977. “Arrival” would be Abba’s 1st Top 40 album on the US charts when it peaked at #20 on 26 February. On 28 January they begin a European tour of Australia and Oslo, Norway. On 12 March while touring Australia they film “Abba – The Movie”. Their next #1 hit is Knowing Me, Knowing You” when it peaks there on 2 April on the singles chart in UK it would peak at #14 in the US on 14 May. On 5 November “The Name Of The Game” peaks at #1 on the UK singles chart and would peak at #12 in the US on 24 December. Their next release is titled “The Album” that peaks at #1 in the UK on the album charts on 4 February and would peak at #14 in the US on 25 March. This would go on to be their biggest selling album of all time for them in the US. On 18 February “Take A Chance On Me” peaks at #1 on the UK singles charts and would peak at #3 in the US on 22 April. On 6 October Benny and Frida tie the knot and are Wed. Their next single “Summer Night City” peaks at #5 in the UK but fails to chart in the US. On Christmas Eve Bjorn and Agnetha separate and announce they are divorcing. On 9 January 1979 they perform they next release “Chiquitita” at the “Music For UNICEF” to celebrate the “International Year Of The Child” and they announce that all proceeds for this single will be donated to the charity. It peaks at #2 in the UK on the singles charts on 10 February and would peak at #29 in the US on 10 November. “Does Your Mother Know” peaks at #4 in the UK on the singles charts on 12 May and one week later would peak at #19 in the US. On 19 May their newest album “Voulez-Vous” peaks at #1 on the UK album charts and would peak at #19 in the US on 28 July. On 11 August their double-sided hit single “Angeleyes” backed by “Voulez-Vous” peaks at #3 in the UK on the singles chart simultaneously. In the US they would chart separately where “Voulez-Vous” would peak at #80 on 1 September and “Angeleyes” would peak at #64 on 22 September. “Voulez-Vous” is French for “Will You”. On 10 November their next release “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” peaks at #3 on the singles charts in the UK and fails to chart in the US. “Greatest Hits, Vol. 2” is released next and peaks at #1 in the UK on 17 November and peaks at #46 in the US on 19 January 1980. In November the 1980 issue of “Guinness Book Of World Records” is released and lists ABBA as “The Biggest Selling Group In Recording History”. They began a 11 date tour of Japan on 12 March 1980. On 18 July they release a Spanish speaking album titled “Gracious Por La Musica” as a limited edition collectors item in the UK only. On 9 August “The Winner Takes It All” peaks at #1 in the UK on the singles charts and would peak at #8 in the US on 22 November. The Movie they had previously recorded “Abba – The Movie” is shown on BBC TV in the UK on 9 September. On 22 November “Super Trouper” peaks at #1 on the UK album charts and would peak at #17 in the US on 27 December. On 29 November the single of the same name would peak at $1 on the UK singles chart and would peak at #45 in the US on 4 April 1981. On 14 February 1981 Benny and Frida announce they are getting divorced after Benny admits he has fallen in love with Swedish TV Star “Mona Norklit”. They would marry on New Years Eve 1981. On 27 June On And On An On peaks at #90 in the US on the singles charts but is not released in the UK. They next release a Disco song on the new oversized 12 inch single disc titled “Lay All Your Love On Me” in the UK only where it peaks at #7 on 25 July. On 19 December “One Of Us” peaks at #3 on the UK singles charts and fails to make the US Top 100. Their next album is “The Visitors” that peaks at #1 on the UK album charts also on 19 December and peaks at #29 in the US on 23 January 1982. It would be their last Top 40 US album. On New Years Day 1982 Abba makes it final live concert appearance in Stockholm, Sweden. On 9 January their next release “When All Is Said And Done” peaks at #27 on the US singles charts but would not be released in the UK. On 20 March “Head Over Heels” peaks at #25 on the UK singles charts but fails to make the US Top 100. The single titled “The Visitors” peaks at #63 in the US on 17 April and would be their final top 100 hit in the US. In August Frida moves to London, England and releases a solo album titled “Something’s Going On” that is produced by “Phil Collins” that peaks in the UK at #18 on 18 September and would peak at #41 in the US in March 1983. She would get one big single solo hit from this album titled “I Know There’s Something Going On” that would peak at #43 on 4 September. On 30 October the group’s newest song “The Day Before You Came” peaks at #32 in the UK on the singles charts and fails to chart in the US. On 27 November they would have their final #1 hit in the UK with “The Singles: The First Ten Years” on the album charts. It would peak at #63 in the US on the album charts in January 1983. Frida has her next solo single hit in “The Heat Is On” that peaks at #35 in the UK on 4 June. This begins a solo stint for all of the members some singing, some producing even though they never officially admit that the group is breaking up. On 26 June 1983 “Thank You For The Music” peaks at #33 in the UK on the singles charts and fails to chart in the US. On 1 October the Swedish Post Office issues an Abba Postage Stamp. Agnetha would have two Top 100 singles first would be “Can’t Shake Loose” that peaked at #29 on 27 August 1983. The other with “Peter Cetera” titled “I Wasn’t The One (Who Said Goodbye)” that peaked at #93 on 23 April 1988. She also releases “Wrap Your Arms Around Me” that peaks on the UK album charts at #18 and the US charts at #102 as the title track peaks at #44 on the UK singles charts only. Her next album would be “Eyes Of A Woman” that peaked at #38 in May 1985 in the UK put didn’t chart in the US. This was followed by “I Stand Alone” that was recorded in Malibu, CA. and produced by “Peter Cetera” that peaked at #72 on the album charts in the UK on 12 March 1988 but failed to make the US charts. Frida had a minor hit in the UK with “B.A, Robertson” titled “Time” that peaked at #45 in January 1984. Her only solo album titled “Shine” peaked at #67 in November 1984. On 3 December 1983 the newest Abba album is finally released titled “Thank You For The Music” which is a compilation album that peaks at #17 in the UK but fails to chart in the US. On 8 December a musical titled “Abbacadabra” based on the life and songs of Abba peremeirs in London, England. It would star “Elaine Paige”, “Sylvester McCoy” and “B.A. Robertson”. On 16 January 1986 Abba reunites for the first time in over 3 years to appear on Swedish TV’s “This Is Your Life” where they are surprising “Stig Anderson”. In June 1986 “Abba Live” peaks at #49 on the album charts in Sweden but is not released nationally until 1992. On 3 December 1988 “Absolute Abba” peaks at #70 on the UK album charts and once again fails to chart in the US. Agnetha married Swedish Surgeon “Thomas Sonnenfeld” on 15 December 1990. Benny and Bjorn join U2 on stage in concert on 11 June 1992 and perform “Dancing Queen”. On 12 September the re-release of “Dancing Queen” peaks at #16 in the UK on the singles charts. On 3 October 1992 “Gold – Abba Greatest Hits” debuts on the UK album charts at #1. By the end of the year it would sell over 3 Million copies. A musical “Abba – The True Story” begins playing in Stockholm, Sweden on 13 January 1993. On 5 June “More Abba Gold – More Abba Hits” peaks at #14 in the UK on the album charts. “Gold – Greatest Hits” peaks at #63 in the US on the album charts on 9 October. On 31 October a 4 CD 6 song boxed set is released titled “Thank You For The Music” that contains all their hits, very rare single B-sides and some previously unreleased songs. The box set is released in the UK only on “Polydor” records and is a very rare, hard to find, expensive collectors CD box set. In 1994 the Movie “Muriel’s Wedding” which is a tragic comedy that was filmed and is set in Australia includes some of Abba’s biggest hit songs including “Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo”. The Movie was released in the US in March 1995 and stars “Toni Collette”, “Bill Hunter”, “Rachel Griffiths”, “Jeane Drynan”, “Gennie Nevinson”, “Sophie Lee” and “Matt Day”. On 23 September 1996 Agnetha’s 37-song compilation album titled “Som Jar Ar” peaks at #21 on the Sweden album charts. Frida releases “Djupa Andertag” that peaks at #1 on Sweden’s album charts on 10 October. On 17 November 1997 “Gold – Greatest Hits” is certified triple platinum. “Love Stories” a collection of Abba ballads peaks at #51 on the UK album charts on 7 November 1998. On 6 April 1999 the musical “Mamma Mia” that includes 27 Abba songs premiers at the “Prince Edward Theater” in London. “Polydor” records released a limited edition CD titled “The Singles Collections 1972 – 82” that features 57 songs which is the A & B-sides of all their singles and a Swedish, German and French version of “Waterloo”. The group’s mystique continued for years as Greatest hits albums and CD’s were continuously being released every so often. A group of Teenagers called “The A-Teens” formed in 1998. The group from Stockholm, Sweden decided to imitate the group Abba and released an album called “The Abba Generation”. The album was a smashing success in Sweden and was released in the US in 1999 after they had a single hit with “Mamma Mia”. They have since released a second album and several singles that were all mild successes. My favorite CD by Abba is titled “ABBA GOLD GREATEST HITS” that was originally released on “Polydor” records on 9 August 1993. The CD is available for $13.49 at www.amazon.com. The songs as they appear on this CD are listed next followed by the length of the song, my rating of each song and then my overall rating of the CD: 1. DANCING QUEEN – 3:51 - 5 2. KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU – 4:03 - 5 3. TAKE A CHANCE ON ME – 4:06 - 5 4. MAMMA MIA – 3:33 - 5 5. LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME – 4:35 - 5 6. SUPER TROOPER – 4:13 - 5 7. I HAVE A DREAM – 4:42 - 5 8. THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL – 4:54 - 5 9. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY – 3:06 - 5 10. S.O.S. – 3:20 - 5 11. CHIQUITITA – 5:24 - 5 12. FERNANDO – 4:14 5 13. VOULEZ VOUS – 5:10 - 5 14. GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) – 4:52 - 5 15. DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW? – 3:13 - 5 16. ONE OF US – 3:57 - 4 17. THE NAME OF THE GAME – 4:53 - 5 18. THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC – 3:49 - 4 19. WATERLOO – 2:48 - 5 TOTAL POINTS: 93 DIVIDED BY 19 = 4.89 OR 4 ¾ STARS RATING KEY: 5 – GREAT 4 – VERY GOOD 3 – GOOD 2 – FAIR 1 – POOR 0 – THIS SONG DOESN’T BELONG HERE! BILLBOARD US Top 100 Pop Singles for “ABBA” 1. Waterloo – Peaked at #6 on 06/01/74 2. Honey, Honey – Peaked at #27 on 09/14/74 3. S.O.S. – Peaked at #15 on 08/09/75 4. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do – Peaked at #15 on 02/14/76 5. Mamma Mia – Peaked at #32 on 05/22/76 6. Fernando – Peaked at #13 on 09/04/76 7. DANCING QUEEN– Peaked at #1 on 12/11/76 (GOLD) 8. Knowing Me, Knowing You – Peaked at #14 on 05/14/77 9. Money, Money, Money – Peaked at #56 on 10/22/77 10. The Name Of The Game – Peaked at #12 on 12/24/77 11. Take A Chance On Me – Peaked at #3 on 04/22/78 (GOLD) 12. Does Your Mother Know – Peaked at #19 on 05/19/79 13. Voulez-Vous – Peaked at #80 on 09/01/79 14. Angeleyes – Peaked at #80 on 09/22/79 15. Chiquitita – Peaked at #29 on 11/10/79 16. The Winner Takes It All – Peaked at #8 on 11/22/80 17. Super Trouper – Peaked at #45 on 04/04/81 18. On And On And On – Peaked at #90 on 06/27/81 19. When All Is Said And Done – Peaked at #27 on 01/09/82 20. The Visitors – Peaked at #63 on 04/17/82 BILLBOARD US Top 40 Pop Albums for “ABBA” 1. Arrival – Peaked at #20 on 02/26/7 (GOLD) 2. The Album – Peaked at #14 on 03/25/78 (PLATINUM) 3. Voulez-Vous – Peaked at #19 on 07/28/79 (GOLD) 4. Super Trouper – Peaked at #17 on 12/27/80 (GOLD) 5. The Visitors – Peaked at #29 on 01/23/82 SOME SONG LYRICS CHIQUITITA Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong You're enchained by your own sorrow In your eyes There is no hope for tomorrow How I hate to see you like this There is no way you can deny it I can see That you're oh so sad, so quiet Chiquitita, tell me the truth I'm a shoulder you can cry on Your best friend I'm the one you must rely on You were always sure of yourself Now I see You've broken a feather (how it hurts to see you cry and how it hurts to see you sad) I hope We can patch it up together Chiquitita You and I know How the heartaches come and they go And the scars they're leavin' You'll be dancin' once again And the pain will end You will have no time for grievin' DANCING QUEEN Aaaaaa ha haaaaa ha ha ha ha-aa-aa You can dance You can jive Having the time of your life See that girl Watch that scene Dig in the dancing queen Friday night and the lights are low Looking out for a place to go Where they play the right music Getting in the swing You come to look for a king Anybody could be that guy Night is young and the music's high With a bit of rock music Everything is fine You're in the mood for a dance And when you get the chance You are the dancing queen Young and sweet Only seventeen Dancing queen Feel the beat from the tambourine You can dance You can jive Having the time of your life See that girl Watch that scene Dig in the dancing queen FERNANDO 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 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 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 HONEY, HONEY Honey honey, how you thrill me, a-ha, honey honey Honey honey, nearly kill me, a-ha, honey honey I'd heard about you before I wanted to know some more And now I know what they mean, you're a love machine Oh, you make me dizzy Honey honey, let me feel it, a-ha, honey honey Honey honey, don't conceal it, a-ha, honey honey The way that you kiss good night The way that you hold me tight I feel like I wanna sing when you do your thing I don't wanna hurt you baby, I don't wanna see you cry So stay on the ground girl, you better not get too high But I'm gonna stick to you boy, you'll never get rid of me There's no other place in this world where I rather would be Honey honey, touch me baby, a-ha, honey honey Honey honey, hold me baby, a-ha, honey honey You look like a movie star (look like a movie star) But I know just who you are (I wonder just who you are) And honey, to say the least, you're a doggone beast S.O.S. Where are those happy days? They seem so hard to find I try 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 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? 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 WATERLOO 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 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 Waterloo - Finally facing my Waterloo 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 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 Waterloo - Finally facing my Waterloo So how could I ever refuse I feel like I win when I lose 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 Waterloo - Finally facing my Waterloo JAG’S FINAL THOUGHTS: This is one Great group and one Outstanding CD. I have only heard a few CD’s that had more Great songs on them then this one does and most of them are by “The Beatles”. Their music was carefree, celebratory, cheerful, confident, elegant, energetic, fun, happy, refined, romantic, sophisticated and stylish. This group is my favorite not to come from the US or England. I can listen to their music over and over and over and never get tierd of it. All the songs by them are very energetic, easy to tap your feet to or to sing along with. No drugs, no booze, no sex, no guns, no violence, no bad language and no innuendoes or bad overtones anywhere to be found. Great listening for all ages and differently rated G. I cannot say enough great things about this spectacular group or their wonderful music. As always I wish to thank everyone for coming by and reading my review and I hope you have a Wonderful and Safe Weekend and God Bless You All, Ron.  |
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