Interview: Björn Ulvaeus On Making ABBA's Timeless Hits

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy6ZO1e4W3U

Article here: https://musictech.com/news/music/abba-bjorn-ulvaeus-ai/

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Björn Ulvaeus Reveals Inspiration Behind ABBA's 'Dancing Queen': 'I Think That's How Pop Music Evolves'

"The groove, that slow kind of disco groove was something that [made us think], 'That's interesting.'"

Björn Ulvaeus Reveals Inspiration Behind ABBA's 'Dancing Queen': 'I Think That's How Pop Music Evolves'

ABBA songwriter & star Björn Ulvaeus reflected on the unusual arrangement of the Swedish pop institution's "Dancing Queen", admitting that it was inspired by the R&B icon George McCrae's debut single "Rock Your Baby".

Originally released in Sweden as a single on August 15 in 1976, ABBA's disco song soon became a worldwide hit, reaching no. 1 in the US, and topping the charts in over a dozen other countries, while reaching top five in many more. Aside from being catchy as hell, one of the song's standout features is certainly that it starts almost in the middle of the chorus.

Speaking to Rick Beato in a recent interview, Björn Ulvaeus explains that it turned out that way because the song was originally too long, so someone decided to cut the intro.

Recalling the original inspiration behind the song, he added (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

"['Dancing Queen'] illustrates how the human mind works a bit like AI. We gather all this information in the form of songs, [and] when we grow up, we never stop. And we use it as inspiration; as an impulse to do something."

"I can say that 'Dancing Queen' was inspired by a big hit in the US called 'Rock Your Baby'. [But] when you hear 'Dancing Queen', it has nothing to do with 'Rock Your Baby'. But the groove, that slow kind of disco groove was something that [made us think], 'That's interesting.' There's nothing wrong with that. I think that's how pop music evolves."