Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) surpasses the milestone

 ABBA scores second Spotify Billions Club song

Buddy Iahn — 

“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” surpasses the milestone

ABBA’s iconic 1979 hit “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” has officially surpassed one billion streams on Spotify, marking the group’s second track to enter Spotify’s coveted Billions Club after “Dancing Queen” in 2023.

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More than 40 years after its release, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” is finding new life with a new generation of Gen Z listeners, who have accounted for 50 percent of the 11 million discoveries of ABBA on Spotify in 2025. Gen Z also makes up half of ABBA’s global audience on Spotify.

Streams of ABBA have increased 150 percent on Spotify globally over the past five years, with their music featured in nearly 130 million user-generated playlists.

The song, written by the group’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, was released on October 12, 1979, as the sole single from their album Greatest Hits Vol. 2. It was also later included in reissues of their sixth studio album, Voulez-Vous.

The song tells the story of a lonely woman longing for a romantic connection. The narrator describes being alone at night, watching TV, and feeling depressed by the gloom outside. She yearns for “a man after midnight” to “chase the shadows away,” seeking a romantic relationship to escape her solitude. It reflects a desire for companionship and highlights the stark contrast between her lonely existence and the happy endings depicted for movie stars.

The song’s disco sound was reportedly inspired by Donna Summer’s hit “Hot Stuff,” released in 1979.

The song topped the charts in several countries across Europe and Australia, gaining significant popularity in Japan.

https://themusicuniverse.com/abba-scores-second-spotify-billions-club-song

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This '70s pop band wins over Gen Z (again) with 1 billion Spotify streams

Edward Segarra

USA TODAY

It's not 1979, but ABBA is bewitching a whole new generation with its disco magic.

The iconic Swedish pop group, beloved for its infectious blend of Europop and danceable grooves, has made Spotify history with its late-'70s hit "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)." The song, cowritten and coproduced by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, entered Spotify's Billions Club on Sunday, July 20, after surpassing one billion streams on the music platform, Spotify exclusively confirmed to USA TODAY.

This isn't the first time ABBA has dominated the streaming universe with its timeless tunes. The band's enduring anthem, "Dancing Queen," entered the Billions Club in July 2023.

Released in October 1979 as part of the group's compilation album "Greatest Hits Vol. 2," "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" peaked at No. 1 in several territories, including Europe, Denmark, Japan and Switzerland, and cracked the top 20 in ABBA's native Sweden.

The song has received a number of revivals over the years thanks to various covers and samples. '80s diva and "Queen of Pop" Madonna featured the track's opening synth line in her 2005 song "Hung Up," which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

ABBA book revelations: AC/DC connection, the unlikely inspiration for ‘Mamma Mia!’, more

Additionally, the 2008 film "Mamma Mia!" — a musical based on ABBA's hits-heavy catalog — included a version sung by stars Amanda Seyfried, Ashley Lilley and Rachel McDowall.

More recently, "Gimme!" has enjoyed a digital resurgence with Gen Z, as seen on the social media platform TikTok. Several clips show young fans embracing the song's disco sound with lively, choreographed routines.

ABBA racks up Gen Z fans by the millions on Spotify

ABBA's streaming dominance is in part due to the group's sizable Gen Z audience.

Globally, Gen Zers have accounted for 50% of ABBA's total streams on Spotify in 2025, according to the streaming service. Additionally, there have been over 11 million ABBA discoveries by Gen Z listeners on Spotify, which makes up half of the band's discoveries from all users worldwide.

See the photos: A 'very emotional' ABBA reunites to receive Swedish royal honors

The top 10 most-streamed ABBA tracks among Gen Z listeners in 2025 are as follows:

Dancing Queen

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)

Lay All Your Love on Me

The Winner Takes It All

Mamma Mia

Slipping Through My Fingers

Money, Money, Money

Super Trouper

Chiquitita

Take a Chance on Me

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2025/07/20/abba-spotify-billions-club-gimme-gimme-gimme/85282975007

The Winner Takes It All

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn-ATXSgDx8

Harrison Marking 20th Anniversary Of The Closing Of Stockholm’s Polar Studio

article: https://www.prosoundweb.com/harrison-marking-20th.../
Harrison Marking 20th Anniversary Of The Closing Of Stockholm’s Polar Studio
photosofthedays - notes

Harrison Marking 20th Anniversary Of The Closing Of Stockholm's Polar Studio - ProSoundWeb

PSW Staff 

Inside the control room at Polar Studios in Stockholm that was centered on a Harrison 32 Series console.

May 3, 2024

PSW Staff

Studio used by ABBA, Led Zeppelin, Phil Collins, The Ramones and more featured a Harrison 32 Series 40-channel analog mixing console, the world's first 32-bus, inline desk.

Harrison announced that the first of May (2024) marked the 20th anniversary of the closing of the legendary Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden after 26 years of operation, and from the beginning, it was equipped with a Harrison 32 Series analog mixing console.

The company states that the 4032 — with 40 channels — was the world’s first 32-bus, inline desk. It was given serial number 045 and was delivered to Polar Studios in January 1978. The input channel modules were modified by Harrison to allow headphones to be fed from buses 25 through 32, and the studio later added a 16-channel input extender as a sidecar.

Gary Thielman, president of Harrison Audio, says “The 32 Series at Polar really contributed to the soundtrack of an era. I recall a conversation with Dave (Harrison), with me going crazy about all this amazing music being made on our consoles…he was so focused on perfecting designs that he simply viewed it as ‘doing his job’.”

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, together with the band’s manager, Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, owner of the Polar Music recording label, opened the studio in a disused former movie theater in the center of Stockholm. Having recorded previous ABBA albums and singles at a variety of studios in Sweden, the intention was to create a modern production studio where the band could work at their own pace and to provide facilities for other Polar label artists. Anderson founded the label in 1963.

ABBA recorded their final three albums — Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The Visitors — and two non-LP singles, “The Day Before You Came” and “Under Attack,” at Polar. The very first song recorded at the studio was the global hit “Chiquitita,” the lead single from Voulez-Vous, which was released in January 1979. The Visitors became one of mainstream pop’s first digital releases in 1981 when it was recorded to Polar’s new 3M digital tape machine. All four ABBA members recorded solo projects at the studio after the band split up in 1982.

Most major Swedish artists recorded at Polar, as did a very long list of international artists, including the Rolling Stones, Backstreet Boys, Chic, the Ramones, Roxy Music and Celine Dion. Led Zeppelin recorded the 1979 album In Through the Out Door at Polar and Genesis recorded Duke in 1980, with the band’s lead vocalist and drummer Phil Collins going on to produce, with Hugh Padgham, ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s solo album, Something’s Going On, at the studio.

Anderson bought out partners Ulvaeus and Andersson in 1984 before selling the facility to a business partnership comprising his daughter, son-in-law and Lennart Östlund, Polar’s chief engineer since 1978. The building was later sold to a Swedish insurance company and it became a private housing cooperative, which raised the rent. With the business no longer economically viable, Polar Studios closed.

The console is now housed in the ABBA museum in Stockholm.

https://www.prosoundweb.com/harrison-marking-20th-anniversary-of-the-closing-of-stockholms-polar-studio

---------------------------------

 May Marks Polar Studios Anniversaries

May 1 marked the 20th anniversary of Stockholm’s Polar Studios closing; the facility was used to record legendary albums by Abba, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and many others.

BY MIX STAFF

PUBLISHED: 05/09/2024



The Harrison 32 Series analog mixing console used at Polar Studios.

Stockholm, Sweden (May 9, 2024)—May 1 marked the twentieth anniversary of the closing of Stockholm’s legendary Polar Studios, which famously featured a Harrison 32 Series analog mixing console, the world’s first 32-bus, inline desk, after 26 years of operation.

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, together with the band’s manager, Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, owner of the Polar Music recording label, opened Polar Studios on May 18, 1978 in a disused former movie theater in the center of Stockholm. Having recorded previous ABBA albums and singles at a variety of studios in Sweden, the intention was to create a modern production studio where the band could work at its own pace and to provide facilities for other Polar label artists. Anderson founded the label in 1963.

The Harrison 4032 console (a 40-channel, 32 Series desk) was given serial number 045 and was delivered to Polar Studios in January 1978. The input channel modules were modified by Harrison to allow headphones to be fed from buses 25 through 32. The studio later added a 16-channel input extender as a sidecar. The console is now housed in the ABBA museum in Stockholm.

Harrison Audio 32Classic Mixing Console to Launch at AES

Gary Thielman, president of Harrison Audio, comments “The 32 Series at Polar really contributed to the soundtrack of an era. I recall a conversation with Dave (Harrison), with me going crazy about all this amazing music being made on our consoles…he was so focused on perfecting designs that he simply viewed it as ‘doing his job’.”

ABBA recorded their final three albums—Voulez-Vous, Super Trouper and The Visitors—and two non-LP singles, “The Day Before You Came” and “Under Attack,” at Polar. The very first song recorded at the studio was the global hit “Chiquitita,” the lead single from Voulez-Vous, which was released in January 1979. The Visitors became one of mainstream pop’s first digital releases in 1981 when it was recorded to Polar’s new 3M digital tape machine. All four ABBA members recorded solo projects at the studio after the band split up in 1982.

Most major Swedish artists recorded at Polar, as did a very long list of international artists, including the Rolling Stones, Backstreet Boys, Chic, the Ramones, Roxy Music and Celine Dion. Led Zeppelin recorded its 1979 album In Through the Out Door at Polar and Genesis recorded Duke there in 1980, with the band’s lead vocalist and drummer Phil Collins going on to produce, with Hugh Padgham, ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad’s solo album, Something’s Going On, at the studio.

Anderson bought out partners Ulvaeus and Andersson in 1984 before selling the facility to a business partnership comprising his daughter, son-in-law and Lennart Östlund, Polar’s chief engineer since 1978. The building was later sold to a Swedish insurance company and the building became a private housing cooperative, which raised the rent. With the business no longer economically viable, Polar Studios closed.

https://www.mixonline.com/recording/facilities/may-marks-polar-studios-anniversaries

https://news.hummingbirdmedia.com/marking-the-20th-anniversary-of-the-closing-of-stockholms-legendary-polar-studios

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Voulez-Vous

 

Nothing Promised, No Regrets: The Real Meaning of “Voulez-Vous” by ABBA

BY

THOM DONOVAN

If you listen to ABBA as a guilty pleasure, you have nothing to feel guilty about. The tidiness of the group is impressive, made up of a pair of couples with a palindrome band name, itself made from the first letter of the bandmates’ first names. 

VIDEOS BY AMERICAN SONGWRITER

Before both marriages and their initial run ended, the Swedish Beatles conquered pop charts in multiple countries worldwide. While “Dancing Queen” hinted at disco, “Voulez-Vous” went all the way. The Swedish pop group made an American disco track with a French title, and it’s as délicieuse as it sounds on paper.  

Do You Want?

“Voulez-Vous” translates to “Do You Want?” Looking to be sure, ABBA then poses a variation, “La question c’est voulez-vous?” meaning, “The question is, do you want?”

It’s a simple question gaining urgency on the dance floor. A dancing man finds the guts to buy a girl a drink, but she means business, and the only way he’ll survive is if he’s the master of the scene. This is a serious affair.

People everywhere

A sense of expectation hanging in the air

Giving out a spark

Across the room, your eyes are glowing in the dark

And here we go again; we know the start, we know the end

Masters of the scene

We’ve done it all before, and now we’re back to get some more

You know what I mean

The discotheque is no place for indecision. The pulsing bass and the cocktail give the dancing man some kind of confidence. Nothing promised, no regrets. Get moving, boy. 

Voulez-vous (ah-ha)

Take it now or leave it (ah-ha)

Now it’s all we get (ah-ha)

Nothing promised, no regrets

Voulez-vous (ah-ha)

Ain’t no big decision (ah-ha)

You know what to do (ah-ha)

La question c’est voulez-vous

Voulez-vous

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote “Voulez-Vous” for ABBA’s sixth studio album of the same name. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share vocal duties on ABBA’s brand of disco, capitalizing on the peak music craze of 1979. 

A global single, except in the UK and Ireland, released as a double A-side with “Angeleyes.” Compared with ABBA’s colossal hits, “Voulez-Vous” charted modestly, but over time, it became the beloved little disco sister to 1976s “Dancing Queen.” 

Foxy Bahama Disco

Written in the Bahamas, Andersson and Ulvaeus recorded “Voulez-Vous” in the U.S. at Criteria Studios in Miami. Members of the ’70s disco group Foxy recorded the backing track, and though an American band performed the instrumentation, it sounds like an uptempo and slightly Russian version of Chic. But ABBA’s distinct Euro-pop lingers, and like most ABBA hits, it’s infectiously catchy (ah-ha). It’s the only ABBA studio track recorded outside of Sweden. 

Though the session happened in 1979, it sounds like ABBA traveled via a time machine to borrow a St. Vincent riff from the future.   

Dancing Blues

ABBA reached superstardom with their 1976 Greatest Hits album, followed by the perfectly titled and massive album Arrival in 1976.

ABBA looks like humans from another planet inside the helicopter on Arrival’s album cover. And their exoticness or otherness is the attraction. The symmetry of “other” fits with some of their songs’ best-known characters trying to fit in. ABBA’s melodies are obviously infectious, but the real meat is in their despairing lyrics. “Dancing Queen,” as an example, is layered with sadness, though it doesn’t feel that way. 

The dancing queen is sad, like a Morrissey character, and even when you “feel the beat from the tambourine,” the specter of youth loneliness remains. Think of how many people still feel alone inside the club or the party. “Voulez-Vous” is a sister song to “Dancing Queen.” In each version, the goal is a hopeful cure for solitude. 

Lost in Translation

The mistranslation of the Swede’s attempting American music is endearing. Their goal probably isn’t sadness, but ABBA just can’t shake their hardened pagan instincts. 

It’s why Andersson and Ulvaeus rhyme master of the scene with you know what I mean. But, putting this grammar against Chic’s “Le Freak,” you spot how things become lost in translation. 

Chic’s disco party sounds like this: Big fun to be had by everyone. But ABBA accidentally builds a party foul: The girl means business, so I’ll offer her a drink.

Hearing musicians from other parts of the world translate each other’s culture is endlessly intriguing. It’s the sound of white Brits playing Black American blues music. Mick Jagger tried singing like Muddy Waters but ended up with his own iconic voice. Or a Southern California band with a singer named Gwen Stefani who played Jamaican rocksteady but sounded only like No Doubt. New sounds emerge when the inability to reproduce with exactness endures.  

ABBA is an enigma, and the innocent pleasure of their music brings about an answer to their pressing question: Voulez-Vous? Yes, we want. 

https://americansongwriter.com/nothing-promised-no-regrets-the-real-meaning-of-voulez-vous-by-abba

Frida - To Turn The Stone

LISTEN: This ‘80s bop by an ABBA legend was originally meant for Donna Summer

Though Anni-Frid Lyngstad, a.k.a. Frida, is best known for her work as part of Swedish supergroup ABBA, her career as a solo artist has almost as many fabulous synth-heavy songs to enjoy.

When ABBA broke up in 1982, Frida had already been planning her solo career in secret. Working with legendary producer and musician Phil Collins, she recorded her comeback solo album Something’s Going On. Its lead single, “I Know There’s Something Going On,” was a breakout hit, but all 11 of the album’s tracks are a stellar display of Frida’s talent, including the moody, dreamlike “To Turn The Stone.”

The meaning behind the song is difficult to decipher. Despite the full version being over five minutes long, “To Turn The Stone” doesn’t have many lyrics, consisting of just three choruses and a whole lot of Collins’ signature reverb-heavy production.

Frida opens the song singing, “The moon retreats behind a silver cloud / As darkness throws its cloak towards the earth / And mystery replaces what we thought we knew / To turn the stone, to turn the stone.”

It may sound nonsensical, but Frida’s voice is killer, as always.

The music video doesn’t bring any clarity, but it sure is fun to look at. The video sees Frida appearing in a burst of sparks in a cave full of fog and dramatic lighting. She sways and sings as the sun slowly rises.

Meanwhile, there are more crossfades than you can count, showing a truly bizarre set of images: a cat, an undulating dancer holding a glowing rod, a second cat, a pile of barbed wire, a mysterious orb, a shattering lightbulb, multiple explosions, heavy rain, and a soaring bird of prey.

Oh, and Frida changes into a red lamé outfit at some point. High camp.

“To Turn The Stone” wasn’t a single, but it was one of only four songs on Something’s Going On to get the music video treatment. The album was released in October 1982 and has since sold more than 1.5 million copies, making it the highest selling album by a former member of ABBA.

Though Frida was the first to release a recording of “To Turn The Stone,” the song was actually recorded a year earlier in 1981 by Donna Summer for her double album I’m A Rainbow. The track was written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, a songwriting duo known for their disco hits that Summer had been working with since the ‘70s.

Summer recorded 18 tracks for I’m A Rainbow, including “To Turn The Stone,” but issues behind the scenes saw the album shelved indefinitely. With Summer’s version apparently scrapped, Moroder and Bellotte instead licensed “To Turn The Stone” to Frida.

15 years later, Summer’s 1981 recording was finally released in 1996 with virtually no promotion. Her version of “To Turn The Stone” is more upbeat, and it sounds like the lovechild of a robot and a set of bagpipes.

https://www.queerty.com/listen-this-80s-bop-by-an-abba-legend-was-originally-meant-for-donna-summer-20230705

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uq-7FhJ0Oo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gCstXSGz84

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uq-7FhJ0Oo

ABBA Wish Fans ‘Happy New Year’ Again With Upcoming Gold Vinyl Single

 ABBA Wish Fans ‘Happy New Year’ Again With Upcoming Gold Vinyl Single

ABBA Wish Fans ‘Happy New Year’ Again With Upcoming Gold Vinyl Single

The latest collector’s edition pressing of the much-loved song will be released on December 16.

Published on

October 21, 2022

A gold vinyl, limited edition of ABBA’s perennial “Happy New Year” is now available to pre-order. Only 5,000 copies of the highly desirable 7-inch single are being pressed, on the Polar label via Universal.

The latest collector’s edition pressing of the much-loved song will be released, ahead of celebrations to mark the turn of the year to 2023, on December 16. As well as the lead song on the A-side, it has the Spanish-language version, “Felicidad,” on the B-side and features unique artwork. That recording was on the South American edition of its parent album, Super Trouper, the group’s seventh studio set, and reached No.5 in Argentina in its own right.

“Happy New Year” has been released in a series of equally collectable limited edition singles in recent years, each of them seized upon by ABBA collectors worldwide. Two years ago, it appeared in translucent blue vinyl; in 2019, in a clear vinyl version; and in 2018, in white vinyl. Much earlier, the track was very briefly available as a silver glitter vinyl single in a mere 500 copies, which sold out instantaneously when the release was announced.

The track, with its lead vocals by Agnetha Fältskog, was written in Barbados by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus in January 1980. It became an immediate favorite despite not being released as a single at the time. It finally achieved that status, in some countries, in 1999, when it reached No.4 in Sweden and No.8 in the Netherlands.

A 2008 reissue took the song to No.4 again in Sweden, No.5 in Norway and No.14 in Denmark. A-Teens, the ABBA tribute quartet from Stockholm who rode a wave of popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, covered “Happy New Year” in 2000. Remarkably, their version also peaked at No.4 in Sweden.

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/abba-happy-new-year-gold-vinyl-single/

"I Still Have Faith In You"

 Crítica: Nuevo single de Abba es una "obra maestra"

Columna de Ricardo Martínez: ¿Por qué I Still Have Faith In You es un Instant Classic y una Obra Maestra?

"I Still Have Faith In You", el primero de los dos temas nuevos que lanzaron mundialmente ayer, responde a estos nuevos tiempos musicales -sin dejar de ser fiel a sus raíces- de una manera que no resulta sino magistral.

Juan Espinoza

03/09/2021 - 07:11 h CLT

Crítica: Nuevo single de Abba es una "obra maestra"

(un intento de análisis en borrador de la nueva canción de ABBA a casi cuarenta años de distancia)

Hace ya demasiados años encontré un blog de un doctorado en composición musical que había analizado y documentado las estructuras de todas las canciones de Los Beatles. La gran sorpresa que salía de la Caja de Pandora que resultaba aquella base de datos es que Los Beatles fueron mucho más experimentales y exploratorios en sus composiciones de lo que podía captar el oído desatento.

Las secuencias de estrofas, coros y middle eights, eran versátiles y variaban de tema a tema, alejándose de la fórmula que para Atlantic habían firmado y fichado Tom (Dowd) & Jerry (Waxler) cerca de un lustro antes de la entrada de la Invasión Británica a la escena del pop universal, a saber, la sucesión: Estrofa-Estrofa-Coro-Estrofa-Coro-Coro-Middle Eight-Coro.

ABBA facturó algo similar en los orígenes de Suecia como potencia mundial de la música popular. Aunque nunca separándose del todo de la «Solución Tom & Jerry».

Hace 39 años la luz de ABBA se extinguió y durante lustros brilló bajo cuerdas hasta ser redescubierta por las comunidades LGBTTTIQA+, y en especial por «Priscilla, La Reina del Desierto«.

En el intertanto los procesos de creación de canciones y de producción del pop cambiaron para siempre. Tom & Jerry y Los Beatles y ABBA fueron guardados con sus Estrofas y Coros y Middle Eights en un gabinete, y ascendió la fórmula de un Hook tras otro, a menudo en diferentes intérpretes en un mismo tema bajo la enseña del ft., como ha documentado un reportaje de The New York Times que no tiene desperdicio, entronizado como estrella de la estructura al Drop, ese momento en que la canción alcanza el peak de intensidad en la pista de baile.

Y entonces ABBA regresó desde las arenas del tiempo.

Por lo suyo.

«I Still Have Faith In You», el primero de los dos temas nuevos que lanzaron mundialmente ayer, responde a estos nuevos tiempos musicales -sin dejar de ser fiel a sus raíces- de una manera que no resulta sino magistral.

Jude Rogers, la crítica musical de The Guardian advierte en su análisis realizado a la velocidad del rayo que el tema se inicia con uno de los trucos más clásicos del cuarteto: principiar con una melodía instrumental que da la impresión de que estamos en medio de la obra y no en su comienzo. Y luego viene la voz de Agnetha (aunque el peso del tema lo lleva Ann-Frid) que casi recitando melodiza, «I Still Have Faith In You».

La canción puede dividirse en tres «temas», a los que suele llamárseles, en este tipo de análisis, temas A, B y C.

Son los siguientes:

Tema A: I Still Have Faith In You

Tema B: Do I Have It In Me?

Tema C: We Do Have It In Us

El Tema A corresponde a lo que Tom & Jerry consideraban la Estrofa, mientras que el Tema B sería, por su melodía más sutil y delicada, el Middle Eight; y, por su parte, el Tema C corresponde en propiedad al actual Drop. Sobre todo, porque se anuncia con un ascenso instrumental intenso y es donde Agnetha y Ann-Frid extreman su performance vocálica.

Estos tres temas solo aparentemente parecen ser parte de la Fórmula ABBA tradicional de los setenta e inicios de los ochenta, porque la manera como las repeticiones de los mismos de alternar en «I Still Have Faith In You» resulta asimismo sumamente contemporánea.

Eso, al punto que, en el momento crucial de la canción, los tres Temas son entonados al mismo tiempo. En el fraseo de la penúltima estrofa del texto:

(I Still Have Faith In You)

And We Still Have It In Us

We’ve Only Just Arrived

(Do I Have It In Me?)

La manera como el anudamiento de los Temas A, B y C se desarrolla en el regreso de ABBA no sólo es emocionante, sino que de una inteligencia composicional y de atención a los nuevos valores musicales pop de hondo calado.

No por nada, si se pone la frase inicial de cada uno de los tres Temas (A, B y C), se descubre un mensaje secreto:

I Still Have Faith In You

Do I Have It In Me?

We Do Have It In Us

Que se puede traducir como:

Todavía tengo fe en ti

¿La tengo en mí?

¡La tenemos en nosotros!

O, «en nosotres».

Lo que, además, es una respuesta al dolor de la canción clásica de ABBA con la que más hace intertexto esta nueva entrega, la desolada canción de ruptura, «The Winner Takes It All» (aunque huelga decir que los redobles de tambores de fondo de «I Still Have Faith In You» remiten a su vez a «Fernando»).

Nada. Como dije en la ADN este mediodía: «nunca subestimemos el poder de fuego de la Armada Musical Sueca».

Gracias, ABBA, por la música

https://www.adnradio.cl/musica/2021/09/03/critica-nuevo-single-de-abba-es-una-obra-maestra.html

Agnetha: “I shed a lot of tears singing ‘The Winner Takes It All”

 Agnetha: “I shed a lot of tears singing ‘The Winner Takes It All”

Muziek Parade, 1981: ABBA's Agnetha and the year of the truth!

Ever since the Swedish group ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, which was held in the English seaside resort Brighton, a lot has changed in the lives of these humble young Swedes. Millions of records were sold in Europe and even beyond, millions of hearts were lit up by ABBA’s cheerful and happy music. Annifrid and Benny got married during those successful years, Agnetha and Björn separated, the shadows of success. This divorce almost meant the end of the super-group. ABBA’s Agnetha explains what happened in the year of the truth.

Agnetha’s career in music already started when she was 15 years old. Ironically, it all started with a song called ‘I Was So In Love’. Two years later, she recorded that song on a tape and sent it to a local record producer, who was immediately impressed by her voice. Agnetha, as serious as she was, started to take singing lessons and it wouldn’t take long before her first single was recorded, followed by several other tunes. Since 1968, Agnetha was under contract with CBS where she recorded six solo albums, after which she sang solo in 1975 at her own record company, Polar Records. Last year she even recorded a Christmas album with her daughter Linda, who is now seven years old.
“When you are young,” Agnetha explains about her career, “you are able to do anything and when you are successful as well, it doesn’t occur to you that there’s more to life than just success. It seems strange, but everything you experience in life is a continuation of what you have done already. As a singer, I met Björn and fell in love with him. He was a musician as well, so things were as normal for us as could be expected. We were on the same wavelength, we both had success, we understood each other. The success of ABBA was an extension of our talents. Years before the Eurovision Song Contest, we already entered the Swedish qualifying round, but every time we failed to get through. You learn a lot from that, because every following year we came back with a better song. Our manager helped us to make it big with ‘Waterloo’, because for him there wasn’t a single doubt, failing didn’t even cross his mind, he had thought everything out, up to the smallest detail.”

ABBA willingly made use of the given opportunity. In the years following 1974, Benny and Björn produced one hit after the other. They could even be admired on the silver screen in ‘ABBA, The Movie’, of which the soundtrack was praised by both friend and foe. Still, things started to stagnate just a little bit, because the machine didn’t run as smoothly as before. Several experts and fans had been guessing about the reason, but in 1979 it was revealed. Despite the arrival of a baby, Agnetha and Björn’s marriage was on the rocks and a divorce was inevitable.
Agnetha: “In a normal family life, the father goes to his job in the morning and the mother stays at home with the children. What would happen when the woman went along to her husband’s job and they were together all day long? Well, that’s exactly what happened to us. We were in each other’s company all day long, twenty-four hours a day. In the beginning it’s all good fun, the success makes up for much of it, but there comes a time when it goes downhill and that’s when you start to snap at each other. That happened to us. That was the time when we started to get tired with each other, a time when we asked ourselves if maybe the birth of a second child could bring salvation, bring us closer together. In hindsight, it was already too late for that but we didn’t want to accept it. Apart from that, we thought that, if we separated, ABBA would dissolve as well. But there was no escaping it, we were really tired with each other, but still there’s that emotional connection. It’s not a decision you make out of the blue. It was an awful time, I can tell you that.”

“The first weeks after our divorce was officially announced were the hardest,” according to Agnetha, “what would the fans think, would ABBA quit, would it be a good thing if they still continued. We had a very difficult time ourselves. You know, in a way ABBA has saved ABBA. Benny and Frida were a tremendous support to us during that time. I talked to Frida for hours, friend to friend, someone who knew exactly how I felt and Frida and Benny were real confidants between Björn and me. We knew how each of us felt: terrible! I had already made a personal decision then. I wanted to quit, because I was afraid that Björn and I wouldn’t be able to stand each other because of these emotions. My mind was made up, I wanted to focus more on animals, maybe become a veterinarian. But I realized I would only makes things worse. Music is my life, I’ve been singing for more than 15 years. On top of that, that’s how Benny and Frida convinced me, why wouldn’t we see each other anymore, why wouldn’t an artistic continuation be able to help appreciate each other again?
Yes, I did fall in love again after that. I kept a low profile, but I watch carefully if I really love somebody. To have your heart broken is not an easy thing, especially if you have to remain working with your ex-husband, that’s very difficult. One of the worst things I experienced after the divorce was the recording of the album ‘Super Trouper’. I shed a lot of tears singing ‘The Winner Takes It All’. That’s why it was decided that Annifrid would record the song, but she refused, she couldn’t sing it. Strange actually, but Björn was the one who convinced me that I should sing the song. I will never forget what he said to me, not for the rest of my life. He said: “I know that what you’re going to sing is very difficult, but understand that I’ve never been able to explain what happened between us. I’m not a man of many words, everything I have to say can be found in a song. Everything that I have written in that song is about us, I know that, but I feel just as miserable as you and there are a lot more people on this planet who have experienced a similar thing. I also would like to say that you can come out of all this as a winner, as long as you think positive. And if you just don’t bother anymore, then you’ll never resolve anything.” I thought that was very sweet of him. There are more songs on the album ‘Super Trouper’ that refer to our divorce, but we both have something to deal with. Yes, the recording of the album took quite some time, but I think everyone will understand that we couldn’t do it any faster. Now we’re in a situation where we can look each other straight into the eyes and appreciate and respect each other, that’s the biggest victory for us. We’ve had to fight to get on top again, just like in the old days.”

“How our children are doing? Where their health is concerned, they’re fine and they see a lot of their father. It’s just a bit problematic with Linda, because she doesn’t understand it at all, but we’ll be able to explain everything better when she’s older. I don’t know how much better, because I have the feeling she has suffered a lot as well. She’s been very sweet to me during that time. Yes, you could say she got me through it. Some things you have to cope with on your own. That’s very difficult and she sensed that. During that period I also recorded another solo album and I did that together with Linda. You should have seen us, two crazy girls in the studio. We recorded it in Swedish, because Linda doesn’t speak English yet.”
In the meantime, ABBA still continues. If everything goes according to plan, there’s a live-album in the works, that will take us back to that wonderful ABBA-atmosphere, and that’s great for the ones who haven’t been able to attend an ABBA-concert themselves. http://abbaarticles.blogspot.com.ar/.../muziek-parade...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/abbaregistro/posts/759847791408413

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The classic Sex Pistols song inspired by ABBA’s pop smash ‘SOS’

 Notes- articles

Jack Whatley·August 7, 2020

The classic Sex Pistols song inspired by ABBA’s pop smash ‘SOS’

t may seem a bit odd to hear the two bands ABBA and the Sex Pistols in the same breath but their connection is stronger than you think. Original bassist, and one-time principal songwriter of the Pistols, Glen Matlock, was a huge fan of the pop royalty.

He was such a fan, in fact, that he lifted a bass line straight from one of ABBA’s most recognisable songs, ‘SOS’ and placed it in one of the Sex Pistols ultimate punk anthems. It’s a little known fact that may make your punk friend want to pull out his safety pins.

‘Pretty Vacant’ may well be one of punk’s finest anthems but the song’s classic riff is taken straight from ABBA’s chest of pop smashes. Matlock is said to have been a fan of the band from Sweden who, at the time, were one of the biggest pop artists around, churning out chart-topping hits and generally operating as the antithesis of punk—before punk was even punk.

Revisiting the song’s origination with Rolling Stone, Matlock reflected on how the track came about and while it was inspired by the ABBA riff, the song’s original conception was influenced by the States. “Malcolm McLaren had been going back and forth to the States to be involved in the rag trade and buy old Fifties clothes because he had a Teddy Boy shop, and I knew he ran into Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls and went backstage,” he said.

“Malcolm came back with fliers for the shows and he brought back setlists, but none of these bands had made records at that stage,” recalled Matlock of the influence the New York set had on him and the rest of the Pistols.

“One said ‘Blank Generation’, and that got me thinking about how there was nothing going on in London,” the bassist continues. “There was a real air of despondency and desperation, so I came out with the idea of ‘Pretty Vacant.'”

As you might imagine the large majority of the song was already composed before Matlock heard the ABBA song in question, but it did add a flourish to the song which it desperately needed. “I had the set of chord changes and the lyric but I was short of a riff,” recalls Matlock.

“I knew it needed a melodic thing, and I heard something on a record by a band called ABBA and it inspired the riff I needed, and I said, ‘Guys, I’ve got it.'” The riff he heard was taken from the band’s song ‘SOS’, which featured on ABBA’s musical film Mamma Mia with Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep providing the vocals in that performance. Not quite the punk image you’d expect and far away from Johnny Rotten’s razor vocal.

It’s likely not something Matlock is ever too happy to talk about in great depth but he has on occasion shown his love for the band, sometimes trying to incriminate his bandmates too. “I always got quite a bit of stick for liking ABBA,” Matlock told The Mouth, “but I think as pop songwriters they’re fantastic. I mean, if you listen to the drums on ‘Waterloo’ it could be Paul [Cook] playing it… I think perhaps he’d picked up a bit, subconsciously, on that.”

However odd it may be to think of one of punk’s most well-known songs being inspired by the ultimate anti-punks ABBA, it did at least provide Sex Pistols bassist, Matlock, an unusual pen pal for a while, the musician recalled in RS, “I mentioned the ABBA influence in an interview once and the bass player from ABBA somehow got my address and started sending me Christmas cards for about 10 years.”

Listen to both of the songs below and see if you can hear the resemblance.

Pretty Vacant https://youtu.be/R6GDdKrQ8EI

SOS https://youtu.be/cvChjHcABPA

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/sex-pistols-song-inspired.../

Like An Angel Passing Through My Room

 Abba commenced work on Like An Angel Passing Through My Room on May 26 1981 and recorded 3 versions on June 5, October 23 and November 8 before the final version was recorded on November 10. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room was released as the last track of Abba's final album The Visitors on November 30 1981. It is the only Abba song to feature a completely solo vocal. Initially the track featured vocals from both Agnetha and Frida and at one point it was turned into a disco track. Frida recalls: "This song means a lot to me. Benny and I were alone in the studio. Alone with the 'tick-tock' of the metronome. I love this kind of song."

Unlike many other ABBA songs, the final mix of the track was sparsely produced. The entire track consists of the soloist's vocals and the music box sound effects of the synthesiser with the sound of a ticking clock throughout. Rune Söderqvist's design of the album sleeve for The Visitors was partly inspired by this song's theme. He recalls: "I knew the painter Julius Kronberg's studio in Skansen very well and immediately thought of this place when I found out one of the songs was called 'Like An Angel Passing Through My Room'. He had painted this huge angel called Eros which you can see on the sleeve. I love the atmosphere created by photographer Lars Larsson, although I have bad memories of the photo shoot because it was very cold. Benny arrived late, there was no heating and the atmosphere was tense. You could feel that it was the end of the group. When you look you can see that they are all standing away from each other. Without anyone of us being aware of it, it looks like they're living in separate worlds on the sleeve. The photo shoot was very brief that day because everyone was in a hurry to leave."
Frida and Benny had seperated in February 1981 and were divorced on November 26 after 12 years together and 3 years of marriage. One week later and three days after the release of The Visitors, Benny married Mona Norklit in a secret ceremony in Stockholm on December 3. Frida recalls "This was a very sad time personally, because I split up with Benny. We still went on because we wanted to finish The Visitors album. We never mentioned it, but there was a certain atmosphere between the four of us."

source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg9Nxy0LsnA

Abba comenzó a trabajar en Like An Angel Passing Through My Room el 26 de mayo de 1981 y grabó 3 versiones el 5 de junio, 23 de octubre y 8 de noviembre antes de que la versión final se grabara el 10 de noviembre. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room fue lanzado como el último pista del último álbum de Abba, The Visitors, el 30 de noviembre de 1981. Es la única canción de Abba que presenta una voz completamente solista. Inicialmente, la canción presentaba voces de Agnetha y Frida y en un momento se convirtió en una canción disco. Frida recuerda: "Esta canción significa mucho para mí. Benny y yo estábamos solos en el estudio. Solo con el 'tic-tac' del metrónomo. Me encanta este tipo de canción".

A diferencia de muchas otras canciones de ABBA, la mezcla final de la pista fue escasamente producida. Toda la pista consiste en la voz del solista y los efectos de sonido de la caja de música del sintetizador con el sonido de un reloj en todo momento. El diseño de Rune Söderqvist de la portada del álbum para The Visitors se inspiró en parte en el tema de esta canción. Él recuerda: "Conocía muy bien el estudio del pintor Julius Kronberg en Skansen e inmediatamente pensé en este lugar cuando descubrí que una de las canciones se llamaba 'Like An Angel Passing Through My Room'. Había pintado a este enorme ángel llamado Eros que se puede ver en la manga. Me encanta la atmósfera creada por el fotógrafo Lars Larsson, aunque tengo malos recuerdos de la sesión de fotos porque hacía mucho frío. Benny llegó tarde, no había calefacción y la atmósfera estaba tensa. fue el final del grupo. Cuando miras, puedes ver que todos están separados el uno del otro. Sin que ninguno de nosotros lo sepa, parece que están viviendo en mundos separados en la manga. fue muy breve ese día porque todos tenían prisa por irse ".

Frida y Benny se separaron en febrero de 1981 y se divorciaron el 26 de noviembre después de 12 años juntos y 3 años de matrimonio. Una semana más tarde y tres días después del lanzamiento de The Visitors, Benny se casó con Mona Norklit en una ceremonia secreta en Estocolmo el 3 de diciembre. Frida recuerda "Este fue un momento muy triste personalmente, porque me separé de Benny. Todavía seguimos porque queríamos terminar el álbum The Visitors. Nunca lo mencionamos, pero había una cierta atmósfera entre nosotros cuatro ".

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notes - vintage photos - the visitors - songs