Moopy's Top 50 ABBA Songs - FULL RESULTS ON PAGE 14

Ag said:
In no particular order

Lay All Your Love On Me
Gimme Gimme Gimme
The Day Before You Came
The Winner Takes It All
Knowing Me Knowing You
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Bang on I’d say, except DQ might take ones place. Depends if it got marked down a bit for being too obvious/overplayed.

When All Is Said and Done might be surprisingly high too I’d say, and I’d bet on If It Wasn’t For The Nights being the top album track.
 
25. Head Over Heels
Single from The Visitors
Released: 1981
Score: 8.2

Unlike their previous albums, The Visitors wasn't really the kind of record that was weighed down with potential single choices, so in a way it is sort of understandable that they went with Head Over Heels as the 2nd single after One Of Us, although I daresay they regret it slightly considering it was their first single in 7 years to miss the top ten entirely, and by some distance too. ABBA were very much winding down as a group by this point, and interest in them was waning, so it was only a matter of time before the bell tolled anyway, but when you look at their chart history, it does read like this sped things up a little.

Maybe post-divorce ABBA couldn't really pull off this kind of tongue-in-cheek number any more, or maybe the cold synthy production Benny was fond of at the time was a bit of a mismatch with the cheeky ode to this high society woman, but something about it just didn't quite ring true. That said, time has clearly been kind to it, as it's ended up with a very respectable placing on this countdown. Could it be that the video helps endear it to internet gays somewhat? Because let's face it, although the lead vocal is handled by Agnetha (and a good job she does of it too), Head Over Heels is a Frida song at heart, thanks to her starring role in the music video.

Highest scores: @Marilyn (10), @Penelope (10)
Lowest scores: @dUb (6)

 
HoH is fine but I’d have released at least 5 tracks from the Visitors before even considering it as a potential single.
 
I love Head Over Heels. In fact I love Under Attack too. I know both are critiqued by fans as being somewhat lacking, but I just hear early 80s ABBA in the twilight of their career, still producing top notch pop.
 
I could write a dissertation about More Gold and then launch a 100 episode podcast about everything left over.
 
I hope there's the full out take of Frida slipping over in the video somewhere.

NOW THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE OUT TAKES.
 
24. Kisses Of Fire
Album track from Voulez-Vous
Released: 1979
Score: 8.31

Next we have the closing track from the triumph that is the Voulez-Vous album. Like many tracks on the album, it features sexually charged lyrics and strong disco influences, but then oh my god, the chorus. I think if you had to blindly try and write an ABBA chorus from scratch, it would probably sound more or less like Kisses Of Fire (as indeed a fair few Melodifestivalen attempts over the years very much do), and that's not an insult - it's possibly the most ABBA chorus they ever wrote.

It may not be the best ABBA song, but at the same time you'd be hard pushed to find many better examples of ABBA at their best distilled into 3 minutes. It's another one that could have been a much bigger favourite, but unfortunately the highest profile outings it has had in the modern era have been a poor Zorba The Greek makeover in the 2nd Mamma Mia! film and this Melodifestivalen opening number. Also fact fans, this is one of several songs that inherited part of Dream World when it was sold for scrap a few months previously, with the third line in the verses originating as Dream World's title line.

Highest scores: @Pingu (10), @Ag (10), @Sheena (10), @lolly (10)
Lowest scores: @dUb (6), @ZenGiraffe (6)

 
My lowest 10 (I presume). We're getting into the big hitters now.

Kisses of Fire, is an @Pingu points out atypical ABBA, but I use that as a compliment, when it's ABBA.

I'd say That's Me would also fall into that category.
 
Pingu said:
24. Kisses Of Fire
Album track from Voulez-Vous
Released: 1979
Score: 8.31

Next we have the closing track from the triumph that is the Voulez-Vous album. Like many tracks on the album, it features sexually charged lyrics and strong disco influences, but then oh my god, the chorus. I think if you had to blindly try and write an ABBA chorus from scratch, it would probably sound more or less like Kisses Of Fire (as indeed a fair few Melodifestivalen attempts over the years very much do), and that's not an insult - it's possibly the most ABBA chorus they ever wrote.

It may not be the best ABBA song, but at the same time you'd be hard pushed to find many better examples of ABBA at their best distilled into 3 minutes. It's another one that could have been a much bigger favourite, but unfortunately the highest profile outings it has had in the modern era have been a poor Zorba The Greek makeover in the 2nd Mamma Mia! film and this Melodifestivalen opening number. Also fact fans, this is one of several songs that inherited part of Dream World when it was sold for scrap a few months previously, with the third line in the verses originating as Dream World's title line.

Highest scores: @Pingu (10), @Ag (10), @Sheena (10), @lolly (10)
Lowest scores: @dUb (6), @ZenGiraffe (6)

Click to expand...

:disco: :disco: :disco: :disco: :disco:


When this is all over, let's play FANTASY VOULEZ VOUS SINGLES again
 
23. Fernando
Single from Greatest Hits
Released: 1976
Score: 8.36

Another megahit now, and it's one that wasn't even meant to be an ABBA song to begin with. It started life in Swedish as the only original track on Frida's Frida ensam album, but after that became a monster Svensktoppen hit, the group decided it was just too good to be confined to Sweden, and recorded a version of their own with completely different lyrics in English. It was recorded during sessions for Arrival but released before the album was finished as a new track to capitalise on the monster success the group had had around the world by this point, particularly in Australia.

It may be pretty twee, but then mid-70s Europop was pretty twee all around, and it did a good job of showing another side to them after the successes of Mamma Mia and SOS. It's almost managed to become something of a standard, with a timeless quality that can't really be attached to a particular point in history. Also, Cher.

Highest scores: @Sheena (10), @VoR (10), @Penelope (10), @HerSereneHighnessAnniFrid (10), @Hak (10), @Jark (10)
Lowest scores: @Suomi (0), @Christian (6)

 
I don’t think Kisses Of Fire is all that brilliant actually.

its definitely in the lower tier of Voulez Vous.
 
I always think Fernando is a bit shit, but then I have a drink and it's just so fucking sing a long, for want of a better term.
 
TOO LOW

I think my love of Fernando stems largely from its use in one of my favourite scenes from Muriel’s Wedding.

 
I think I slept on Kisses Of Fire for quite a few years, but only because the Holy Trinity of Angeleyes, As Good As New and If It Wasn't For The Nights rendered me dead.
 
Also worth mentioning this OUTRAGEOUS knock-off from Brotherhood of Man which was an actual UK #1 hit :D

 
I always wonder how the "Since many years..." lyric was never questioned before release!
 
Can anyone find the video clip of ABBA being asked how they come up with their songs and Bjorn quips "Oh, we just steal whatever Brotherhood of Man are doing!" before they all collapse into giggles?

I only saw it once, years ago, but I never forgot it as a rare joyous moment of CATTY ABBA.
 
Aren’t B&B always quite shady in a surreptitious way?

I bet you Ag & Frid don’t hold back either after a few glasses of wine :D
 
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22. The Name Of The Game
Single from The Album
Released: 1977
Score: 8.45

Now this one I am very surprised about, as I'd imagine are a couple of people who predicted this to be right up in the top five. As one of ABBA's "cooler" hits, it isn't one that stuck out at me as a 10 year-old listening to ABBA Gold, but it definitely has revealed itself more and more as time went on. It's such a mishmash of different styles in the one song, to the point that it's almost surprising they managed to pull it off, but everything seems to fit nicely together, from the Stevie Wonder inspired verses, to the Europop chorus and the Beatles-esque flourishes in the post-chorus, not to mention the two contrasting solo sections from Agnetha and Frida.

In fact, with so much going on and so many different competing influences, it's remarkable that it managed to possess such a laid back quality, with very little of the intensity of some of their other hits at the time. It was a brave but smart decision to go with it as the lead single from The Album instead of the most instant but much more two-dimensional Hole In Your Soul (in at #70), as it was a nice way to show the listener what they had been doing and how they had progressed as a group since the likes of Dancing Queen. It was number one for four weeks, although when it "only" reached #6 in Australia, it marked the beginning of the end of ABBA mania down there.

Highest scores: @Sheena (10), @lolly (10), @Ill Advised (10), @Penelope (10), @Tisch (10), @Iguana (10)
Lowest scores: @ZenGiraffe (5), @dmlaw (6), @Suomi (6)

 
Frida dropped some light shade in that Radio 2 interview. I can't see Ag being a huge bitch, as much as I want it.
 
Wut

Screenshot_20220407-185630_Google.jpg


:kim:
 
I liked Name of the Game as a melancholic teenager more than I do as an adult with life experience.
 
Pingu said:
22. The Name Of The Game
Single from The Album
Released: 1977
Score: 8.45

Now this one I am very surprised about, as I'd imagine are a couple of people who predicted this to be right up in the top five. As one of ABBA's "cooler" hits, it isn't one that stuck out at me as a 10 year-old listening to ABBA Gold, but it definitely has revealed itself more and more as time went on. It's such a mishmash of different styles in the one song, to the point that it's almost surprising they managed to pull it off, but everything seems to fit nicely together, from the Stevie Wonder inspired verses, to the Europop chorus and the Beatles-esque flourishes in the post-chorus, not to mention the two contrasting solo sections from Agnetha and Frida.

In fact, with so much going on and so many different competing influences, it's remarkable that it managed to possess such a laid back quality, with very little of the intensity of some of their other hits at the time. It was a brave but smart decision to go with it as the lead single from The Album instead of the most instant but much more two-dimensional Hole In Your Soul (in at #70), as it was a nice way to show the listener what they had been doing and how they had progressed as a group since the likes of Dancing Queen. It was number one for four weeks, although when it "only" reached #6 in Australia, it marked the beginning of the end of ABBA mania down there.

Highest scores: @Sheena (10), @lolly (10), @Ill Advised (10), @Penelope (10), @Tisch (10), @Iguana (10)
Lowest scores: @ZenGiraffe (5), @dmlaw (6), @Suomi (6)

Click to expand...

Too low for me personally, but I'm not surprised it ended up there. I think it's always been somewhat polarising amongst the fanbase anyway.

And for all it was huge in the UK, it didn't get to #1 anywhere else I think.
 
Love the bleak, almost sinister verses of The Name of the Game. You can imagine Agnetha sitting in an empty flat wearing a soiled wedding dress and mechanically flicking a light switch on and off.

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