The incomes from this song were donated to Unicef and have earned millions of dollars for them. The gala where the donation was announced was held and filmed in Switzerland -- hence the snowman and mountain landscape. --- Also, during covid lockdown 2020-2021, the Spanish-language version of Chiquitita became the number one "balcony song" in spanish-speaking countries, as people imprisoned in their homes stood on their balconies and sang with their neighbours to keep in touch.
Part of the secret to ABBA's success, was the contrast of Agnetha and Frida's voices. Agnetha was a true soprano, and Frida was a mezzo-soprano. The combining of their respective voices created a special harmony.
That never learned to read notes! His father and grandfathers played folklore. The sadness of Swedish folk tune is always present in their music. The secret ingredient according to Benny himself. Also how melodic it is, I guess. He bows to the The Swedish folktune in the intro to the Wembley concert, "gammal fäbodpsalm", a traditional piece.
Agnetha, the blond, once described in an interview the moment when her and Frida's singing merged into these beautiful harmonies, as a wonderful, happy marriage of voices.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest pop groups of all time and although their music might seem rather light and bubble gum oriented on the surface when you look a little deeper there's so much more to their music. I took a tremendous amount of heat from my contemporaries for liking this group 40 or 50 years ago but ABBA's music has certainly stood the test of time and they still gets lots of airplay on the memory sticks I rock out to in the car. The production values alone make their songs worth listening to and the instrumentation and vocals are exemplary. Cheers from Ontario, Canada!
Tengo 70 años y cada vez que escucho esta cancion se me escapan las lagrimas...y sabeis porque'....porque cuando estaba con mis padres mi papa y mama lloraban al oir esta cancion....yo entonces no lo entendia,pero ahora se porque yo les llevare siempre en mi corazon a mi mama y mi papa.....
Facial close up shots were one of Abba's trademark firstly invested by their director Lasse Hallstrom later of the "Casanova' movie fame.Twas obvious he knew why, so did the right thing.These girls faces looked naturally gorgeous and was a flash in the eyes of their viewers since they had looks like filmstars.
Music videos weren't a thing in the 70's so ABBA were innovative in doing these "promotional" videos so that fans around the world who couldn't go to their concerts could see them perform their hit songs. After releasing their first album in 40 years in 2021, they're still innovating in creating a concert experience in London with computer generated younger versions of themselves performing.
The both girls (Agnetha and Frida) are amazing and talented singers. Their voices harmonize almost too perfectly together, the way that is very hard to beat. It is a very big part of their magic, combined with equally talented Björn and Benny, who write, compose and arrange their songs.
Chiquitita" means 'very little girl' (with affection) in spanish And the melody have a spanish tune, specialy by the acustic guitar But the center is the wonderful piano, like almost all ABBA songs "Chiquitita" is a beautiful song, it has hopeful lyrics, a melody that starts very soft with the blonde Agnetha's solo, then grows and explodes in a powerful chorus; Agnetha & Frida's vocal harmonies are of excellence Agnetha is soprano, Frida is mezzo soprano It allows us to check how excellent singers Agnetha & Frida are and what harmonies of excellence they achieve. It stands out especially when they stretch the monosyllables with great quality and beauty "Chiquitita" was premiered especially for the UNICEF Concert (January 9, 1979, just 44 years ago!) and its royalties are eternal for UNICEF "Chiquitita" was ABBA's greatest success in Latin America, that prompted ABBA to record it in Spanish, and its success was so extraordinary, that in the following year ABBA recorded a full album with their best songs entirely in Spanish ("Chiquitita" in Spanish is the biggest ABBA hit in My country Argentina) Chiquitita" is in the Top 3 of all ABBA worldwide biggest hits, with 'Dancing Queen" and "Fernando", and it's a fantastic Masterpiece These official video was filmed in Swizterland 1979 , in the Lysair ski area when ABBA goes for a TV Special to the International Year of the Childs (that's why there's a snowman) It's the only promotional video that ABBA made without Sweden ABBA's videos are mostly filmed by Lasse Hallstrom, and are characterized by taking close-ups of the four members of ABBA, especially their lead singers Agnetha and Frida My next suggestion is to "Fernando" or "Super trouper" (1980) with the brunette singer Frida in lead voice I hope to see you soon with more ABBA songs My best wishes from Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷 South América
Thanks for all of that great info! So much more of an intricate song than we could obviously take in on the first watch & listen. That's why we love the comments! So informative!
This is the studio version of the song. There is also an extant live performance, which sounds somewhat different, but is just as good. 1976 was a good year for ABBA. They produced both Dancing Queen and Fernando that year. They're my favorite ABBA songs, partly because my daughter was born in January of that year.
I Don't care about it being static.It's such a pleasure watching these two marvelous women looking at me even if the video was muted.These 2some was like sunshine after a horible storm.
ABBA were unbeatable. Apart from The Beatles, definitely the most successful pop band of all time. Such talented songwriters and the girls' voices are so beautiful.
This song was huge and was no.1 in many countries across Europe. The boys wrote all their own material with some help in the very early years by their manager Stig Anderson. Bjorn (guitar) speaks about 5 languages inc. Spanish. The group donated all profits of this song to UNiCEF the childrens charity. Many other artists like the Bee Gee's did as well and a show was done with many artists performing in Switzerland. The group rerecorded this song and 9 others in Spanish and released an album which was huge in South America and other Spanish speaking countries. Many songs such as this one became no.1 again in Spanish having previously been no.1 in English.
Nothing is ever superficial or simplistic with them. They could write the easiest, poppy, commercial song and yet if you listen to the arrangement, the harmonies, the instrumental lines, there are always so many details, intricacies, clever and exigent solutions!
The "Other Girl" Is Frida..... Just as integral to ABBA as Agnetha, both these beautiful ladies contribution to ABBA was beyond words can say. They are rare and truly talented women who didn't have to rely on"Vox box", just look at their live performances of ABBA, London Wembley Arena concert. on TH-cam from 1979🧐......I was there and it was a phenomenal experience. The artists of today rely upon so much technology to replicate there studio sounds its laughable 😱😆 🇬🇧🤬
Even though they are from Sweden...they sing about other places and times! Here in this song they sing of a young Spanish girl (Chiquitita= little girl). In their song Fernando they sing of the fight for independence in far away Texas during the 1830's. You need to check out Fernando because in that song the brunette (Frida) sings the lead. Either of the ladies could have made a great career singing solo but put them together and their sound goes to an even higher level!!!
Actually Agnetha did have a great solo career in Sweden before ABBA started, and Frida also had a good one. The boys was at that time members of and main composer for two different Swedish bands (the two at the time most succesfull ones). So ABBA really is a supergroup*. * A supergroup is a musical group whose members are successful as solo artists or as members of other successful groups.
Greetings, Let us unpack your questions and the performance from ABBA. The band members are Agnetha (the blonde lady), Anni-Frid, "Frida" (the brunette lady), Benny (the one on the 'piano' in this vid), and Bjorn (the blond playing the guitar in this vid. The thing with the giant snowman is that this video was recorded by the BBC (February 1979) intended to be used for a Christmas program in early 1979 or even possibly December 1979. But because the wind kept giving Frida problems blowing hair in her face, it was never really used. "Chiquitita" means 'little girl' in Spanish. It originally had 3 or 4 working titles in the beginning. 1in Swedish, 2 in English and 1 in Spanish. Since it got released for the Music for UNICEF Concert of 1979 for a charity for children, they chose to use the Spanish tittle but shorten. Within a few weeks it got translated to Spanish and used in their Spanish language release, "Gracias por la Musica" (Thanks for the Music). First, 50% of the proceeds went to the charity. But in 2021, the band agreed to give 100% of the proceeds for the children's charity. The piano in this video looks to be the Wurlitzer 200 or 206 electric piano.
Another big one from them (they have an insane amount of hits) is "Knowing Me, Knowing You". A break up song with superb harmonies and a catchy hook, like almost every other ABBA song. Highly recommend!
Knowing Me, Knowing You is my favorite song of ABBA, for me this song border the perfection, like Chiquita, Mamma Mia, The Name of the Game, Take a Chance On Me, Dancing Queen and Why It Have to Be Me.💐🪷💎🎉
Fun, funner, funest... 😎 "Chiquitita" is not the only Spanish-titled song, try "Fernando", and they sang many of their songs in Swedish and Spanish as well, and they're just as perfect as the English versions, precisely translated and enunciated with perfect harmony and rhyming verses. A great musical group could compose, arrange, vocalize, and capture your soul through the actual talent of the individuals in the group. We did not use auto-tunup software and canned formulaic lyrics to convert a mediocre personality such as Arianna Grande into a pop star. Agnetha and Anni-Frid were both outstanding singers in their own right before the creation of the musical family that is ABBA. Sometimes we get a perfect planetary alignment that influences destiny and history. Such is ABBA, who will live forever in the hearts of a magnificent generation. Thank you for the music... 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Unusual scenery with a giant snowman? As I remember my childhood winters in 70s Sweden, you couldn't throw an Abba record outside without hitting a big snowman. But then again, you remember what you want to remember. All winters were full of snow and every summer day was only sun and green grass in memory...
Glad you are reacting to more of ABBA. They are one of my favorites groups from the 70's-80's. They had lots of hits & I owned many of their albums. I can't think of a bad song by them. Some of their best are "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme", "Thank You For The Music", "Does Your Mother Know?", "Waterloo", "Money, Money, Money", "The Name Of The Game", "Super Trouper", "I Have A Dream", "Voulez-Vous", "Fernando", "Take A Chance On Me", "Mamma Mia", "SOS", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Dancing Queen" etc.
What? Snow in Sweden? Wow. They do World tours and can sing their songs in a few different languages. Spanish is one of them, hence the song title. Thanks.
11:06 ABBA always had an affinity for Spain/Latin America since their earliest days (there is also the song Fernando). Except for English, ABBA recorded more songs in Spanish than any other language, including Swedish. The Spanish version of this song, which is very good, was a huge hit in Latin America. Recording songs in multiple languages was more common back then and Spanish had the second biggest market so it made a lot of sense to use some Spanish themes, which the group liked to do anyway.
It's not a promo / musiv video ABBA was i Schwitzerland and BBC asked for something to have in a christmas special They recorded this on a mountain and it's enough winter / christmas feeling for England, I think BBC was very pleased with this recording, after all they had a new release with the biggest band in the world for the christmas show
ABBA recorded many songs, including Chiquitita and Fernando, in both English and Spanish. Their accents are very good, considering they're actually Scandinavian. One of my Spanish teachers actually used their recordings in class, to generate interest.
I am from Spain, and I listened to Abba since I was a child. I am 49 and still do it. Almost every successful single has its spanish version. I love them!
This snowman video was part of the recording of an 'ABBA In Switzerland' special. This clip was set aside to use later for a sort of follow-up Christmas program, but the producers didn't like certain elements of it (like Frida having to brush away her hair several times), so, another video was filmed for the Christmas show. As for the title "Chiquitita", Bjorn said the original working title - 'In the Arms of Rosalita' - didn't sound "percussive enough", so he set out to find a more percussive, _staccato_-sounding name, and ultimately landed on "Chiquitita", meaning "little girl" in Spanish. Cheers.
You can’t be serious .The Beatles couldn’t sing ,they couldn’t play , there lyrics were childish ,gross .like something scrawled on the back of a toilet door. Shows the madness of the world .
I swear that the Earth shifts slightly on its orbit when Agnetha opens her mouth to sing. My world goes into a spin. In all my 58 years on Earth I have never heard a female voice to match hers, and I have listened to sooooo many over the years. My first LP was ABBA's greatest hits and like Ultimatespinach I too took a lot of flak for admiring this stellar pop group. My admiration has only increased.
Up to now you've done two super hits featuring great vocals by blonde Agnetha on the lead.Two more great choices would have been "Knowing me,Knowing you"/'Fernando" with red haired Frida on the lead.Or even the two of them fronting in ''The Name of the Game" for something more complicated and even 'Gimme,Gimme,Gimme" for something more groovy.All bangers and timeless classics.
The 70s was the first truly global era for everyday people, so many of the videos of the time contain clear national references to sort-of introduce yourself to the rest of the planet and say "hi, this is where we're from, would love to know how things are were you come from" ~ in this case, the snowman is for the Nordic countries, because ABBA is from Sweden. Also, the super close-ups were extremely common at the time, because everything was about being genuine and just being human ~ and what better way to show that you're a real person, really singing your song, than getting so up close, that you can see every imperfection: beauty spots, twitches, sweat and all. That was the philosophy of the time. The 70s were awesome.
A fabulous song sang by two of the most spectacular women to grace the music world, especially agnetha, she’s a perfect example of the beauty of a woman. The two ladies would often share the lead vocals, this time it was agnetha, their song fernando was lead by Frida, that’s how they worked together so well
No matter how many times I hear this song, Agnethas opening verse goes straight through me. She was my first crush as a lad. Man, I adored her. Both her and Fridas voices were made to sing together
🥇Thanks for share, ABBA always bordering the perfection 💐💎🎉 Other deep song for the electric guitar and excellent harmony in the voices is the song: Knowing Me, Knowing You.
This video was filmed as part of a TV special called ABBA in Switzerland hence the tweet snowman as it was filed in the winter. Chiquita means little one in Spanish, the Spanish.m version of this spent 32 weeks at number 1 in Mexico
Hi guys love watching your reaction videos to ABBA one of the biggest iconic pop star that ever lived !! back in the 70s they were just sensational with their outfits endless no 1 hits they took the world by storm they had a musical made about them plus smash hit films and now have a AI graphic concert in their own concert dome in london uk called ABBA VOYAGE you guys should check it out how they made that look up on you tube once the members of abba were married to each other and got divorced thats why the song winner takes it all was produced to reflect the pain and hurt of seperating as they did agnethas voice was unique her range faultless you will never see the likes of this group again from the 70s right up untill present day there music is still played and enjoyed by millions they were and still are superstars of the music industry !!
Guys that great reaction, Chiquitita is in my TOP 10 of best ABBA songs, now it does play Dancing Queen or Mamma Mia, I'm almost sure you must have heard it somewhere because they are the best known songs of ABBA worldwide, keep reacting to them that have many songs that were a success, that few groups in history have had.
It's hard for me to believe that anyone from the western hemisphere would hear ABBA's songs for the first time as an adult. I grew up with it and knew the lyrics by heart when I was a little kid, like most people of Western and often Eastern European background. Not very believable.
I would guess ABBA are most famous for their upbeat songs but my Swedish temper just loves their melancholic songs like “Slipping Through My Fingers” and “The Day Before You Came”! If you have the opportunity, give those two a chance - you want forget it! If you want to listen to a upcoming world class musician trio from Stockholm, Sweden, you should check out Dirty Loops! They just blow my mind. Each one of them are top notch in their field and together they create magic! Start with “Next To You”! Keep up the good work!
This video was filmed in the mountains in Switzerland, where they were filmed for the 1979 BBC-documentary "ABBA in Switzerland". In that documentary they performed some songs in front of an audience, but you can also see them outside, skiing, ice-skating etc. There were other artists they received as their guests in the show, like Kate Bush and Roxy Music.
Frida (the red haired girl) is phenomenal when you get to hear her as lead, great choices would be "Fernando" & "Super Trouper" Abba are awesome, so many greats to hear, lucky you !!
I just discovered your channel and I hope you'll do more ABBA reaction videos in the near future, thanks for this one! "The Visitors", "On and On and On", and "Hole in Your Soul" are some other underappreciated tracks worthy of your reactions. Thanks!
Hi! This song was a huge huge hit in Latinamerica, both in english and spanish versions (th-cam.com/video/Z4oTvuow9cc/w-d-xo.html). Chiquitita means Little Girl in spanish. Absolutely touching song and everyone knew and sang this song in spanish during the last 70's and the 80's. Chiquitita becomes a classic which took Abba into a legend for Latam. Best regards from Chile! 🙂
Before you begin to think that blonde agnetha is the lead singer, you need to watch Fernando and Knowing Me Knowing You to experience Frida on lead vocals. Their voices have been described as creating a third voice when they combine so perfectly.
Hi, iam Michael from Germany. For us the Swedish Superstars are one a kind .There are highly successful in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia in the 70th and 80th ( and there are very successful again in 2022 after the Release of their new Album Voyage ).The Bandname ABBA stand for their First Name Letters Anafried, Björn, Benny, and Agnetha ( They are two Couples at that time ). Their are to this Day, one of the best selling Groups after the Beatles Worldwide.Their are Music Legends. Kind regards from Berlin / Germanny
Hi from the UK guys. Just watched several of your reaction vids. I like the way you have a broader approach to your reactions. not only do you comment on the music/performance but also the presentational aspects of whatever you are watching. It makes a refreshing change. I'm in! Best wishes and stay safe.
The snowman: All I know is that the original clip was intended to be shot in a winter scene. The video clip was shot in the Swiss Alps by ABBA. During one of their hikes, they saw this snowman made by children. The band decided to shoot the music video alongside the snowman. In this way, they created an everlasting memory of the children's hard and beautiful work.
Two of the best voices in music history.
Hey, Annefrid and Agneta are quite good, also!
Truth
Maybe not, but very good singers though.
Chiquitina, persona joven o incluso niña, también apelativo muy cariñoso hacia alguien , para agradar, consolar, aubir el animo
And two of the best lyricists and song-writers as well.
The incomes from this song were donated to Unicef and have earned millions of dollars for them. The gala where the donation was announced was held and filmed in Switzerland -- hence the snowman and mountain landscape. --- Also, during covid lockdown 2020-2021, the Spanish-language version of Chiquitita became the number one "balcony song" in spanish-speaking countries, as people imprisoned in their homes stood on their balconies and sang with their neighbours to keep in touch.
True!i've seen the 'balconies] videos it was really touching.
Yes and to this day Frida is a UNICEF ambassador
@@Vikinggirl1679 Abba have also donated all future proceeds from Little Things on their latest album to Unicef.
@@swedishmeatball4382 really that's great
@@swedishmeatball4382for one I love your screen name .second thanks for telling us those tid bits we would have never known .
Before Autotune, there was skills and talent.
You got that right.
Yes! Down with autotune!
indeed hahaha what a Difference, i realy mis this time
Correct!!!!!
So, so true.
this was a xmas special for UNICEF, hence the snowman, and they donated all the proceeds from this song to UNICEF
The piano Outtro in this is like. One of the best things EVER.
When they sing together it very well known as the third voice of ABBA.
Part of the secret to ABBA's success, was the contrast of Agnetha and Frida's voices. Agnetha was a true soprano, and Frida was a mezzo-soprano. The combining of their respective voices created a special harmony.
A very good point!
@@philfoster8789 😀Thank You, and have a Great Weekend❗🌻🌞
It's not a secret anymore
@@smartiboo 👍😆True
@@AzoreanZionisthii😊😊
ABBA is just pure magic.
Two beautiful natural women with great voices!!!! ❤❤
Benny is an insane piano player.
That never learned to read notes! His father and grandfathers played folklore. The sadness of Swedish folk tune is always present in their music. The secret ingredient according to Benny himself. Also how melodic it is, I guess. He bows to the The Swedish folktune in the intro to the Wembley concert, "gammal fäbodpsalm", a traditional piece.
Abba are phenomenal
There’s a reason why Benny’s piano solo is the most replayed
Artists didn´t make videos then. Music was for radio and not for TV. This video felt really advanced compared to what we were used to.
Agnetha, the blond, once described in an interview the moment when her and Frida's singing merged into these beautiful harmonies, as a wonderful, happy marriage of voices.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest pop groups of all time and although their music might seem rather light and bubble gum oriented on the surface when you look a little deeper there's so much more to their music. I took a tremendous amount of heat from my contemporaries for liking this group 40 or 50 years ago but ABBA's music has certainly stood the test of time and they still gets lots of airplay on the memory sticks I rock out to in the car. The production values alone make their songs worth listening to and the instrumentation and vocals are exemplary. Cheers from Ontario, Canada!
Don't you doubt these women that had a lot of charisma to just watch them... a chemistry they can't be bought...
Tengo 70 años y cada vez que escucho esta cancion se me escapan las lagrimas...y sabeis porque'....porque cuando estaba con mis padres mi papa y mama lloraban al oir esta cancion....yo entonces no lo entendia,pero ahora se porque yo les llevare siempre en mi corazon a mi mama y mi papa.....
Haha, you are like the oldest uncle and aunt at the party, just nodding. Nodding, and "liking" the music. Muppets.
It's hard to believe that someone has never heard this before.
Facial close up shots were one of Abba's trademark firstly invested by their director Lasse Hallstrom later of the "Casanova' movie fame.Twas obvious he knew why, so did the right thing.These girls faces looked naturally gorgeous and was a flash in the eyes of their viewers since they had looks like filmstars.
Much prettier than film stars, natural beauty. 😉
@@Muckylittleme Indeed,not even too much make up needed. Just some eye shadow and lil lip gloss was even enough.
Music videos weren't a thing in the 70's so ABBA were innovative in doing these "promotional" videos so that fans around the world who couldn't go to their concerts could see them perform their hit songs. After releasing their first album in 40 years in 2021, they're still innovating in creating a concert experience in London with computer generated younger versions of themselves performing.
The both girls (Agnetha and Frida) are amazing and talented singers. Their voices harmonize almost too perfectly together, the way that is very hard to beat. It is a very big part of their magic, combined with equally talented Björn and Benny, who write, compose and arrange their songs.
The outtro piano/guitar makes this a unique song by ABBA
One of the few songs I have heard that are both sad and happy.
ABBA intemporel!. j'adore! et quelles belles voies!.
Chiquitita" means 'very little girl' (with affection) in spanish
And the melody have a spanish tune, specialy by the acustic guitar
But the center is the wonderful piano, like almost all ABBA songs
"Chiquitita" is a beautiful song, it has hopeful lyrics,
a melody that starts very soft with the blonde Agnetha's solo,
then grows and explodes in a powerful chorus;
Agnetha & Frida's vocal harmonies are of excellence
Agnetha is soprano, Frida is mezzo soprano
It allows us to check how excellent singers Agnetha & Frida are
and what harmonies of excellence they achieve.
It stands out especially when they stretch the monosyllables with great quality and beauty
"Chiquitita" was premiered especially for the UNICEF Concert
(January 9, 1979, just 44 years ago!)
and its royalties are eternal for UNICEF
"Chiquitita" was ABBA's greatest success in Latin America,
that prompted ABBA to record it in Spanish, and its success was so extraordinary,
that in the following year ABBA recorded a full album with their best songs entirely in Spanish
("Chiquitita" in Spanish is the biggest ABBA hit in My country Argentina)
Chiquitita" is in the Top 3 of all ABBA worldwide biggest hits,
with 'Dancing Queen" and "Fernando", and it's a fantastic Masterpiece
These official video was filmed in Swizterland 1979 ,
in the Lysair ski area
when ABBA goes for a TV Special
to the International Year of the Childs
(that's why there's a snowman)
It's the only promotional video that ABBA made without Sweden
ABBA's videos are mostly filmed by Lasse Hallstrom,
and are characterized by taking close-ups of the four members of ABBA,
especially their lead singers Agnetha and Frida
My next suggestion is to
"Fernando" or "Super trouper" (1980)
with the brunette singer Frida in lead voice
I hope to see you soon with more ABBA songs
My best wishes from
Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷
South América
Thanks for all of that great info! So much more of an intricate song than we could obviously take in on the first watch & listen. That's why we love the comments! So informative!
This is the studio version of the song. There is also an extant live performance, which sounds somewhat different, but is just as good. 1976 was a good year for ABBA. They produced both Dancing Queen and Fernando that year. They're my favorite ABBA songs, partly because my daughter was born in January of that year.
I LOVE Anni-Frid's harmonies in this song!
My favorite ABBA song.
if pop music was as gd as this today i would still like it.
I Don't care about it being static.It's such a pleasure watching these two marvelous women looking at me even if the video was muted.These 2some was like sunshine after a horible storm.
one of my favourite ABBA tracks
Abba can also sing in perfect Spanish
ABBA were unbeatable. Apart from The Beatles, definitely the most successful pop band of all time. Such talented songwriters and the girls' voices are so beautiful.
This song was huge and was no.1 in many countries across Europe. The boys wrote all their own material with some help in the very early years by their manager Stig Anderson. Bjorn (guitar) speaks about 5 languages inc. Spanish. The group donated all profits of this song to UNiCEF the childrens charity. Many other artists like the Bee Gee's did as well and a show was done with many artists performing in Switzerland. The group rerecorded this song and 9 others in Spanish and released an album which was huge in South America and other Spanish speaking countries. Many songs such as this one became no.1 again in Spanish having previously been no.1 in English.
Nothing is ever superficial or simplistic with them. They could write the easiest, poppy, commercial song and yet if you listen to the arrangement, the harmonies, the instrumental lines, there are always so many details, intricacies, clever and exigent solutions!
So many hits but this is one of their finest vocal performances, from the gentle verse to really belting out the chorus.
The "Other Girl" Is Frida.....
Just as integral to ABBA as Agnetha, both these beautiful ladies contribution to ABBA was beyond words can say.
They are rare and truly talented women who didn't have to rely on"Vox box", just look at their live performances of ABBA, London Wembley Arena concert. on TH-cam from 1979🧐......I was there and it was a phenomenal experience.
The artists of today rely upon so much technology to replicate there studio sounds its laughable 😱😆
🇬🇧🤬
I love Abba❤
Even though they are from Sweden...they sing about other places and times! Here in this song they sing of a young Spanish girl (Chiquitita= little girl). In their song Fernando they sing of the fight for independence in far away Texas during the 1830's.
You need to check out Fernando because in that song the brunette (Frida) sings the lead.
Either of the ladies could have made a great career singing solo but put them together and their sound goes to an even higher level!!!
Actually Agnetha did have a great solo career in Sweden before ABBA started, and Frida also had a good one. The boys was at that time members of and main composer for two different Swedish bands (the two at the time most succesfull ones). So ABBA really is a supergroup*.
* A supergroup is a musical group whose members are successful as solo artists or as members of other successful groups.
Greetings,
Let us unpack your questions and the performance from ABBA.
The band members are Agnetha (the blonde lady), Anni-Frid, "Frida" (the brunette lady), Benny (the one on the 'piano' in this vid), and Bjorn (the blond playing the guitar in this vid.
The thing with the giant snowman is that this video was recorded by the BBC (February 1979) intended to be used for a Christmas program in early 1979 or even possibly December 1979. But because the wind kept giving Frida problems blowing hair in her face, it was never really used.
"Chiquitita" means 'little girl' in Spanish. It originally had 3 or 4 working titles in the beginning. 1in Swedish, 2 in English and 1 in Spanish. Since it got released for the Music for UNICEF Concert of 1979 for a charity for children, they chose to use the Spanish tittle but shorten. Within a few weeks it got translated to Spanish and used in their Spanish language release, "Gracias por la Musica" (Thanks for the Music). First, 50% of the proceeds went to the charity. But in 2021, the band agreed to give 100% of the proceeds for the children's charity.
The piano in this video looks to be the Wurlitzer 200 or 206 electric piano.
this is really a dreamy song, its getting better as it progresses and you can discover new harmonies within it all the time, marvellous.
Another big one from them (they have an insane amount of hits) is "Knowing Me, Knowing You". A break up song with superb harmonies and a catchy hook, like almost every other ABBA song. Highly recommend!
Knowing Me, Knowing You is my favorite song of ABBA, for me this song border the perfection, like Chiquita, Mamma Mia, The Name of the Game, Take a Chance On Me, Dancing Queen and Why It Have to Be Me.💐🪷💎🎉
Fun, funner, funest... 😎
"Chiquitita" is not the only Spanish-titled song, try "Fernando", and they sang many of their songs in Swedish and Spanish as well, and they're just as perfect as the English versions, precisely translated and enunciated with perfect harmony and rhyming verses.
A great musical group could compose, arrange, vocalize, and capture your soul through the actual talent of the individuals in the group. We did not use auto-tunup software and canned formulaic lyrics to convert a mediocre personality such as Arianna Grande into a pop star.
Agnetha and Anni-Frid were both outstanding singers in their own right before the creation of the musical family that is ABBA.
Sometimes we get a perfect planetary alignment that influences destiny and history. Such is ABBA, who will live forever in the hearts of a magnificent generation.
Thank you for the music... 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
😎 Enjoyed your reactions. This was before MTV so there were no music videos being made. This was actually part of a Nordic television special.
Unusual scenery with a giant snowman?
As I remember my childhood winters in 70s Sweden, you couldn't throw an Abba record outside without hitting a big snowman. But then again, you remember what you want to remember. All winters were full of snow and every summer day was only sun and green grass in memory...
Well the snowman is at least used by 2 very very famous artists
AMAZING! The Jacksons 1979 Full HD Blame It On The Boogie!
Did you throw ABBA LP:s around a lot? 😂 Buy yeah, I agree. Actually I built a few of those snowmen. 😂
It is an international live charity broadcast at Christmas for UNCEF!
Glad you are reacting to more of ABBA. They are one of my favorites groups from the 70's-80's. They had lots of hits & I owned many of their albums. I can't think of a bad song by them. Some of their best are "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme", "Thank You For The Music", "Does Your Mother Know?", "Waterloo", "Money, Money, Money", "The Name Of The Game", "Super Trouper", "I Have A Dream", "Voulez-Vous", "Fernando", "Take A Chance On Me", "Mamma Mia", "SOS", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Dancing Queen" etc.
Andante, andante.
Erm The Winner takes it all
Lay All Your Love On Me and I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, among others.
Honey, Honey
You have like (at least) 50 more bangers with ABBA to react to. 🎉
What? Snow in Sweden? Wow. They do World tours and can sing their songs in a few different languages. Spanish is one of them, hence the song title. Thanks.
11:06 ABBA always had an affinity for Spain/Latin America since their earliest days (there is also the song Fernando). Except for English, ABBA recorded more songs in Spanish than any other language, including Swedish. The Spanish version of this song, which is very good, was a huge hit in Latin America.
Recording songs in multiple languages was more common back then and Spanish had the second biggest market so it made a lot of sense to use some Spanish themes, which the group liked to do anyway.
They are so many great song from them! Yes that close up to their faces sing is a trademark for the videos of Abba, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, are most
It's not a promo / musiv video
ABBA was i Schwitzerland and BBC asked for something to have in a christmas special
They recorded this on a mountain and it's enough winter / christmas feeling for England,
I think BBC was very pleased with this recording, after all they had a new release with the biggest band in the world for the christmas show
but it wasn´t Christmas show... is a TV special in February 1979 for the International Year of the Childs
ABBA recorded many songs, including Chiquitita and Fernando, in both English and Spanish. Their accents are very good, considering they're actually Scandinavian. One of my Spanish teachers actually used their recordings in class, to generate interest.
Wow! That's awesome! We're learning Spanish so we should look into that!
I am from Spain, and I listened to Abba since I was a child. I am 49 and still do it. Almost every successful single has its spanish version. I love them!
This snowman video was part of the recording of an 'ABBA In Switzerland' special. This clip was set aside to use later for a sort of follow-up Christmas program, but the producers didn't like certain elements of it (like Frida having to brush away her hair several times), so, another video was filmed for the Christmas show. As for the title "Chiquitita", Bjorn said the original working title - 'In the Arms of Rosalita' - didn't sound "percussive enough", so he set out to find a more percussive, _staccato_-sounding name, and ultimately landed on "Chiquitita", meaning "little girl" in Spanish. Cheers.
Jewels of the past which I still adore and enjoy as I did when I was growing up and listening to them on Audio Cassette
Björn and Benny are up there beside McCarthy and Lenon as composers. ABBA are still slapping hard 40-50 years later.
You can’t be serious .The Beatles couldn’t sing ,they couldn’t play , there lyrics were childish ,gross .like something scrawled on the back of a toilet door. Shows the madness of the world .
I swear that the Earth shifts slightly on its orbit when Agnetha opens her mouth to sing. My world goes into a spin. In all my 58 years on Earth I have never heard a female voice to match hers, and I have listened to sooooo many over the years. My first LP was ABBA's greatest hits and like Ultimatespinach I too took a lot of flak for admiring this stellar pop group. My admiration has only increased.
Up to now you've done two super hits featuring great vocals by blonde Agnetha on the lead.Two more great choices would have been "Knowing me,Knowing you"/'Fernando" with red haired Frida on the lead.Or even the two of them fronting in ''The Name of the Game" for something more complicated and even 'Gimme,Gimme,Gimme" for something more groovy.All bangers and timeless classics.
So many excellent choices. I love ABBA.... I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do!
The 70s was the first truly global era for everyday people, so many of the videos of the time contain clear national references to sort-of introduce yourself to the rest of the planet and say "hi, this is where we're from, would love to know how things are were you come from" ~ in this case, the snowman is for the Nordic countries, because ABBA is from Sweden. Also, the super close-ups were extremely common at the time, because everything was about being genuine and just being human ~ and what better way to show that you're a real person, really singing your song, than getting so up close, that you can see every imperfection: beauty spots, twitches, sweat and all. That was the philosophy of the time. The 70s were awesome.
Huge multi seller.Especially in Latin America.
My mother love this song and listenning everyday
A fabulous song sang by two of the most spectacular women to grace the music world, especially agnetha, she’s a perfect example of the beauty of a woman. The two ladies would often share the lead vocals, this time it was agnetha, their song fernando was lead by Frida, that’s how they worked together so well
Their music is always fun to listen to.
The royalties for "Chiquitits" and the new "Little Things" goes to UNICEF
Agnetha was my first crush when I was 11 or 12 years old. ;-)
No matter how many times I hear this song, Agnethas opening verse goes straight through me. She was my first crush as a lad. Man, I adored her. Both her and Fridas voices were made to sing together
🥇Thanks for share, ABBA always bordering the perfection 💐💎🎉
Other deep song for the electric guitar and excellent harmony in the voices is the song: Knowing Me, Knowing You.
This video was filmed as part of a TV special called ABBA in Switzerland hence the tweet snowman as it was filed in the winter. Chiquita means little one in Spanish, the Spanish.m version of this spent 32 weeks at number 1 in Mexico
Hi guys love watching your reaction videos to ABBA one of the biggest iconic pop star that ever lived !! back in the 70s they were just sensational with their outfits endless no 1 hits they took the world by storm they had a musical made about them plus smash hit films and now have a AI graphic concert in their own concert dome in london uk called ABBA VOYAGE you guys should check it out how they made that look up on you tube once the members of abba were married to each other and got divorced thats why the song winner takes it all was produced to reflect the pain and hurt of seperating as they did agnethas voice was unique her range faultless you will never see the likes of this group again from the 70s right up untill present day there music is still played and enjoyed by millions they were and still are superstars of the music industry !!
great singer songwriters. Abba is icon
Guys that great reaction, Chiquitita is in my TOP 10 of best ABBA songs, now it does play Dancing Queen or Mamma Mia, I'm almost sure you must have heard it somewhere because they are the best known songs of ABBA worldwide, keep reacting to them that have many songs that were a success, that few groups in history have had.
It's hard for me to believe that anyone from the western hemisphere would hear ABBA's songs for the first time as an adult.
I grew up with it and knew the lyrics by heart when I was a little kid, like most people of Western and often Eastern European background. Not very believable.
Who noticed the bloke passing by in the background of the video?
I would guess ABBA are most famous for their upbeat songs but my Swedish temper just loves their melancholic songs like “Slipping Through My Fingers” and “The Day Before You Came”! If you have the opportunity, give those two a chance - you want forget it!
If you want to listen to a upcoming world class musician trio from Stockholm, Sweden, you should check out Dirty Loops! They just blow my mind. Each one of them are top notch in their field and together they create magic! Start with “Next To You”!
Keep up the good work!
At one point in the 1970's ABBA was Sweden's second largest export behind only Volvo.
The had a Spanish producer and they did some of the songs in Spanish. Chiquitita means little one.
They did not have a Spanish producer
Benny et Bjorn étaient les producteurs !
Beautiful!
This video was filmed in the mountains in Switzerland, where they were filmed for the 1979 BBC-documentary "ABBA in Switzerland". In that documentary they performed some songs in front of an audience, but you can also see them outside, skiing, ice-skating etc. There were other artists they received as their guests in the show, like Kate Bush and Roxy Music.
Frida (the red haired girl) is phenomenal when you get to hear her as lead, great choices would be "Fernando" & "Super Trouper" Abba are awesome, so many greats to hear, lucky you !!
I just discovered your channel and I hope you'll do more ABBA reaction videos in the near future, thanks for this one! "The Visitors", "On and On and On", and "Hole in Your Soul" are some other underappreciated tracks worthy of your reactions. Thanks!
Hi! This song was a huge huge hit in Latinamerica, both in english and spanish versions (th-cam.com/video/Z4oTvuow9cc/w-d-xo.html). Chiquitita means Little Girl in spanish.
Absolutely touching song and everyone knew and sang this song in spanish during the last 70's and the 80's. Chiquitita becomes a classic which took Abba into a legend for Latam.
Best regards from Chile! 🙂
Such a good song
This song was before the "music video" became a thing. It's a miracle there is video for this song at all.
(new sub)
Great react, guys... for another masterpiece of ABBA👑.
Go for more 🙏
ABBA NEVER DISSAPOINT 👌
Take care... See ya
Greetings from Chile 🇨🇱😘👍
Thx! See ya soon!
It's VERY simple it was a Christmas TV special.
These are a few of the very first music videos. ABBA started the trend.
Perfect pop, they'll never be another ABBA
ABBAs sound was much because of Michael B. Tretow that was handling their mixing and he made them sound unique.
Before you begin to think that blonde agnetha is the lead singer, you need to watch Fernando and Knowing Me Knowing You to experience Frida on lead vocals. Their voices have been described as creating a third voice when they combine so perfectly.
You love this😂😂😂😂
This song were number 1 in Mexico for 36 weeks
Hi, iam Michael from Germany. For us the Swedish Superstars are one a kind .There are highly successful in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia in the 70th and 80th ( and there are very successful again in 2022 after the Release of their new Album Voyage ).The Bandname ABBA stand for their First Name Letters Anafried, Björn, Benny, and Agnetha ( They are two Couples at that time ). Their are to this Day, one of the best selling Groups after the Beatles Worldwide.Their are Music Legends. Kind regards from Berlin / Germanny
Saludos desde Perú 🇵🇪
aBBA WAS MY GUILTY PLEASURE . As a hard rocker growing up.
Hi from the UK guys. Just watched several of your reaction vids. I like the way you have a broader approach to your reactions. not only do you comment on the music/performance but also the presentational aspects of whatever you are watching. It makes a refreshing change. I'm in! Best wishes and stay safe.
Thank you! Love hearing the feedback & glad you enjoyed it!
Quirky euro style. :) They were a fun band.
Das Video wurde in der Schweiz gedreht und es war sehr sehr kalt, die beiden Frauen haben sehr gefroren.
The snowman:
All I know is that the original clip was intended to be shot in a winter scene. The video clip was shot in the Swiss Alps by ABBA.
During one of their hikes, they saw this snowman made by children.
The band decided to shoot the music video alongside the snowman.
In this way, they created an everlasting memory of the children's hard and beautiful work.
BBC tv and Swiss tv, in Switzerland with The jackons 5 too..
It's was a Christmas Special tv show!🎅!🤍
There were a lot of close ups in 70s music videos.