Yes, absolutely! Rutger Gunnarsson on base is just pure magic! He was a fantastic musician, he also did many of the string-arrangements! May he rest in peace
What i found astonishing about their songwriting style is that B and B composed each song instrumentally FIRST. When they had finished a piece in its entirety THEN they went back and wrote lyrics they felt fit the music.
I am originally from Europe, and so I can attest to the fact that the Europeans are more «in tune» with ABBA.....since they themselves hail from the Northern part of the Continent. When ABBA «arrived» on the world scene (thanks to their 1974 victory with «Waterloo»)...... I think it caught everybody by surprise, that this group from Sweden, singing in English, was taking over the charts worldwide in the 1970's. If they happened to be from one of the Anglo-Saxon nations, it wouldn't have been a big deal.....but from Sweden... nobody would've have guessed.....especially with the formidable string of hits they produced. ♫♪♪♪
Here are some ABBA songs that you can add to your list :-) Björn and Benny wrote all ABBA´s songs except one, "Disillusion" Agnetha wrote the music and Björn wrote the lyrics to that song! Andante,Andante Angeleys Another Town,Another Train Arrival As Good As New Bang A Boomerang Cassandra Chiquitita (Done) Crazy World Dance(While The Music Still Goes On) Dancing Queen (Done) Disillusion Does Your Mother Know? Dum Dum Diddle Eagle Elaine Fernando Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (Done) Gonna Sing You My Love Song Happy Hawaii Happy New Year Hasta Mañana He Is Your Brother Head Over Heels Hey,Hey Helen Hole In Your Soul Honey,Honey I’m A Marionette I’ve Been Waiting For You I Am Just A Girl I Am The City I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do I Have A Dream I Let The Music Speak I Saw It In The Mirror I Wonder(Departure) If It Wasn’t For The Nights Intermezzo No.1 King Kong Song Kisses Of Fire Knowing Me,Knowing You (Done) Lay All Your Love On Me Like An Angel Passing Through My Room Love Isn’t Easy(But It Sure Is Hard Enough) Lovelight Lovers(Live A Little Longer) Mamma Mia (Done) Man In The Middle Me And Bobby And Bobby’s Brother Me And I Medley:Pick A Bale Of Cotton Merry-Go-Round Money,Money,Money (Done) Move On My Love,My Life My Mama Said Nina Pretty Ballerina On And On And On One Man,One Woman One Of Us Our Last Summer People Need Love Put On Your White Sombrero Ring Ring Rock Me Rock’n Roll Band SOS (Done) Santa Rosa She’s My Kind Of Girl Should I Laugh Or Cry? Sitting In The Palmtree Slipping Through My Fingers So Long Soldiers Summer Night City Super Trouper Suzy-Hang-Around Take A Chance On Me (Done) That’s Me Thank You For The Music The Day Before You Came The King Has Lost His Crown The Name Of The Game The Piper The Visitors The Way Old Friends Do The Winner Takes It All (Done) Tiger Tropical Loveland Two For The Price Of One Under Attack Voulez-Vous Watch Out Waterloo (Done) What About Livingstone? When All Is Said And Done When I Kissed The Teacher Why Did It Have To Be Me? You Owe Me One
Good morning again I enjoy with your reaction to ABBA "Take a chance on me" is one of their best ABBA hits in all the world, and one of few song than the vocals are more extensive than the music (They begin 'a capela' and singing at the end) the blonde Agnetha is the lead vocal, her voice is so powerful, in perfect armonies and chorus with Anni Frid in co-leads vocal (and the boys in back voices singing repetitive the frase 'take a chance, chance') Björn got the idea while hiking or jogging, by the sound of the footsteps he interpreted t-k-t t-kt and adapted it to "take a chance" and so the song was born Although it is a disco pop, it is like a constant and happy march, captivating, cloying and addictive In the video the absolute center is the girls, very suggestive A clarification: it was filmed a month after Agnetha's second motherhood, so she had not yet recovered her pre-pregnancy figure I hope You continue with your fantastic ABBA Journey and hear more ABBA songs or videos to react My best regards from Buenos Aires Argentina
Hello, so nice to see you with another ABBA song "Take a chance on me" is the most sailing ABBA song in U.S. and pick at #3 in Billboard 100: and was their seventh #1 in U.K. "Take a chance on me" is so happy and catchy, beautiful voices and harmonies, great rythm and melody, amazing begining 'acapela', is a fantastic song! in my Top 10 of all ABBA songs You have react 10 ABBA worldwide hits in a few days, congratulations! To complete the list of hits I suggest you "Fernando" See you in next ABBA video My best regards Stay safe and be care
Such a fun video- it’s playful and flirty without being overly sexualized or debased. So funny when Benny scurries after Frida at 8:03 What took him so long tho? haha
11 years after divorcing Benny, Frida married Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss, Count of Plauen. This made her Princess Anni-Frid Reuss. The Prince died of Lymphoma in 1999 making her Dowager Princess and Countess. She is now partnered with Henry Smith (British) 5th Viscount Hambleden.
ABBA were music pioneers in so many ways; writing, recording, sound engineering, and music videos (then called promotional films) many years before MTV. Ahead of their time, And they are doing it again with new music and technology debuting summer 2021 !
Love Love Love ❤ Thank-u Fabian. I'm not sure if you have reacted to " That's Me" it's a wonderful track where Agnethas voice drops to a lower register and blends and harmonises with Fridas voice so beautifully. It's lyrics are very special to me. Lani ❤
6:35 No, their songs were *not* some kind of documentary of their lives. :) Why do people belive that? ABBA were entertainers first and foremost. Sure, you may get ideas and inspiration from your own life and people around you, but writing about dark subjects does not mean that you are experiencing exactly that yourself. Usually for Abba, it simply gave a nice contrast to the upbeat groove of the music. The lyrics were (commercial) art, not their life stories.
ABBA=MASTERPIECE, ABBA AN ETERNAL FLAME IN MUSIC SINCE 1973. HAVE A GO AT THIS TRACK, FROM FIRST ALBUM, RING RING: ANOTHER TOWN ANOTHER TRAIN, CUT NO 2😛😜🤪😝
What always blew me away on this song (and still does) is what the men are singing. Have you ever tried it? "Take a chance, take a chance, take a take a chance chance" over and over again!! It's a hoot to try to do! What a fun song!
I love your reactions - you are very perceptive. Yes, they were pioneers in vocal layering and used many breakthrough production techniques that gave them an incredibly rich sound. Also, the fact that they spoke English as a second language affected their delivery and (ironically) made them annunciate words very clearly. Another interesting fact was the influence of Swedish folk music which gave them a uniquely bright and happy sound, but often undercut with very sad lyrics, which is also very Swedish!
Waterloo... I loved Freadas' hair color i coloured my hair rich burgundy i was the only girl in high school whith glowing flame hair in the sunshine it was stunning . I still use budundy rinces at 61 they brought something special to the table on every song. Luv ABBA. watch Muriel's Wedding. You'll love it. The waterloo scene .it funny as
I think, as someone has also mentioned in the comments, that most of AꓭBA’s songs are not autobiographical - they mainly wanted to write and perform good pop songs. Sometimes, of course, real life “advised” their lyrical content* but by and large, their output is based on fiction and should best be approached as it they were actors performing a “musical” script. * a good example would be Slipping Through My Fingers which was based on Bjorn’s and Agnetha’s daughter growing up.
Bro, incredible how many efficient hooks there are in their songs. It seems to me that, altough not master class musicians, ABBA had the best 70-80's songwritters (Benny and Bjorn) and the best 2 female vocalists, all together! Not to mention the sick costumes and crazy videos, without any kind of filter or shame! Epic and unique. Please, try, I'm a Marionette (Australia 77, not as good as the studio version, but a fantastic video record!) Greetings from Rio, Brazil.
Great reaction love abba. You spoked about relationships between band members , another band you should check out is Fleetwood Mac. , who also had relationship between band members, their album. Rumours was written by band members bout breaking up with each other
ABBA was able to pack a lot of complexity into very catchy songs. That's why these songs still sound fresh today, and why they were among the best songwriters of all time. Here are three other examples of what they were capable of; songs with multiple melodies, style changes, layered vocals, and tempo changes: - The Name of the Game - I Let the Music Speak - Hole in Your Soul
They became famous for the layering, once people caught on! They were very famous for changes in speed, vocals and so much more, not only between each songs, but in the same song! The couples both broke up but continued the group writing and singing about their relationships!
check out Money Money Money and The winner takes it all and Fernando all ABBA songs 😀😀😀love this group they won eruo vison in the early 70's and that is how they become famous. not sure how they started out before eruo vison we need more of this today 😀😀
ABBA were never autobiographical, they were always about pop music. There were a couple of examples though of songs where their personal lives shined through a bit: The Winner Takes It All is the most famous example, but When All Is Said And Done is equally great. However, none of the members of the band have ever admitted that any of those songs were true to their lives. With the possible exception of Slipping Through My Fingers... But that song is so universal, anyone would cop to it. :)
There're over 100 ABBA songs--all good imo and many great... Some others for you are: I am the city, Fernando, Eagle, Cassandra, Nina ballerina, My love my life, Put on your white sombrero, Happy New Year, The piper, You owe me one, One of us, On and on and on
The only really autobiographical thing about this song is the "take a chance, take a chance, take ch-ch-chance-chance" part in the background that came from one of the guys being out jogging and having this appear in his head to the beat of his run. And like any good earworm he couldn't get it out until he put it to paper and music. :-D
Exactly! ABBA's layering of vocal stacks is second to none. Except for maybe legendary monster producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, but then more in a technical sense than a musical one. Mutt Lange did however heavily influence 90s R&B in terms of vocal stacking. So there's that.
I would recommend ABBA's songs Name of the Game, Super Trouper, Voulez Vouz, Waterloo, I Do I Do I Do, Mama Mia, Chiquitita, and Fernando which seems to be about the Texas revolution.
If you watch their videos chronologically from early 70s to early 80s, you'll notice a change in style and mood. That is why you're picking up different vibes in different songs, as you're not doing it in order. (which is fine, just so you know) They're all good though... Even their last album The Visitors is very good, definitely not cheerful, but mature in sound and lyrics
You are partly right. But they also have songs in very different styles on the same album. Maybe most extreme on "The Album". Eagle psychedelic could be Pink Floyd Take a chance disco/pop Name of the game sort of jazz, blues rock pop ballad maybe Move on spanish themed schlager Hole in your soul rock Thank you for the music singalong ballad I am a marrionette A genre of its own mysterious upbeat dark rock?
Swedes are very good at English and we learn it from very early age in school so the comment you saw about them needing to learn English is pretty much bullshit. They knew it already.
Yes, it's an internet myth that they didn't know English. But still, the situation was a little different in the 1950/60s compared to how it is today. Agnetha was not very confident or comfortable speaking English. Listen to a few interviews with her (in English) and you will see what I mean.
@@herrbonk3635 I'm not super comfortable speaking English either but I'm still good at it I'd say. And from what I've seen Agnetha was pretty shy in general, wasn't she?? The point is they didn't have to learn English when they made the songs.
@@sannaolsson9106 Yes. That's the point, I totally agree. But there are also nuances in everything. Older Swedes are generally more insecure, speaking English (many are still better at German or French). Most of us weren't really speaking English that much at the time around the 1970s. So there is indeed a big difference actually, compared to the millienials of today. Many exceptions, of course, but that's the general picture.
Find "The Day Before You Came", both the official video and their live performance. Simple, but complex. Enchanting, haunting, yet heavenly. The lyrics will get you hooked until the end, which, could use one more verse, for resolve.
Here are a few: Secrets of their greatest hits documentary When all is said and done documentary Thank you for the music documentary When four become one documentary The joy of Abba And also you need to watch Abba the movie. Thats from their Australia tour
Nice job! I am glad that you reacted to this masterpiece. Pls react to Modern Talking tn the future! (P. S. - react to Gimme Gimme ( A man after midnight) from ABBA
I love to hear a new generation enjoying ABBA ...after they stopped recording in 1882 the guys went on to create show like Chess and calaborated with Andrew Lloyd Weber....you need to hear there songs in order of recording
Hey these comments below told You everything need to know about ABBA , so I will suggest check their direct competitors from back in the day BONEY M , they had great Caribbean vibe and were up there with ABBA in '70s .
I love your ABBA reactions! There are plenty of songs to choose between - all great, one way or another. Close your eyes and point, you can't go wrong. Below are links to interviews with them in recent years - nothing to react publicly to I guess but it could perhaps be nice to see them as old. They are all such very nice and down to earth people, still highly regarded in Sweden. Björn and Benny still cooperate musically sometimes. Annifrid: th-cam.com/video/RqohhkQneo8/w-d-xo.html Agnetha: th-cam.com/video/2qpr1F-UONI/w-d-xo.html Björn: th-cam.com/video/IePHjAdNtmw/w-d-xo.html Benny: th-cam.com/video/LidC4dFwpms/w-d-xo.html
Check out the rap track RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE by Fugees [taken from the soundtrack of a film about Muhammad Ali] which samples part of the melody from ABBA's tune THE NAME OF THE GAME. Perhaps check out ABBA's original song first.
being a scandinavian myself, I find it funny that so many of their lyrics are what they are simply because they do not have complete mastery of the english language. The music's "high" in dancing queen: "high" and "loud" is the same word in swedish. I'm still "free" in this one. It means available, not really cheap or un-oppressed :-P
You want layering? You need to listen to Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Jeff Lynne is a layering wizard and his music is deep as well as enjoyable. A song to try is Mr. Blue Sky.
It was Agnetha - the blonde woman who couldn't grasp English all that well. Anni-Frid (Frida), Björn and Benny had more experience with English outside of Sweden.
Frida and Benny were together from 1969-1980. Pronounced Anni freed hence Frida. Bjorn and Agnetha were together from 1969-1979. Frida and Benny married in 1978. You should read about them. No they didn't write songs purposely about themselves but of course some contain their emotions. Just like any other composer.
They got married,than they got disvoiced,than disbaned the group,and each of them go do their own thing.Now a days they are something 60-70 yrs.Few years back they got the reunion.
Fleetwood Mac is another super-group that had 2 married couples in it. You can tell at what point in their relationship was, by the music they were doing at that point .Both couples broke up also. I guess being in a band was hard on couples.
They were married, both couples divorced in 1981. These songs were not all written about them. Bjorn said they were songs. You can make what you want of them, but they were not all necessarily about them. The Winner Takes It All was not about the breakup.
pure pop bliss.. they re all non native english speakers, so everyone had learn, but Agnetha always had been the most uncomfortable one in interviews... she had done soley swedish and german schlager tunes befor switching to English..
The songs aren't entirely autobiographical. The ideas and themes might be derived from their own personal experiences, but I don't think they necessarily wrote songs about themselves in a direct way. A lot of the time, the tune is written first and then the lyrics are worked out to fit it. Most, 'pop', songs were about romance and relationships, i.e. love, so it's not surprising at all that ABBA's song tend to concentrate on those topics. Not all, of course. There's a few which aren't about, 'them', in the sense of their relationships. They're part of, 'show business', so, of course, they're to some extent, acting the part of who is singing the songs, but they're not necessarily singing about themselves.
Well, since they are Swedish, they all had to learn how to speak English at some point, you know. I'm Swedish as well, and in my generation and all generations since, we started learning English in school when we were around 10. But I know that my parents didn't learn at all. And the members in Abba are, agewise somewhere in between my generation and my parents. But yeah, as a native Swede, I can definitely pick out some sentence structure in some of their lyrics that give away that they are Swedish, but it's not half as bad as it could be.
If you want to know about their background there is no doubt that the best is When 4 became 1. It covers only the time before Abba. m.th-cam.com/video/Rj92N8cuWbk/w-d-xo.html It is very serious and with interviews with old band members, news paper clips and so on. In Sweden they all became famous in 1960s so everything is very well documented and the narrator is author to several Abba books.
If you're interested in hearing the singers biggest post-ABBA hits, I've posted links. th-cam.com/video/372436tJiaM/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/Q0iA4YmZEH0/w-d-xo.html These are their most popular solo hits in the US. #13 for SOMETHING GOING ON and #29 for CAN'T SHAKE LOOSE
GO WATCH!! 🔥 🥶 ABBA PLAYLIST :th-cam.com/play/PLe70UwDfhHBiSE6eQONCuJcTq_E4l3LAo.html
Well, you need to take the Vids in sequence of release to get the picture. Good job on reviewing ABBA music.
After this song, you definitely should check .. Erasure - Take A Chance On Me ... Erasure made 4 song cover EP of famous abba songs.
Let's remember that they were writing and singing in a second language and were still THAT good
They learned english just for us
most don't notice it but ABBA has incredible good baselines in their songs
Yes, absolutely! Rutger Gunnarsson on base is just pure magic! He was a fantastic musician, he also did many of the string-arrangements! May he rest in peace
Marco... Yes! Agreed 100% I boost my bass when AbbA comes on.
Agree. One Of Us and Gimme Gimme Gimme are a couple of stand out examples.
Yep some of the best . Talk talk had a great bass line with it's my life .
@@paulcardsfan indeed!
What i found astonishing about their songwriting style is that B and B composed each song instrumentally FIRST. When they had finished a piece in its entirety THEN they went back and wrote lyrics they felt fit the music.
Wow. That's fascinating to know.
... and then usually threw out the arrangement they had to start with ...
Michael B. Tretow
Thats the name of ABBA sound guy. He was a great sound engineer.
I am originally from Europe, and so I can attest to the fact that the Europeans are more «in tune» with ABBA.....since they themselves hail from the Northern part of the Continent. When ABBA «arrived» on the world scene (thanks to their 1974 victory with «Waterloo»)...... I think it caught everybody by surprise, that
this group from Sweden, singing in English, was taking over the charts worldwide in the 1970's. If they happened to be from one of the Anglo-Saxon nations, it wouldn't have been a big deal.....but from Sweden...
nobody would've have guessed.....especially with the formidable string of hits they produced. ♫♪♪♪
Here are some ABBA songs that you can add to your list :-)
Björn and Benny wrote all ABBA´s songs except one, "Disillusion" Agnetha wrote the music and Björn wrote the lyrics to that song!
Andante,Andante
Angeleys
Another Town,Another Train
Arrival
As Good As New
Bang A Boomerang
Cassandra
Chiquitita (Done)
Crazy World
Dance(While The Music Still Goes On)
Dancing Queen (Done)
Disillusion
Does Your Mother Know?
Dum Dum Diddle
Eagle
Elaine
Fernando
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (Done)
Gonna Sing You My Love Song
Happy Hawaii
Happy New Year
Hasta Mañana
He Is Your Brother
Head Over Heels
Hey,Hey Helen
Hole In Your Soul
Honey,Honey
I’m A Marionette
I’ve Been Waiting For You
I Am Just A Girl
I Am The City
I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do,I Do
I Have A Dream
I Let The Music Speak
I Saw It In The Mirror
I Wonder(Departure)
If It Wasn’t For The Nights
Intermezzo No.1
King Kong Song
Kisses Of Fire
Knowing Me,Knowing You (Done)
Lay All Your Love On Me
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
Love Isn’t Easy(But It Sure Is Hard Enough)
Lovelight
Lovers(Live A Little Longer)
Mamma Mia (Done)
Man In The Middle
Me And Bobby And Bobby’s Brother
Me And I
Medley:Pick A Bale Of Cotton
Merry-Go-Round
Money,Money,Money (Done)
Move On
My Love,My Life
My Mama Said
Nina Pretty Ballerina
On And On And On
One Man,One Woman
One Of Us
Our Last Summer
People Need Love
Put On Your White Sombrero
Ring Ring
Rock Me
Rock’n Roll Band
SOS (Done)
Santa Rosa
She’s My Kind Of Girl
Should I Laugh Or Cry?
Sitting In The Palmtree
Slipping Through My Fingers
So Long
Soldiers
Summer Night City
Super Trouper
Suzy-Hang-Around
Take A Chance On Me (Done)
That’s Me
Thank You For The Music
The Day Before You Came
The King Has Lost His Crown
The Name Of The Game
The Piper
The Visitors
The Way Old Friends Do
The Winner Takes It All (Done)
Tiger
Tropical Loveland
Two For The Price Of One
Under Attack
Voulez-Vous
Watch Out
Waterloo (Done)
What About Livingstone?
When All Is Said And Done
When I Kissed The Teacher
Why Did It Have To Be Me?
You Owe Me One
Good morning again
I enjoy with your reaction to ABBA
"Take a chance on me" is one of their best ABBA hits in all the world, and one of few song than the vocals are more extensive than the music
(They begin 'a capela' and singing at the end)
the blonde Agnetha is the lead vocal, her voice is so powerful, in perfect armonies and chorus with Anni Frid in co-leads vocal (and the boys in back voices singing repetitive the frase 'take a chance, chance')
Björn got the idea while hiking or jogging,
by the sound of the footsteps he interpreted t-k-t t-kt and adapted it to "take a chance"
and so the song was born
Although it is a disco pop, it is like a constant and happy march, captivating, cloying and addictive
In the video the absolute center is the girls, very suggestive
A clarification: it was filmed a month after Agnetha's second motherhood, so she had not yet recovered her pre-pregnancy figure
I hope You continue with your fantastic ABBA Journey and hear more ABBA songs or videos to react
My best regards from
Buenos Aires Argentina
Hello, so nice to see you with another ABBA song
"Take a chance on me" is the most sailing ABBA song in U.S. and pick at #3 in Billboard 100:
and was their seventh #1 in U.K.
"Take a chance on me" is so happy and catchy, beautiful voices and harmonies, great rythm and melody, amazing begining 'acapela', is a fantastic song!
in my Top 10 of all ABBA songs
You have react 10 ABBA worldwide hits in a few days, congratulations!
To complete the list of hits I suggest you
"Fernando"
See you in next ABBA video
My best regards
Stay safe and be care
Such a fun video- it’s playful and flirty without being overly sexualized or debased. So funny when Benny scurries after Frida at 8:03 What took him so long tho? haha
11 years after divorcing Benny, Frida married Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss, Count of Plauen. This made her Princess Anni-Frid Reuss. The Prince died of Lymphoma in 1999 making her Dowager Princess and Countess. She is now partnered with Henry Smith (British) 5th Viscount Hambleden.
Sadly i know one of her daughters passed away in a car accident years ago. Cried when i read that
@@andreadeamon6419 😪😪😪
Thank You. Peace
Thank You For the Music - you will love that one
Yes good choice
ABBA were music pioneers in so many ways; writing, recording, sound engineering, and music videos (then called promotional films) many years before MTV. Ahead of their time, And they are doing it again with new music and technology debuting summer 2021 !
Love Love Love ❤ Thank-u Fabian. I'm not sure if you have reacted to " That's Me" it's a wonderful track where Agnethas voice drops to a lower register and blends and harmonises with Fridas voice so beautifully. It's lyrics are very special to me. Lani ❤
6:35 No, their songs were *not* some kind of documentary of their lives. :) Why do people belive that? ABBA were entertainers first and foremost. Sure, you may get ideas and inspiration from your own life and people around you, but writing about dark subjects does not mean that you are experiencing exactly that yourself. Usually for Abba, it simply gave a nice contrast to the upbeat groove of the music. The lyrics were (commercial) art, not their life stories.
ABBA=MASTERPIECE, ABBA AN ETERNAL FLAME IN MUSIC SINCE 1973. HAVE A GO AT THIS TRACK, FROM FIRST ALBUM, RING RING: ANOTHER TOWN ANOTHER TRAIN, CUT NO 2😛😜🤪😝
What always blew me away on this song (and still does) is what the men are singing. Have you ever tried it? "Take a chance, take a chance, take a take a chance chance" over and over again!! It's a hoot to try to do! What a fun song!
You should see the stage play/musical "Mamma Mia". It's fantastic how they pulled all these songs into a cohesive story. Loved it! (Saw it twice)
I love your reactions - you are very perceptive. Yes, they were pioneers in vocal layering and used many breakthrough production techniques that gave them an incredibly rich sound. Also, the fact that they spoke English as a second language affected their delivery and (ironically) made them annunciate words very clearly. Another interesting fact was the influence of Swedish folk music which gave them a uniquely bright and happy sound, but often undercut with very sad lyrics, which is also very Swedish!
Waterloo...
I loved Freadas' hair color i coloured my hair rich burgundy i was the only girl in high school whith glowing flame hair in the sunshine it was stunning . I still use budundy rinces at 61 they brought something special to the table on every song. Luv ABBA.
watch Muriel's Wedding.
You'll love it. The waterloo scene .it funny as
I think, as someone has also mentioned in the comments, that most of AꓭBA’s songs are not autobiographical - they mainly wanted to write and perform good pop songs. Sometimes, of course, real life “advised” their lyrical content* but by and large, their output is based on fiction and should best be approached as it they were actors performing a “musical” script.
* a good example would be Slipping Through My Fingers which was based on Bjorn’s and Agnetha’s daughter growing up.
Bro, incredible how many efficient hooks there are in their songs. It seems to me that, altough not master class musicians, ABBA had the best 70-80's songwritters (Benny and Bjorn) and the best 2 female vocalists, all together! Not to mention the sick costumes and crazy videos, without any kind of filter or shame! Epic and unique. Please, try, I'm a Marionette (Australia 77, not as good as the studio version, but a fantastic video record!) Greetings from Rio, Brazil.
PLEASE react to “if it wasn’t for the nights” (Japan 78), fantastic so no and video, the girls never looked better.
And Frida is having a blast dancing!
ABBA were perfectionists in the studio, just to build upon what you were saying about layering their vocals.
Great reaction love abba. You spoked about relationships between band members , another band you should check out is Fleetwood Mac. , who also had relationship between band members, their album. Rumours was written by band members bout breaking up with each other
Got my first Abba tape when I was 5 :)... In the 80'ies... Happily sang along without knowing what any of it meant :)
Please react to Put On Your White Sombrero, Should I Laugh Or Cry, and Our Last Summer. Vocally stunning.
And 'The Vistors' :-)
ABBA was able to pack a lot of complexity into very catchy songs. That's why these songs still sound fresh today, and why they were among the best songwriters of all time. Here are three other examples of what they were capable of; songs with multiple melodies, style changes, layered vocals, and tempo changes:
- The Name of the Game
- I Let the Music Speak
- Hole in Your Soul
Great mini selection. The visitors even for a bit of a heavy hit.
@@Tom_McMurtry I just noticed that you also replied to my comment on Dereck Reacts. It seems we're both on an ABBA binge right now :-)
@@Pulsar77 ahaha I just noticed that too! Yes I am. it's a good feeling!
Thank You For The Music and Dance While The Music Still Goes On are two of their breakup songs.
Fabian, you know music. Respect! You might consider reacting to ‘the visitors’, quite a masterpiece
They became famous for the layering, once people caught on! They were very famous for changes in speed, vocals and so much more, not only between each songs, but in the same song! The couples both broke up but continued the group writing and singing about their relationships!
Abba are the most catchy group of all time
Bjorn came up with this tempo/beat whilst he was jogging round Central Park when ABBA were over in the US.
Two groups that require people to learn them in chronological order are The Beatles and ABBA. The evolution is remarkable. I wish you had.
They got the beat from out running . They were running to keep in shape during the world tour .
check out Money Money Money and The winner takes it all and Fernando all ABBA songs 😀😀😀love this group they won eruo vison in the early 70's and that is how they become famous. not sure how they started out before eruo vison we need more of this today 😀😀
Yep it's like their sound engineer sprinkled the girls vocal parts with fairy dust. 🧚♀️
I really love their oddball outfits. :D
ABBA were never autobiographical, they were always about pop music. There were a couple of examples though of songs where their personal lives shined through a bit: The Winner Takes It All is the most famous example, but When All Is Said And Done is equally great. However, none of the members of the band have ever admitted that any of those songs were true to their lives. With the possible exception of Slipping Through My Fingers... But that song is so universal, anyone would cop to it. :)
You nailed it about the relationships between the couples and the stories behind the music!
wow
There're over 100 ABBA songs--all good imo and many great... Some others for you are: I am the city, Fernando, Eagle, Cassandra, Nina ballerina, My love my life, Put on your white sombrero, Happy New Year, The piper, You owe me one, One of us, On and on and on
Cool, thanks!
The only really autobiographical thing about this song is the "take a chance, take a chance, take ch-ch-chance-chance" part in the background that came from one of the guys being out jogging and having this appear in his head to the beat of his run. And like any good earworm he couldn't get it out until he put it to paper and music. :-D
Exactly! ABBA's layering of vocal stacks is second to none. Except for maybe legendary monster producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, but then more in a technical sense than a musical one. Mutt Lange did however heavily influence 90s R&B in terms of vocal stacking. So there's that.
I would recommend ABBA's songs Name of the Game, Super Trouper, Voulez Vouz, Waterloo, I Do I Do I Do, Mama Mia, Chiquitita, and Fernando which seems to be about the Texas revolution.
If you watch their videos chronologically from early 70s to early 80s, you'll notice a change in style and mood. That is why you're picking up different vibes in different songs, as you're not doing it in order. (which is fine, just so you know) They're all good though... Even their last album The Visitors is very good, definitely not cheerful, but mature in sound and lyrics
You are partly right. But they also have songs in very different styles on the same album.
Maybe most extreme on "The Album".
Eagle psychedelic could be Pink Floyd
Take a chance disco/pop
Name of the game sort of jazz, blues rock pop ballad maybe
Move on spanish themed schlager
Hole in your soul rock
Thank you for the music singalong ballad
I am a marrionette A genre of its own mysterious upbeat dark rock?
Check out Frieda solo with "I Know There's Something Going On"
Benny and Frida (Anni-Frid) !
Layering and harmonies.
My late father said the fact they had kids together meant that beyond the music they we tied together until the grave.
Swedes are very good at English and we learn it from very early age in school so the comment you saw about them needing to learn English is pretty much bullshit. They knew it already.
Yes, it's an internet myth that they didn't know English. But still, the situation was a little different in the 1950/60s compared to how it is today. Agnetha was not very confident or comfortable speaking English. Listen to a few interviews with her (in English) and you will see what I mean.
@@herrbonk3635 I'm not super comfortable speaking English either but I'm still good at it I'd say. And from what I've seen Agnetha was pretty shy in general, wasn't she?? The point is they didn't have to learn English when they made the songs.
@@sannaolsson9106 Yes. That's the point, I totally agree. But there are also nuances in everything. Older Swedes are generally more insecure, speaking English (many are still better at German or French). Most of us weren't really speaking English that much at the time around the 1970s. So there is indeed a big difference actually, compared to the millienials of today. Many exceptions, of course, but that's the general picture.
@@sannaolsson9106 Yes, Agnetha was a very shy person back then. She has been showing all typical signs of an introvert.
Agnetha was weak in English and has interviews that refer to how uncomfortable she was.
Find "The Day Before You Came", both the official video and their live performance. Simple, but complex. Enchanting, haunting, yet heavenly. The lyrics will get you hooked until the end, which, could use one more verse, for resolve.
Here are a few:
Secrets of their greatest hits documentary
When all is said and done documentary
Thank you for the music documentary
When four become one documentary
The joy of Abba
And also you need to watch Abba the movie. Thats from their Australia tour
ABBA a real classic. you can check the faster cover from a*teens
Nice job! I am glad that you reacted to this masterpiece. Pls react to Modern Talking tn the future! (P. S. - react to Gimme Gimme ( A man after midnight) from ABBA
I love to hear a new generation enjoying ABBA ...after
they stopped recording in 1882 the guys went on to create show like Chess and calaborated with Andrew Lloyd Weber....you need to hear there songs in order of recording
Hey these comments below told You everything need to know about ABBA , so I will suggest check their direct competitors from back in the day BONEY M , they had great Caribbean vibe and were up there with ABBA in '70s .
Nice for your reaction in my musical history it’s something I can’t do with my children and grandchildren
Fun fact Erasure covered this song and it is a very good cover too.
I love your ABBA reactions! There are plenty of songs to choose between - all great, one way or another. Close your eyes and point, you can't go wrong.
Below are links to interviews with them in recent years - nothing to react publicly to I guess but it could perhaps be nice to see them as old. They are all such very nice and down to earth people, still highly regarded in Sweden. Björn and Benny still cooperate musically sometimes.
Annifrid:
th-cam.com/video/RqohhkQneo8/w-d-xo.html
Agnetha:
th-cam.com/video/2qpr1F-UONI/w-d-xo.html
Björn:
th-cam.com/video/IePHjAdNtmw/w-d-xo.html
Benny:
th-cam.com/video/LidC4dFwpms/w-d-xo.html
Songs: Kisses of fire, does you mother know. For some fun!
the term "supergroup" was created for them. they were BIG.
Check out the rap track RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE by Fugees [taken from the soundtrack of a film about Muhammad Ali] which samples part of the melody from ABBA's tune THE NAME OF THE GAME. Perhaps check out ABBA's original song first.
There's a special love like an eagle flying with a dove I'll find it in the end if I keep on searching but until then...
You should also check out The incredible music that came later from their kids: Ace of Base!
being a scandinavian myself, I find it funny that so many of their lyrics are what they are simply because they do not have complete mastery of the english language.
The music's "high" in dancing queen: "high" and "loud" is the same word in swedish.
I'm still "free" in this one. It means available, not really cheap or un-oppressed :-P
🔴 Howdy! / btw ... the dark haired girl has song "I know somethings going on" (solo album) / I think her name is Frida. 🔴
You want layering? You need to listen to Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). Jeff Lynne is a layering wizard and his music is deep as well as enjoyable. A song to try is Mr. Blue Sky.
Their most sensual song is called Andante, Andante.
It was Agnetha - the blonde woman who couldn't grasp English all that well. Anni-Frid (Frida), Björn and Benny had more experience with English outside of Sweden.
💯
Frida and Benny were together from 1969-1980. Pronounced Anni freed hence Frida. Bjorn and Agnetha were together from 1969-1979. Frida and Benny married in 1978. You should read about them. No they didn't write songs purposely about themselves but of course some contain their emotions. Just like any other composer.
English is required language in Sweden. Bjorn also spoke German, French, Italian and Spanish.
Bjorn came up with the start of the song (repeating take a chance ) while out jogging.
Listen to some of these songs in Swedish..They're just as tight. Fleetwood Mac was another group who used their personal relationships in their songs.
They got married,than they got disvoiced,than disbaned the group,and each of them go do their own thing.Now a days they are something 60-70 yrs.Few years back they got the reunion.
Fleetwood Mac is another super-group that had 2 married couples in it. You can tell at what point in their relationship was, by the music they were doing at that point .Both couples broke up also. I guess being in a band was hard on couples.
The most grossly underrated ABBA songs: "Eagle", "The Visitors", "Soldiers", "Move On" and "The Piper."
They were married, both couples divorced in 1981. These songs were not all written about them. Bjorn said they were songs. You can make what you want of them, but they were not all necessarily about them. The Winner Takes It All was not about the breakup.
"When the pretty birds have flown", birds are women.
pure pop bliss.. they re all non native english speakers, so everyone had learn, but Agnetha always had been the most uncomfortable one in interviews... she had done soley swedish and german schlager tunes befor switching to English..
The name of the game by ABBA
Yes, the songs were about their relationships.
The songs aren't entirely autobiographical. The ideas and themes might be derived from their own personal experiences, but I don't think they necessarily wrote songs about themselves in a direct way. A lot of the time, the tune is written first and then the lyrics are worked out to fit it. Most, 'pop', songs were about romance and relationships, i.e. love, so it's not surprising at all that ABBA's song tend to concentrate on those topics. Not all, of course. There's a few which aren't about, 'them', in the sense of their relationships. They're part of, 'show business', so, of course, they're to some extent, acting the part of who is singing the songs, but they're not necessarily singing about themselves.
ABBA was offered one billion dollars to come back to the music world and they said no thank you
Well, since they are Swedish, they all had to learn how to speak English at some point, you know. I'm Swedish as well, and in my generation and all generations since, we started learning English in school when we were around 10. But I know that my parents didn't learn at all. And the members in Abba are, agewise somewhere in between my generation and my parents.
But yeah, as a native Swede, I can definitely pick out some sentence structure in some of their lyrics that give away that they are Swedish, but it's not half as bad as it could be.
Björn and Benny ettor the musical Chess. Talk about showcasing talent.
Hi FWF you pronouce ABBA as...... A (like cat) B (as banner) then just repeat there is no R in their name. Loving the reflections from you
React to olivia newton john, abba, andy gibb. Together, singing live. Without auto tune, real singers.
They did not break up until later in the years 79 80 s
Some lyrics might hsve been about them, or related to something similar - but not necessarily all lyrics.
King Kong song , Hey hey Helen .
For a song packed with shifts in momentum review SOS.
react to Gimme Gimme Gimme A Man After Midnight & On & On & On & The Name Of The Game & When All Is Said & Done & Dance Whilst The Music Goes On
If you want to know about their background there is no doubt that the best is When 4 became 1.
It covers only the time before Abba.
m.th-cam.com/video/Rj92N8cuWbk/w-d-xo.html
It is very serious and with interviews with old band members, news paper clips and so on.
In Sweden they all became famous in 1960s so everything is very well documented and the narrator is author to several Abba books.
Literally invented modern pop music
Loving this, but slow down, I want this to last for months.
Don’t swamp up with too many in one day 😉😉
They won euro event thats where it started
If you're interested in hearing the singers biggest post-ABBA hits, I've posted links.
th-cam.com/video/372436tJiaM/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/Q0iA4YmZEH0/w-d-xo.html
These are their most popular solo hits in the US. #13 for SOMETHING GOING ON and #29 for CAN'T SHAKE LOOSE
one thing: please turn yer music volume up & maybe yer mic down?
Keep having to turn the volume WAY down when you speak then back up to hear the music
They actually ended up being married couples but then divorced which broke the band apart