New Album Release in November, Here are a Series of ABBA Songs You Must Listen to!

Kapanlagi.com - Who doesn't know ABBA? The 70-80s generation must be familiar with this Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972. The members consist of Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog, and Bjorn Ulvaeus. Interestingly, the name of this group is an acronym of their first names. ABBA is one of the top stars in the world and crowned as the most successful musical group in the history of popular music. They topped the charts from 1974 to 1983, making ABBA a world legend.

When they were still actively promoting, the group consisted of two married couples, Faltskog and Ulvaeus. As ABBA's career soared, the marriage relationship between these two individuals experienced ups and downs, leading to divorce. The breakup of the two members brought a new musicalization to their work. ABBA focused more on writing music with darker and introspective lyrics. Their breakup was also touted as one of the reasons ABBA disbanded in 1982.

Ten years after their breakup, ABBA's best songs were released in a compilation album titled ABBA Gold. This album immediately earned the title of worldwide best-seller. In 1999, ABBA's songs were adapted into MAMMA MIA!, a highly successful musical that toured the world. ABBA became one of the best-selling artists, selling 150 million copies worldwide. Now, this year on September 2, 2021, ABBA released two singles and announced that they will release an album in November 2021 after almost 40 years of hiatus. ABBA's songs are definitely enjoyable, right? For those of you who are still unfamiliar with ABBA, you can start with the following song recommendations!

1. Honey, Honey

(Credit: instagram.com/abba)

It starts with a song titledHoney, Honey. This song is their second single after the mega hit second album, Waterloo, which was released on January 30, 1974. Bjorn Ulvaeus wrote this single with vocals by Agnetha Faltskog, Lyngstad, and Ulvaeus himself. The slightly sensual lyrics combined with enjoyable music arrangements can make you enchanted with the song even if you only hear it for a few seconds. This is one of ABBA's most ear-catchy songs. The unique fact is that the original version ofHoney, Honey is slightly sped up and recorded using the key of E. This song is definitely suitable for those of you who want to join the ABBA fan club.

It premiered in several European countries, the United States, and New Zealand. Honey, Honey successfully reached the Top 5 in West Germany for 4 consecutive months. Not only that, this easily memorable song also stayed in the Top 5 in Austria, Spain, and Switzerland. In the United States itself, Honey, Honey was quite successful, reaching number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary. This is ABBA's first single to make it onto the AC chart.

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

(Credit: instagram.com/abba)

This song carries the genre of cathartic disco which depicts the concept of loneliness and overwhelming desires. ABBA released this song to promote their North American and European tours in August 1979. Like their previous songs, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! was written by Ulvaeus and Andersson with vocal accompaniment by Faltskog. It tells the story of a lonely woman who desires a romantic relationship. However, she is also skeptical that her life will end happily like in movies. 

This song is one of ABBA's most successful songs, reaching number 1 in Belgium, Finland, France, and Ireland.  Additionally, it reached the Top 3 in Austria, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and even Norway. Japan is also one of the countries that played this song the most, reaching position 17.

3. Waterloo

(Credit: instagram.com/abba)

Waterloo is one of the cleverest songs ever written by ABBA. This song references the Battle of Waterloo where Napoleon surrendered. In this song, it tells the story of a woman surrendering to a man and promising to love him.

Waterloo is ABBA's first single to successfully enter the UK top charts for two weeks. The song also topped the charts in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, South Africa, and Switzerland. Not only that, this ABBA single also dominated the charts in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden.

ABBA has become a legendary singer for fans of 70-80s pop music. Listening to their music feels like nostalgia. Not to mention, ABBA's songs are ear-catchy. For ABBA listeners, wait for their album release in November!

Written by Adelia Dewi Masita