ABBA single by single thread

ABBA en los Estados Unidos (en español), numero dos:

It is said that, throughout Latin America, the Spanish-language version of "Chiquitita" sold more than 1.5 million copies. Thus inspired, ABBA decided to record an entire album for the Latin American market, including portions of the United States.

The masterminds behind this project were Buddy and Mary McCluskey. Buddy was an executive at RCA Records in Argentina; he thought that ABBA could break through in a bigger way in Spanish-speaking countries if the group would re-record some of their hits in Spanish. He and his wife Mary wrote the Spanish lyrics to "Chiquitita"; after that song's phenomenal success, the McCluskeys translated "I Have a Dream" into "Estoy Soñando," which also was a Top 10 hit. When both songs were released on 45 in the U.S. in late 1979, they had success in Hispanic markets in many U.S. cities; they were on the charts off and on well into 1980.

Early in 1980, the McCluskeys wrote Spanish translations for 11 more ABBA songs. Eight of these were recorded; when added to the two prior hits, the result was a 10-track album released in June 1980, Gracias por la musica. The U.S. and Puerto Rico rights were awarded not to Atlantic, but to Discos CBS International, Columbia's Latin America label. (At the time, Discos CBS' top-selling artist was crooner Julio Iglesias.) It is probably the rarest ABBA U.S. LP, not including promos, because it was only distributed to record stores that served Hispanic communities. I didn't even know it existed until a Goldmine reader sent me photocopies of the front and back covers and the labels of the album in the late 1990s.

Even more obscure than the album are the 45s that CBS Discos released from it. All of these probably came out in the summer and fall of 1980. None of them are easy to find. Stock copies are harder to locate than promos.

The first (DAS 40001) was a reissue of "Estoy Soñando," which was still getting airplay when Atlantic lost the rights. The B-side of this single was "Conociendome, Conociendote" ("Knowing Me, Knowing You").

Next (DAS 40002) was "Fernando," a logical song for a Spanish version, with "Al Andar (Move On)" on the flip. Stock copies don't have the subtitle on the B-side. Both the promos and stock copies list the time on "Al Andar" as 3:05, but that is an error; the full 4:44 version is on the 45s.

Finally, a third single (DAS 40003) was issued from Gracias por la musica: "Dame! Dame! Dame! (Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!)" backed with "Gracias Por La Musica (Thank You for the Music)."

Stock copies of all three have silver labels with a purple company logo. Both white-label promos and stock copies contain both songs and were pressed on styrene by Columbia.

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For each of their last two albums, Super Trouper and The Visitors, ABBA, using lyrics written by the McCluskeys, did two songs in Spanish for Latin America markets. Unfortunately for CBS International, the label could only issue these tracks as singles in the U.S.

In 1981, DAS 40004 featured the two new songs on the same 45; "Andante, Andante" was on the A-side and "Felicidad" was on the B-side. (The latter was to the tune of "Happy New Year.") The stock copies I've seen were pressed on vinyl, though I'm not sure by whom.

When The Visitors was released in 1982, CBS International decided to release the two special Spanish versions on two separate 45s instead of on the same single. The B-sides were previously released.

DAS 40005 was "No Hay A Quien Culpar (When All Is Said And Done)" backed with "Reina Danzante (Dancing Queen)," which had appeared on Gracias por la musica. Again, this was pressed on vinyl. Both sides of this 45 have the mastering date of 2-22-82 (February 22, 1982) etched into the trail-off wax.

The other new track, "Se Me Esta Escapando," was backed with a reissue of "Felicidad" and released with the catalog number DAS 40008.

In between, DAS 40006 was a 45 of the last two Gracias por la musica tracks that had not yet been on a single -- "Mamma Mia" backed with "Hasta Mañana." This appears to have been a promo only. DAS 40007 was not issued.

These seven singles, consisting of 13 of the 14 Spanish-language songs ABBA recorded (not including "Ring Ring," an outtake from the early years that didn't emerge until the CD era), rarely come up for sale, and when they do, they seem to fetch $70-$100 each. 40006 and 40008 are especially uncommon.

 

I'm positive I would have heard this countdown - I was an avid AT40 listener from around '80-'84.

 

1967 - Excerpt from 'A Teenage Opera - Keith West
1972 - School's Out by Alice Cooper , C Moon by Paul McCartney and Wings
1978 - Matchstalk Men & Matchstalk Cats & Dogs by Brian and Michael
1979 - I Have A Dream , Another Brick In The Wall
1980 - There's No-one Quite Like Grandma
1986 - Panic by The Smiths

 

This is my own creation of "Move On (Al Andar)" as a Spanglish recording. I did it because the Spanish version has the first verse musically sung, where the English version has a spoken-word first verse.

 

There is a more elusive "ABBAMANIA 2" CD companion to this, with a blue cover. I bought the first volume, but never got around to buying the second volume.

However, there is a third release, and this seems more likely. May this be the one you have?

 

I fell behind, so I'll only talk about the last two singles, which in my mind are polar opposites:
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" is easily one of the best ABBA singles ever. Perfect production where all the pieces mesh beautifully, and that snake charmer riff atop a four-on-the-floor beat is genius. Amazing it flopped so badly in America, as it's now one of the better known ABBA songs, especially within the gay community. Madonna's last big hit basically acknowledges as much, as "Hung Up" is the entire "Gimme!" backing track with different melodies on top.

And then at the other extreme... "I Have A Dream." OOF. The one dud track on the otherwise stellar Voulez Vous album, it's just maudlin and cloying in a way ABBA usually weren't. The children's choir is just the cherry on top of a giant s**t sundae. Funny that it was blocked from #1 by Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall," the one exception to the cardinal rule: Children's Choirs In A Pop Song Are Always Terrible.

Naturally, "I Have A Dream" was the bigger hit at the time, though thankfully history has looked more kindly on "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" As for Voulez Vous itself, I enjoy all the other singles in different ways, and find it a much stronger album than Super Trouper.... although that one has the best ABBA song of all time, so you cant fault it too much.

 

That's not quite right - the live performance video was produced to accompany the single's release. It was filmed during the production of the SVT (Swedish Television) special 'Abba In Concert' but is slightly different from the performance used in the special. From memory, there's quite a few alternate angles and a lengthy instrumental piece was removed (the instrumental passage was necessary to get the children's choir onto the stage).

The single's B-side 'Take A Chance on Me (Live)' was also a by-product from another project - a BBC radio special. The special, aired in December 1979, offered 60-minutes of highlights from the Wembley concerts, which had been polished somewhat in studio by the group and their backing band. 'Take A Chance on Me (Live)' was polished and mixed alongside the tracks for the radio special, which featured a different live mix of the same track.

Both live mixes of 'Take A Chance On Me' were ultimately issued as B-sides. The B-side version is slightly less polished than the special's mix and omits Agnetha's spoken interjections and some speech before and after the song. It was supplied to record companies issuing the single in 1979. Subsequent releases in 1980 from the likes of Atlantic in Canada used the radio special mix instead.

The reliance on by-products to promote the single and supply its B-side probably reflects the fact that 'I Have A Dream' was not originally conceived by Polar. It was suggested by CBS in the UK, who wanted a 'souvenir' single as a festive tie-in with the Wembley concerts.

 

Yes, that is the one I have. It appears to be from Germany.

 

Why did I have to read this before bedtime?
It’s one of those memories I want to scrape out of my brains.

 

It was a huge hit in Denmark.

 

The Winner Takes It All (1980)


B-side: Elaine
Released: July 21, 1980
Charts: #1 (United Kingdom), #8 (United States), #2 (Sweden), #7 (Australia)

 

I doubt this one will get many bad reviews. ABBA at their most serious and still getting to number one despite the song having no chorus! The single sleeve is quite jaunty given the video and song itself, I must say. I was a big fan of the ensuing Super Trouper album and The Winner Takes It All is a great start. Beautifully performed and put together.

Didn’t hear the B-side, Elaine, for another 20 years. I like it, though it’s rather shrill and feels like they’re shouting at you.

And here they are at #1 in the single’s second chart week.



PS. The US #1 is better.

 

It's a fantastic song but I have to admit it's not one I go back to regularly.

I'm not the biggest fan of the "Super Trouper" album. Though The Winner Takes It All is brilliant, the title song is great but it grates on me a bit, and I think On and On and On and Lay All Your Love on Me are a bit weak. But more on them later.

 

'The Winner Takes It All' entered the UK Singles Chart at #9 the week ending 2 August, 1980. It went to number one the following week, dethroning 'Use It Up and Wear It Out' by Odyssey (as shown in the chart posted above by Bobby). No other ABBA single went to the top that fast.

The song stayed at number one for a total of 2 weeks, preventing 'Upside Down' by Diana Ross from reaching that position. It was then dethroned by Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes'.

 

Some information from the book 'Bright Lights, Dark Shadows' by Carl Magnus Palm:

The Winner Takes It All (working title: The Story Of My Life):
1st backing track on 2 June 1980. 2nd backing track on 6 June 1980.
String overdubs on 16 June 1980.
Mixing on 18 June 1980.

'The Winner Takes It All' was destined to go down as a true classic in the ABBA annals, arguably the best recording they ever made. When the current sessions started on June 2, the melody carried the working title 'The Story Of My Life' and was the first of the new pieces to be recorded. Even at the writing stage, sitting together head to head, Benny at the piano and Björn with his acoustic guitar, they sensed they were on to something special. The first attempt at a backing track was an up-tempo arrangement with a regular, insistent beat. It sounded fine, but the songwriters felt it wasn't exactly what they were after. Benny recalled the track as "much too stiff and metrical". Listening to a rough mix of the recordings in the car on their way back home, they decided to try again. "We felt that it was a really important song, and we wanted to make sure that we didn't lose it," Björn remembered. They let the song rest for a few days.

Four days later, on June 6, Björn and Benny were back in the studio with the musicians for a new attempt. Benny provided the key for the new arrangement when he came up with a "chanson-style", descending piano line, loosening up the structure considerably and giving the song a better flow. As a guide demo for theis new arrangement, Björn put down a vocal track with a France nonsense lyric. Someone even suggested that this new song could perhaps be performed by the lyricist himself. "It's a good thing I didn't", he sighed later, much relieved at having avoided such poor judgement. This was clearly a song that called for expert singing by one of the girls. As was his habit at this stage in ABBA's careers, Björn went home with a tape of the backing track in order to write the lyrics. "I wanted there to be some kind of ambience in the recording," he recalled, "because then I would get a clearer picture of what the song was 'saying'. There was more pleasure in that than listening to some tape of me and Benny banning away on a piano and acoustic guitar.

The layers of French chanson in the arrangement suggested something that called for a touch of the molodramatic: strong feelings about an emotional subject. On this particular night Björn opened a bottle of whisky , and drank freely during the writing process. The alcohol went to his head and fuelled his creativity; it was quickest lyric he ever wrote and also one of the best. "I was drunk, he recalled, "and the whole lyric came to me in a rush of emotion in one hour. And that never works. You think it's wonderful at the time but it looks terrible the next day, but that one worked". When he was finished he had come up with the words for 'The Winner Takes It All'.

The lyric dealed, with, of course, with the break-up of a relationship, always the subject at which Björn excelled during his years with ABBA. He would freely admit hat the heartbreak with Agnetha inspired 'The Winner Takes It All', althought the words weren't meant to be taken literally. 'Neither Agnetha nor I were winners in our divorce", he pointed out. Anyone wanting a lesson in pop song structure, and a near-perfect blend of music, lyrics, arrangement and vocal performance, need look no further than this recording.

"As a melody, it's the simplest ever", Benny remarked. "There are only two different melody lines in it that are repeated throughout the whole song, and yet I think we managed to avoid a feeling of repetition". This was achieved by making the limited variations works to their advantage, contrasting changes in lyrics and melody against constant changes in the arrangement. After the short intro, the first verse sets the tone in the present by declaring, "I don't wanna talk/About the things we've gone through", accompanied only by piano and accoustic guitar, playing gently in the background. Then, after the first chorus, the full backing kick's in, as the protagonist moves her story out of the present and begins reminisching ("I was in your arms/Thinking I belonged there"). An emotional cescendo in the second chorus is followed by a reflective, toned-down third verse - still with the bass and drums driving the song - wherein the singer questions the validity of her former lover's new relationship. In the fourth verse, the song is brought back to the present and the tone of the opening declaration, accompanied only by piano and hesitant strings, before creating the most dynamic contract in the whole piece: The launch of the fully arranged explosion of emotions in the final chorus. Fade-out. It was as song and recording that had truly evolved from the heart, and everyone who ever heard it would sense this for years to come.

 

'The Winner Takes it All' spent 26 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, more than any other ABBA single. It was also ABBA's second Billboard Adult Contemporary #1 hit (after 'Fernando').

 

'The Winner Takes It All' is their absolute masterpiece, the best song they've ever recorded. Agnetha sings it in an incredibly touching way which still gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. It's such a simple yet powerful song.

 

I also love the B-side, 'Elaine', it's incredibly catchy! Don't know why it was not included on the original version of 'Super Trouper'.

 

ABBA’s B-sides were often better than most acts career peaks. Should I Laugh Or Cry is amazing and that was shunted onto the flip side of something. Can’t remember what now.

 

So true! 'Should I Laugh or Cry' was the B-side to 'One of Us'.

 

After all that praise I feel a bit guilty in saying this is nowhere near my favourite Abba song.
Although I still liked the group I preferred Abba phase 1, which for me was up to and including Summer Night City.
Also I didn't like the video, Agnetha had that dreadful 1979/1980 perm that instantly dates it. Everyone seemed to have that bloody perm at the time including the men. I just cant hear the song without thinking of the video.
Sorry but I did say earlier I am shallow, I am a sucker for a nice picture sleeve and a good video...

 

It's a great song but One of Us is better IMO.

 

At least Lennie had an excuse... He couldn’t see it!

 

Elaine is fantastic! The intro is, again, pure Benny magic.

 

"The Winner Takes It All" was too depressing for me at the time although it's one of my favourite songs of all time now. The b-side Elaine shows how early on ABBA could have gone down the synthpop route more.