ABBA are a Swedish pop group formed in 1972 in Stockholm and active as recording and performance artists until 1982. The group's name is an acronym of the four members' first names: Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
The group first became famous outside their native Sweden after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with the song Waterloo. Although success did not come immediately after their first Europe-wide hit, ABBA went on to become one of the most successful pop groups of the 1970s and of all time, achieving success on a global scale which had not been seen since The Beatles.
Timeline[]
- 06 April 1974: ABBA win the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton with Waterloo.
- 11 April 1974: TOTP debut.
- 16 April 1974: Waterloo enter the UK charts for the first time
- 30 April 1974: Waterloo announced as the UK's new no.1, replacing Terry Jacks' Seasons in the Sun.
- 27 January 1976: ABBA get second UK no.1 with Mamma Mia (replacing Bohemian Rhapsody)
- 05 May 1976: Fernando UK no.1 single (four consecutive weeks), and Greatest Hits no.1 album (nine consecutive weeks)
- 01 September 1976 Dancing Queen is announced as the UK's new no.1, ABBA's fourth. Follow-up Money, Money, Money gets to 'only' no.3
- November 1976: new studio album Arrival enters the UK albums charts although makes slow progress and finally hits no.1 in January 1977 for just one week.
- February 1977: ABBA's third single released from Arrival, Knowing Me, Knowing You enters the UK charts and gets to no.1 on 29 March, remaining at the top for five weeks, fuelling sales of the parent album which remains at the top for nine consecutive weeks, until June (eventually usurped by The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl live album).
- October 1977: ABBA are back with new material and the Scandinavian ennui of The Name of the Game becomes the group's sixth no.1,
- February 1978: it's UK ABBA mania as the more uptempo Take a Chance On Me single gets to no.1 in February 1978, as does the new studio album The Album, just as ABBA: The Movie gets its UK premiere (London, 16 February).
- September 1978: Things cool off a little (Grease fever has taken over during the summer) as one-off single Summer Night City reaches just no.5, but still making seven weeks in the top 40.
- January/February 1979: one-off charity single Chiquitita makes no.2 in the UK (held off by Blondie's Heart of Glass)
- May 1979: ABBA try their hand at disco for the new Voulez-Vous, and it pays off with the album entering the chart at no.1 and remaining the best seller for four weeks (plus two at no.2, outsold by ELO's Discovery)
- May-August 1979: Voulez-Vous spawns two more UK top 5 hits
- November 1979, new single Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) reaches no.3 while Greatest Hits Vol.2 is their fifth no.1 album, although remains at no.2 for five weeks over the Christmas period, outsold by Rod Stewart, but holding back Pink Floyd, although a live version of I Have a Dream released as a single remains at no.2 behind Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2.
- August 1980. after some time away ABBA are back at no.1 in the UK with another heart-wrenching ballad The Winner Takes It All (no.1 for two weeks, usurped by Bowie's Ashes to Ashes).
- November 1980: ABBA are back dominating the UK album and singles charts with Super Trouper and the title track respectively. The album stays at the top for nine consecutive weeks.
- July 1981: Super trouper dance track Lay All Your Love On Me is released as a 12" single only, and still manages to reach no.7.
- December 1981: new album The Visitors presents darker tones in the group's music, but still manages no.1 over the Christmas period. Single One of Us gets to no.3, held back by The Human League's Don't You Want Me, and Cliff Richard. [1]
Discography[]
UK albums & singles only
| Year | Song | Peak pos. | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Waterloo | 01 | Waterloo (1974) |
| Ring Ring | 32 | Ring Ring (1973) [1] | |
| So Long | - | ABBA (1975) | |
| 1975 | I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do | 38 | |
| SOS | 06 | ||
| Mamma Mia | 01 | ||
| 1976 | Fernando | 01 | Greatest Hits (1975) [2] |
| Dancing Queen | 01 | Arrival (1976) | |
| Money Money Money | 03 | ||
| 1977 | Knowing Me Knowing You | 01 | |
| The Name of the Game | 01 | The Album (1977) | |
| 1978 | Take A Chance On Me | 01 | |
| Summer Night City | 05 | Greatest Hits Vol.2 (1979) [3] | |
| 1979 | Chiquitita | 02 | Voulez-Vous (1979) |
| Does Your Mother Know | 04 | ||
| Angeleyes/Voulez-Vous | 03 | ||
| Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!.. | 03 | ||
| I Have A Dream | 02 | ||
| 1980 | The Winner Takes It All | 01 | Super Trouper (1980) |
| Super Trouper | 01 | ||
| 1981 | Lay All Your Love On Me | 07 | |
| One of Us | 03 | The Visitors (1982) | |
| 1982 | Head Over Heels | 25 | |
| The Day Before You Came | 32 | ||
| Under Attack | 26 | ||
| 1983 | Thank You For the Music | 33 | The Album (1977) |
| 1992 | Dancing Queen (1992 re-issue) | 16 | Arrival (1976) |
Selected compilation albums (UK):
- The Singles - The First Ten Years (1982)
- Thank You For The Music - A Collection of Love Songs (1983)
- Gold: Greatest Hits (1992)
- More ABBA Gold (1993)
- The Definitive Collection (2001)
Notes[]
See also[]
- 05 December 1974 - a rare appearance on Top of the Pops to perform So Long, which failed to chart in the UK.
External links[]
- Sites
- Articles
- ABBA's studio albums ranked - officialcharts.com (22 April 2019)
- ABBA's Official Top 20 biggest songs - officialcharts.com (22 April 2019)
- Album by Album: ABBA - classicpopmag.com (April 2021)