How did ABBA conquer the world with the album "Waterloo"?
Содержание
"Waterloo" is the title of the second studio album of the band ABBA, as well as their world-famous hit that conquered the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974! After the contest, the song became a big hit not only in Europe, but all over the world! It was the first time in history that a foreign Eurovision entry entered the charts and did well in different countries. After its release, the record became a record-breaker in the Swedish charts: the album "Waterloo" was recognised as one of the best-selling albums in the band's home country in the history of...
The album was warmly received by critics, who called "Waterloo" a "beautiful work" and prophesied a great future for the band! And, in fact, they were right: today ABBA is talked about as a legendary band, and their hit "Waterloo" continues to caress the ears of listeners after so many decades... Today we will talk about how the famous album of the same name was recorded, which made the whole world fall in love with ABBA!
Background, write-up...
The recording of the album started in September 1973 with the track "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)". It should be emphasised that this song has a characteristic and even surprising feature: it is the only song of the band in which the keyboards are played not by Benny Andersson, but by guest pianist John Bandrick (although his name is not on the cover...) A few weeks later the songs "Suzy-Hang-Around" and "My Mama Said" were released: the first of these songs marks the only time Andersson played the lead part of the track. A few more tracks - "What About Livingstone" and "Honey Honey" - were recorded towards the end of October. Curiously enough, when the band recorded "King Kong Song" in November, the strong representatives of the band considered the song very weak... But it was on this very day that it became known that ABBA would appear at the Eurovision 1974 selection!
Of course, the band had to speed up the recording of the album. When the work was fully completed, the question arose: what song should represent the country? The Swedish quartet considered two strong tracks: "Waterloo" and "Hasta Mañana". Feeling that the second track was a safer option, ABBA still chose "Waterloo"....
Success in the competition!
In the power of the song that launched their worldwide success, ABBA laid a time capsule, giving the world the timeless hit "Waterloo"... And today it's no secret that the single's boundless fame is based on their legendary glam-pop performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in the British seaside town of Brighton! The golden hour for ABBA came on Saturday, 6 April 1974. We would like to remind you that at first ABBA were not sure about the choice of the track for the contest... However, the impressive sales of this song and the album of the same name convinced the quartet that their approach was right!
https://youtu.be/vpKs_dt9KEM
The track "Hasta Mañana", which started life as "Who's Gonna Love You", is a mid-tempo, conservative ballad that looked like a win-win bet for the contest! But... the band lacked something more modern, more current... As for "Waterloo" - it's a great pop track! It sounds sharper than some of ABBA's compositions to date, and that gave it an undeniable advantage...
In retrospect it is clear that it was the right choice for the band. As a result, ABBA's "Waterloo" triumphed and became a worldwide hit, reaching number one in the UK and even reaching the top ten in the US, a market traditionally resistant to the allure of Eurovision....
The album's success, the tracks ...
Released on 4 March 1974 - the album "Waterloo" was a huge success! It was released a month before the competition: the album could boast of containing an amazing sense of different styles: "King Kong Song" could easily have been recorded by Suzi Quatro, while "Gonna Sing You My Love Song" could pass for a Carole King composition... It can rightly be said that "Waterloo" captures the sound of a band that finally found its unique style, while combining different moods of the eras... The Swedish foursome fought for the world's attention, and here it is... Let's enjoy the tracks....
"Waterloo."
"Sitting in the Palmtree"
The tropical, reggae-tinged "Sitting In The Palmtree" is one of the most obvious ABBA tracks overlooked for a single...
"King Kong Song"
"Hasta Mañana."
"My Mama Said"
"Dance (While The Music Still Goes On)"
"Honey, Honey."
Light but catchy, "Honey, Honey" was released as a single almost everywhere (except, inexplicably, the UK...)
"Watch Out."
The electric guitars even seem to explode at the end of the song! Alice Cooper must have been proud of Benny and Bjorn ever since....
"What About Livingstone?"
"Gonna Sing You My Love song."
"Suzy-Hang-Around."
"Suzy Hang-Around" begins with a 12-string riff: it's a charming melodic gem that perfectly illustrates the band's versatility.
Few people recognise this song as the work of ABBA, but that's why a deeper examination of their discography holds so many surprises!
