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Post by Michal on Aug 6, 2023 7:23:19 GMT
Interesting a bit of backlash against Voyage. Pretty sure there were more people on this Forum more favourable to it than me. Now Alan, says he's put it in the Live Without category and Michel doesn't have any Voyage song in his Top 20. It's really not a backlash in my case (BTW, you're confusing me with @michel all the time, but I can't really blame you  ). In fact, I was disappointed by both the first two singles and the album on the first listen. It's true that part of the disappointment was caused by poor sound quality of the live stream, where the first two songs were premiered, and the YouTube version of the album, which I listened to for the first time (I switched my VPN to disguise me as a New Zealand citizen, so that I could listen to the album earlier ). It has grown on me since, even the least favourite tracks, and I played it almost every day for some time. Even now I listen to it quite often and the novelty aspect plays a part in that for sure. However, I have always found it difficult to rate against the original albums, which have been with me since my teens. In a way it feels like it is a different group and I believe it is the fact that we were made to believe it would never happen, that makes the album feel sort of surreal. That doesn't mean I would rather not have it released. I love the record, I love the fact that ABBA returned, I appreciate that I could hear Agnetha and Frida together again. |
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Post by johnny on Aug 6, 2023 8:30:40 GMT
Ooops, sorry for mixing you Michal up with Michel. 😳
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Post by johnny on Aug 6, 2023 9:19:45 GMT
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Post by foreverfan on Aug 6, 2023 10:14:39 GMT
The last few posts have been a bit of an eye opener for me, or am I really that naive?
I guess I knew it went on, ( the David Williams threw me, if true ) ,
Even abba ( I could get crucified here ) collaboratorated with Neil Sedaka with Ring Ring, in some form ? Lyrics ? So it shouldn't have been to much of a shock.....
Goes to show though are these " stars " as clever as their fans make out, thinking it's all their own work ( not Abba ) ... it's a business. I. Guess and mostly everyone wins to some degree...
Back on topic, for some I guess So Long was a mistake,in releasing as a single, and features quite low in estimations...
However out walking yesterday , I- phones in and on shuffle, So Long , came to my ears.... and I quite liked it, very much of its time, so why did it flop here in the U.K.?
( we usually followed Germany quite closely regarding Abba hits with a few exceptions, but it was number 11 over there, but failed to chart here in the U.K.) .
Was it down to promotion, Eurovision backlash, ? Any thoughts ?
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Post by johnny on Aug 6, 2023 10:27:49 GMT
It's easy to say now that So Long shouldn't have been a UK single as it flopped. Yet at the same time it was very Glam Rock which was very popular at the time. I am not sure I've Been Waiting For You would have fared any better.
I think there was a bit of a Eurovision backlash in the UK at the time. Ring Ring only made #32. A version of Honey Honey made #10 it has to be said - but actually would ABBA have? More success for a Eurovision winner.
The UK (and Ireland) were alone in giving ABBA the cold shoulder after Eurovision.
Uk chart peaks afer Waterloo, pre SOS
32, Flop, 38
Germany - 2, 11, 6
Even America more favourable to ABBA
27 and 15.
So Long was on TOTP so some promotion then
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Post by richard on Aug 6, 2023 12:43:07 GMT
Talking about hit songs as written before any probable notable contributions from others in the recording studio (an unfair omission), then one can reel off such songwriting partnerships as Andersson/Ulvaeus, Goffin-King, John-Taupin, Bacharach-David, Lennon-McCartney... Though in the latter partnership, many or most of their songs were probably mainly individual efforts - words and music - with some input from the other, but not always.
In striking contrast to the large teams of songwriters apparently involved in some of today's hits, I'm in awe of songwriters such as Cole Porter, who wrote many great standards sung by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, etc; and, in the last 50 years, Paul Simon, and Billy Joel: each brilliantly and equally capable with words and music.
In the near future, some human songwriters will probably be passing off AI compositions as their own.
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Post by richard on Aug 6, 2023 21:16:51 GMT
I'd also wondered about Neil Sedaka's contributions to Ring Ring.
According to Wikipedia, Neil Sedaka and his collaborator, Phil Cody, helped with translating the Swedish lyrics into English.
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Post by Alan on Aug 7, 2023 10:09:05 GMT
I think it’s more that Björn and Benny (and probably Stig) thought that Ring Ring might have a better chance at being an international hit if first-language English speakers (and American ones at that) wrote it? Unless both Sedaka and Cody spoke Swedish, there’s no way they could have helped translate it. And also, Björn and Benny had already written songs in English so hardly needed any help in that department! I’m sure they could have come up with something quite similar for Ring Ring.
B and B (and Stig) perhaps learnt something from Sedaka and Cody which gave them the confidence to continue writing English lyrics themselves.
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Post by Michel on Aug 8, 2023 8:11:26 GMT
Bjorn and Benny talk about Ring Ring and the Neil Sedaka lyrics in this interview (at 04:55). Bjorn confesses that it was also a gimmick to have Sedaka as a songwriter to create (international) interest in the song.
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Post by HOMETIME on Aug 8, 2023 11:49:02 GMT
I'm not suggesting it's even close to top-drawer ABBA, but I think they've released worse. I'd happily take Rikki Rock'n'Roller over I am Just A Girl any day of the week. And, yeah, it certainly feels like almost the entire song is in the Undeleted medley. I'd be quite happy if it appeared, fully formed, as a bonus track on some future release - even if it promptly appears in a bunch of Bottom 20s |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2023 8:50:06 GMT
Right at the foot of the ladder has to be:
- Hasta Mañana. For me, unlistenable. 1/10.
After that, I'd cite the following batch, roughly in order of irritation:
I Am Just a Girl 2/10
King Kong Song 3/10
Sitting in the Palmtree 3/10
Put on Your White Sombrero 3/10
Merry-Go-Round 3/10
What About Livingstone 3/10
Nina, Pretty Ballerina 3/10
Dream World 4/10
Honey, Honey 4/10
Gonna Sing You My Lovesong 4/10
Little Things 4/10
I Am the City 4/10
Santa Rosa 4/10
I Can Be That Woman 4/10
You Owe Me One 4/10
I Do x5 4/10
Lovers (Live a Little Longer) 4/10
Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother 4/10
Fernando 4/10 (Actually, this has gone up in my estimation just a little over the decades. I can sort of tolerate it now, on a good day.)
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Post by HOMETIME on Oct 28, 2023 10:25:51 GMT
These personal charts are fascinating. I love the fact that there's a pretty diverse range of tastes here. I can see at least three of those that would possibly be in my Top 20 or 30 (ICBTW, GSYMLS, LLALL). I'm not sure if anything from Voyage is that close to the bottom for me. Yet.
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Post by johnny on Oct 28, 2023 10:46:05 GMT
There's a group of say 12 to 15 songs that keep cropping up in these lists. Imevitably there will be a few surprises - like Fernando.
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Post by mymamasaid on Nov 7, 2023 21:26:57 GMT
A bottom 20 ABBA songs thread? Can there be such a thing? I'm not sure. For me, though, rock bottom is Intermezzo No.1, a dog's breakfast of a song. My bottom 5 (falling just below the top 105 or so...):
Worst - Intermezzo No.1
2nd worst - Happy Hawaii
Joint 3rd worst - I Saw It in the Mirror
Joint 3rd worst - Sitting in the Palmtree
Joint 3rd worst - I’ve Been Waiting for You
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2023 17:19:49 GMT
Excellent! To be fair, 'bottom 20' doesn't necessarily mean 'bad 20'. It's only really my bottom 5 that I'd potentially cross a room to switch off.
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Post by johnny on Nov 8, 2023 17:59:50 GMT
I'd say there's about 25 ABBA songs I really do dislike.
By albums (including bonus tracks, non-album singles but 1982 songs separately)
Ring Ring: 5
Waterloo: 5
ABBA: 3
Arrival: 1
The Album: 1
Voulez Vous : 2
Super Trouper : 2
The Visitors: 1
1982 songs: 2
Voyage : 2
I may have missed onenor two
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Post by mymamasaid on Nov 12, 2023 21:46:41 GMT
It's 90% about ABBA, but we also took in all of their pre- and post-ABBA work too :-D.
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Post by someone 36992 on Apr 13, 2024 20:35:20 GMT
I’m still fairly new to ABBA so out of all the ones I’ve listened to, here are my worst ones in no particular order:
SOS
Chiquitita
Fernando
Does your mother know?
Winner takes it all (this one is OK to be fair)
Can’t think of any more right now
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Post by HOMETIME on Apr 13, 2024 23:33:26 GMT
Interesting that you'd mention your least favourites first. What would your favourites be?
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Post by johnny on Apr 14, 2024 8:09:55 GMT
I'd say there's about 25 ABBA songs I really do dislike. By albums (including bonus tracks, non-album singles but 1982 songs separately) Ring Ring: 5 Waterloo: 5 ABBA: 3 Arrival: 1 The Album: 1 Voulez Vous : 2 Super Trouper : 2 The Visitors: 1 1982 songs: 2 Voyage : 2 I may have missed onenor two 3 now from Voyage. People can guess the disliked songs on Arrival and The Visitors. |
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Post by Someone36992 on Apr 14, 2024 19:18:18 GMT
Interesting that you'd mention your least favourites first. What would your favourites be? In no particular order: Waterloo Voulez vouz Gimme gimme gimme Honey honey Manma mia Dancing queen Lay all your love on me Take a chance on me |
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). In fact, I was disappointed by both the first two singles and the album on the first listen. It's true that part of the disappointment was caused by poor sound quality of the live stream, where the first two songs were premiered, and the YouTube version of the album, which I listened to for the first time (I switched my VPN to disguise me as a New Zealand citizen, so that I could listen to the album earlier 
