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Post by onlyabba4meagain on May 20, 2022 17:25:54 GMT
Today - Friday 20th May - The British Phonographic Industry, (The B.P.I.), has given a UK Platinum Award to
'The Winner Takes It All'. It is nothing to do with its 1980 UK Sales. It is for 600,000+ Sales since November
2004. So, with its 565,000, (some say 545,000), Sales in 1980 added in, it is now a UK Million Seller. It joins
'Mamma Mia', 'Dancing Queen', (2 x Platinum since 2004), and 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!', which also have
gone UK Platinum, since November 2004. All 4 of those ABBA Singles are now UK Million Sellers. Not bad, when
you consider that ABBA used to have Zero UK Million Selling Singles.
ABBA have 6 UK Million Selling Albums, with 'Greatest Hits', (2,606,000), and 'ABBA Gold', (around 6,150,000),
in 1st and 2nd place. 'Voyage' could eventually reach 450,000 to 500,000 UK Sales, but it will take a long time.
If ABBA had returned in - say - 2000 - Album Sales would still be huge and 'Voyage' would have become their
7th UK Million Selling Album. But, Album Sales are now a fraction of what they once were.
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Post by Michal on May 20, 2022 18:25:26 GMT
Thank you for the news and welcome back! Your chart knowledge has been missed.
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Post by HOMETIME on May 20, 2022 18:29:10 GMT
Thanks for the update, Colin. What are the official stats these days? I thought Super Trouper had crept up into second place behind Dancing Queen as the biggest seller. Has TWTIA overtaken? If anyone can be trusted in these matters, it's you!
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Post by onlyabba4meagain on May 20, 2022 18:44:47 GMT
HOMETIME -- You are right! I was so busy looking at ABBA's 4 Platinum Singles, since 2004, that I forgot
about their 2 other UK Million Selling Singles. Neither have reached UK Platinum status, (since 2004), but
both have reached a Million UK Sales - if we combine their 1977, and 1980, Vinyl Sales, with their Post 2004
Download, and Streaming Sales. The 2 ABBA Singles, that I forgot about, are 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'
and 'Super Trouper'. So ABBA now have 6 UK Million Selling Singles. The next 2 ABBA Singles, that look
set to reach a Million UK Sales, are 'Fernando' and 'Take A Chance On Me'. Both are on well over 900,000
UK Sales.
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Post by bjorenny on Nov 10, 2024 9:24:14 GMT
For those who like to geek out at musical analysis of an ABBA track (or two) then knock yourselves out with this. She generally does Beatles and Queen deep-dives, but from the sound of it, she will be doing much more ABBA, and as she is a classical musician, she knows what she's talking about from the technical, creative side of how our beloved songs were put together.
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Post by eddie on Nov 12, 2024 13:15:57 GMT
Thank you Biorenny for posting an interesting insight and analysis of one of our beloved ABBA songs. I can remember vividly when I first heard " The Winner Takes It All " back in 1980 as an eagerly awaited ABBA new release. I fell in love with it after the first listen. It is such a beautiful song. So sad so retrospective so final. Agnetha's lead vocals are so plaintively heartfelt and powerful. The expression and clarity in her voice is amazing. Her voice is enveloped within a flowing melody of melancholy. Benny's piano intro sets the scene for the listener to succumb to the feeling of approaching sadness. I adore every element of this classic epitome of lost love. From a slow and resigned beginning to the dramatic climax. I understand it is not every fan's " cup of tea ". But how can you not be completely emotionally hooked to the power and beauty of the song. It leaves you with a lump in your throat and tearful eyes. I have to admire Bjorn for seeking solace in a bottle of whisky and conceiving such a heart wrenching work of art.
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Post by foreverfan on Nov 12, 2024 15:00:44 GMT
Thankfully we all have different tastes... TWTIA , used be number 2 for me in my top 100, behind DQ, but a few years ago, more than I care to remember I expect, my head/brain/ears picked up the " drum " beat and it over powered the track for me, you can't fault the lyrics and for me it's a track that works better over the radio, no idea why. I rarely play it these days, but it's still a top 10 ish track....
It recently made number 11 in Greatest Hits radio top 500 , as voted by the public, making it ABBAs highest .. apparently they had 6 tracks in the 500.
Bohemian rhapsody by Queen made number 1, yet again for the 6th successive year....
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Post by johnny on Nov 12, 2024 17:23:13 GMT
Exactly. That drum beat ruins it. Totally unnecessary.
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Post by eddie on Nov 12, 2024 18:40:10 GMT
For me the drum beat adds to the drama. It is interesting how our tastes differ.
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Post by baab on Nov 12, 2024 21:03:45 GMT
Yeah, interesting! I always thought the beat in The Winner Takes It All drives the song. Although there is the sadness of "the looser" the song screams " I Will Survive" whithout actually screaming it...
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Post by eddie on Nov 13, 2024 17:21:35 GMT
I agree the best is a crucial element to the song. It heightens the melodrama. Nordic melancholy at its best only ABBA can deliver.
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Post by ed on Nov 13, 2024 17:30:09 GMT
Sorry, my post should read as I agree the beat is a crucial element to the song. I have wandering fingers or am extremely trigger happy.
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Post by Tiger76 on Nov 14, 2024 17:26:51 GMT
I'm with baab and Eddie in thinking that the beat in The Winner Takes It All both drives and makes the song. It's not without reason that it regularly comes in either first or second place in voters' polls. It is sad yet uplifting and is a work of pure genius! If you have not already checked it out, search out the French version 'Bravo, tu as Gagné' by Mireille Mathieu featuring B&B and Frida. Just sublime.
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Post by johnny on Nov 14, 2024 17:35:53 GMT
Here's that French version. She really belts it out
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Post by ed on Nov 14, 2024 18:59:29 GMT
Thanks, Johnny.
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 15, 2024 15:40:33 GMT
I think the song would feel very long and dragged out without that driving rhythm track. I think it also helps the song from feeling too maudlin. Sarah Dawn Finer does a really beautiful cover, avoiding the drums. It has a more delicate feel - but she also drops a verse, and I think that has to do with the risk of it feeling overlong.
Now that I think of it, the song was played at our school disco. It wasn't in the kissy-smoochy slow set (or "the erection section" as we used to call it). It was played among the uptempo numbers.
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Post by ed on Nov 16, 2024 13:16:52 GMT
Tony, " the erection section ". That really made me chuckle. The drum beat is a key element of " The Winner Takes It All " and I agree without it the song would not feel as dynamically powerful, " losing " its momentum and dread to think of it but the song wouldn't have achieved immense global success. I love Ricky'n'roller's review of TWTIA. Spot on ! I feel all cover versions seem to pale against the power and sophistication of the original. Good job ABBA didn't include Bjorn's additional solo vocals within the last lines as the song fades out as featured on the demo outtake.
I must also, add it is interesting how our tastes change as Forever pointed out in his post. An ABBA favourite of one fan may not be a favourite of another. I have learned to accept this fact.
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