A (UK) Christmas number one?

'When A Child Is Born' by Johnny Mathis, was able to hold the UK No.1 Position
for Christmas & New Year 1976/1977 because it had huge Sales at the time. (It
was the UK's 50th Best Selling Single of the 1970's).

Also, the former No.1 by Shawaddywaddy - 'Under The Moon Of Love' - held at No.2,
which is why 'Money, Money, Money' got no higher than No.3. (The ABBA Hit sold over
500,000 UK copies, but the UK Charts Company only have its 1976 Sales, which were
310,000. They think that is all it sold. I've told them that its 1977 Sales are missing &
that it sold 540,000 to 560,000, in the UK).

Bear in mind, that the Showaddywaddy Hit, (their only No.1), was only a cover of
a 1961 USA Top 50 Hit, by Curtis Lee, so the Song was not even new. But, its UK
Sales were huge & it was the UK's 10th Best Selling Single of the 1970's.

However, both the Johnny Mathis Hit & the Showaddywaddy Hit had a big advantage
over ABBA's - neither were selling, by the truckload, on a huge Album. Of course the
ABBA Hit was selling on 'Arrival' too, so that took away a lot of its Sales as a Single.
(Even with 'My Love, My Life', as a Double 'A' Side, the 'problem' would have been
the same - 'Arrival' taking away Sales of the Single).

Regarding 'Happy New Year'. I heard, (in December 1980), that ABBA were considering
rushing it out, as a very fast follow-up to 'Super Trouper'. Then they changed their
minds, because the 'Super Trouper' Single was still in the UK & German etc. Top 5's.
ABBA seemed to worry about having 2 Hits in the UK Top 10, at the same time. That is
why Epic Records liked to wait until ABBA Hits were way outside the Top 10, before
releasing the next ABBA Single.

It was silly really. It would have done ABBA no harm, to have both 'Super Trouper'
& 'Happy New Year', in the UK & German Top 5's, in December 1980 & January 1981.

There would have been no need for them to be a Double 'A' Side.

It is far harder for 'old' Acts to have big Singles, in these days of 'Streaming', which
is why both Madonna & Kylie Minogue can no longer reach the UK Top 10, with Singles,
even though they have had over 60 & over 30 Top 10 Singles, respectively.

As a result, ABBA will never again have a UK Top 10 Single. Even a New Track would
have to battle against all the Acts with huge 'Streaming' totals. ABBA's last chance,
to have a 20th UK Top 10 Single, & 10th German No.1 Single, was in the early 1990's.
It is now far too late.

Another thing that ABBA can never do - even when each of them get huge attention, when they die
- is to have a lot of old Singles re-entering the UK Charts. It has happened when a Beatle died,
Elvis Presley died & Michael Jackson died. It can never, ever happen for ABBA. This is because
The UK Charts Company brought a 'Rule' in, in early 2017, that no Act is allowed more than 3 Hits,
at the same time, in the UK Top 100. (This was because Ed Sheeran placed 16 Songs in the Top 20,
at the same time, in early 2017. It caused a big uproar. The OCC decided to ensure that it can never
happen again, by limiting each Act to just 3 simultaneous Top 100 Hits).

I feel the singles charts have been devalued over recent years. Being number one and especially entering at number one used to be a rare feat. Some years having fewer than 12 number one singles prior to 2000. Even the anticipation of the Christmas number one has lost its appeal to me. As much as I have tried to take to Ed, Adele or Sam I find them rather depressing. Ok in small doses. Cannot take away from their popularity. Each to their own.

Colin - I take your point about it being easier for Knowing Me Knowing You to get to number one. And your point about Money Money Money not competing on a level playing field with the Johnny Mathis and Showaddywaddy singles.

MMM must have been very important in keeping Arrival near the top of the UK album charts over Christmas 1976 (Arrival was mostly number two in the album chart at the time). And of course Knowing Me Knowing You was crucial in Arrival spending nine weeks in a row at number one later on.

Yes, it's a pity about the Pink Floyd single. It would have been nice if I Have A Dream could have managed one place higher.

(BTW, you accidentally say that IHAD spent four weeks at number one.)

Gary - Thanks for telling me about my error in calling 'I Have a Dream' a UK No.1 Hit.

I've been doing some checking. I used to know a fellow from the B.B.C., who had connections with the UK Chart Compilers,
in the 1970's & early 1980's. Sadly, he died a few Years ago.

In the 1970's & early 1980's it was BMRB who compiled the UK Charts - British Market Research Bureau.

They relied on paperwork then, due to Computers not being around - well, not to compile Music Charts, anyhow.

At the end of every Year, they'd work out the UK's Best Selling Singles & Albums, for that Year. However, as they wanted
B.B.C. Radio One to count down those Charts, they always ended the Sales Year about 3 Weeks before the Year ended. 
This meant that the UK's Top 100 Singles & Albums of the Year always missed out on the biggest Sales Weeks - which 
were Christmas & New Year. (The 1st Week in January was also missed out, as all of its Sales were really in the December
that had just ended).

However, the B.B.C. guy found out what the Year End Top 100's would have looked like, had the BMRB added in the Sales
for the last 3 December Weeks & the 1st January Week. 'Money, Money, Money' was only the 95th Best Seller of 1976,
due to it losing 4 Weeks of Sales. Had those Sales been added in it would have been about 29th for the Year, and about
11th had all of its Sales been in 1976, rather than a lot of them occurring in 1977.

In 1979 Pink Floyd would have been 5th for the Year, had it had the missing Sales Weeks added in. 'I Have a Dream'
would have been 25th. 'Chiquitita' would have fallen from 16th to 17th place - due to Pink Floyd being in the Top 10
of the Year. As it is, neither the Pink Floyd nor ABBA Hit made the Top 100 for 1979, as they were released so late in
the Year, & their 1979 Sales were in BMRB's 'Missing' Weeks - as well as Week 1 in 1980. (But - The BMRB still gathered
Sales for each Year's 'Missing' Weeks, it just did not include them in its Top 100's of the Year).

'Greatest Hits Vol.2' was 8th for 1979, but it too had 4 Weeks of Sales missing. Had they been added in, it would
have been 3rd for 1979 - pushing 'Voulez-Vous' down from 5th to 6th place, in the Year's Top 100 UK Albums.

At the end of 1981, 'One Of Us' was released too late to be in the Year's Top 100. Had it been given those Sales,
it would have been about 28th for the Year. As it is, BMRB forgot to - ever - add in its Sales for the 'Missing' Chart
of W/E 2nd January 1982. It sold 96,000 in that Chart. The current UK Chart compilers - The Official Charts Company,
(The OCC), has inherited the low Total. Which is why they have its 1981/1982 UK Sales on just 405,000. But it really
sold just over 500,000 in the UK. (Of course, 'Money, Money, Money', 'Chiquitita', 'I Have A Dream', and 'One of Us',
have sold several 1,000 UK copies, in Downloads in more recent Years - to add to their old Singles Totals).

Foreverfan - I've noticed that every January, 'Happy New Year' climbs the iTunes Charts, of a great many European
and Asian Countries. However, you can see that it is not that well known in the 'English Speaking World'. It never,
ever makes much January impact in the iTunes Charts for the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

It has just been mainly forgotten, as a Track on 'Super Trouper', in those Countries. It may be far more well known
had it been a Track on 'More ABBA Gold'. But it wasn't & ABBA Studio Albums just do not attract huge numbers of
buyers, in this day & age. It is mostly 'die hard' Fans who buy them. Which is why Millions of people liked 'Slipping
Through My Fingers' in 'Mamma Mia!', but they heard it for the 1st time in that Film. Due to it being 'buried', on
'The Visitors' Studio Album prior to that. (It was on the Bonus Disk, of the 'Deluxe' 'Number Ones' Compilation,
in 2006, but that was hardly a big seller, in most Countries).

I wonder whether, had 'I Have A Dream' been a UK chart-topper in '79, we'd now be dismissing it as a 'soft' Number One that shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as ABBA's other, 'proper' chart-toppers - a song clearly inferior to DQ, KMKY, TWTIA etc etc etc and that only rose to the top spot because its release piggy-backed the peace-on-earth vibe that's part and parcel of the festive season. Personally, I like the fact that ABBA didn't have a Christmas Number One. All of their chart-toppers were 'legit' and can't be tainted with the charge of 'seasonal cynicism' (or 'shrewd marketing', if you prefer). In any case, IHAD is nowhere near as good as 'Another Brick', even though the latter almost qualifies as a novelty hit in view of Floyd's shunning of the quest for singles success over a good many years.

I remember liking it at the time and not liking Voulez Vous but that has changed over the years. I prefer Voulez Vous. I think it’s the lyrics of I have a dream., A bit too sugary. Strangely I like the Spanish version. But I feel the same about Thankyou for the music. Loved it in 1978 but reach for skip button if it comes on now. However three that I have always disliked are Two for the price of one, I saw it in the mirror and Sitting in the Palmtree. Guess it was released for the Christmas market as there were two more obvious choices as singles As good as New and if it wasn’t for the nights. Think it was the 1st time in chart history that both number one and two in the charts featured choirs of children. Abba were unfortunate to finish at number two twice in 1979 up against two massive songs - Heart of Glass at start of year and Another brick in the wall at the end of the year.

Having read everyone’s comments I think there was only one year where Abba could have secured a no.1 at Christmas ..1980. The year of the awful -there’s no one quite like Grandma. If Super Trouper had been issued a bit later but sales of Super Trouper album by that point might have impacted on sales. 1977 was a no with Mull of Kintyre shifting over 2 million, likewise 1978 Boney m and Mary’s boy child sold close to 2 million, 1979... the Floyd and 1981 the Human league massive hit Don’t you want me?

I just can't visualise the circumstances where IIWFTN would have outsold Boney M at Christmas (when it would have been hampered by being neither a seasonal nor a novelty song), or Village People in the New Year, for that matter. Eye of the beholder, of course, but for me it's a good album track, not a single - and certainly not on a par with the classic run of singles from SOS to TACOM. The only counter-factual that might have changed that MIGHT have been if ABBA hadn't released SNC in the summer (having realised it wasn't quite up to scratch) and had left a huge void (very unusually for the time) after TACOM - and had then built up massive public expectation and a fever-pitch media frenzy with an 'ABBA are BACK!!!' campaign in November, prior to releasing IIWFTN. That might POSSIBLY have been enough to snatch a week in the top spot in the Christmas market. But I think they faced an obvious problem, in singles terms, with all the 'Voulez Vous' material in the sense that it didn't quite match up to their own back catalogue. I can see why they eventually plumped for 'Chiquitita' (despite or maybe because of the fact that it had 'Fernando' re-tread elements); I suspect IIWFTN would have done neither better nor worse and would have been relying on a lucky gap in the market if it was to reach Number One. Village People ensured that such a gap didn't appear in early 79, of course. Ian Dury pinched a week at Number One after them before Blondie and the Bee Gees tied things up for ages. Overall, I can't really see a vacancy for an ABBA B-plus single topping the charts between December 78 and Easter 79. Just my impression, based on my memories of the time, not on any analysis of stats etc.

On 'If I Can't Have You', I'm pleased ABBA stuck to the self-penned material route. Just lining up alongside The Trammps, Kool & the Gang and sundry others on the Night Fever soundtrack would have devalued the brand, for me, although it would have helped them shift units Stateside at the time. A bullet dodged, in terms of their legacy and ultimate reputation in the UK, I'd suggest.

If my only brief had been to maximise sales and optimise chart placings, I think I'd have gone for:

1) 'Voulez Vous' - recognising that all the material on the VV album was a slight downgrade in terms of single potential, compared to the SOS to TACOM run, I'd have shamelessly played the "Look - ABBA have captured the disco zeitgeist!" card in the quest for a smash-and-grab Number One (possibly at Ian Dury's expense) before the album came out
2) 'Angeleyes' - hoping it might break into the Top Three, just because it's a fine song and pretty distinctive within the ABBA canon, and so sounded (and still sounds) very fresh
3) 'I Have a Dream' - hoping to sweep up the mums and grannies, and resplendent in a special 'Year of the Child' picture cover including a special message from the Pope (or, if unavailable, Cliff Richard) on the back.  
4) Probably IIWFTN - hoping to boost sales by pressing it on see-through vinyl, or on a picture disc, or on a piano-shaped disc*, or something else a bit tacky in tried and tested fourth-single fashion.

Definitely no release for 'Crown', 'Lovers' or DYMK. 'As Good As New' would be a possible-but-probably-not. 'Kisses' is a great track but not, I think, a single. 'Chiquitita' I'd have left on the album, because I'd have been nervous of 'pale imitation of Fernando' accusations, although it's a perfectly decent song, of course.      
* I always loved John Cooper-Clarke's triangular 'Gimmix' single at about this time.

It was a UK No.1 hit, and a Christmas No.1 too. Not for ABBA though

For what it's worth, I've been an ABBA fan since 1977, and I've always liked I Have A Dream.

Yes - four singles from one album back in the day when acts generally brought out an album a year would have been pushing it. Which makes it ironic, perhaps, that half of the 'Voulez Vous' set was 'singled' in the UK, whereas stronger ABBA albums only spawned two or three 45s.

undertheappletree - although it’s true that ABBA do not have one standout massive seller, I think one of the most impressive things about ABBA’s singles sales, at least in the UK, is their consistency. Every single from Mamma Mia to One Of Us (barring a 12-inch only single) sold enough to warrant at least a silver disc, and about 10 of those sold enough to warrant a gold disc. There are very few other artists that can compare with that - possibly only the Beatles.