#57 - ABBA - Fernandno

 

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The 2nd lowest #1 (the lowest on the list as a certain 1977 #1 didn't make the cut). Fernandno is, of course, one of their best known singles and one of their biggest hits. In fact it's one of the biggest EVER singles in Australia and their biggest worldwide seller, coming just at the peak of ABBAMANIA in 1976. It's a jolly good little song, but a mixture of overplay and liking to be difficult have caused me to never quite connect with it like I perhaps should. I sing along when it's on and it does give one the overwhelming desire to SWAY from side to side, don a poncho, set up camp in the woods and toast some marshmallows.

 

#56 - ABBA - The Way Old Friends Do

 

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Some probably find the lyrics to this a little bit turgid, but I've always found it to be quite lovely. It's a live track, recorded on their '79 tour and included on the Super Trouper album as the closing track. In re-releases the effect has been lost with bonus tracks, but it still remains a beautiful song. It's got an ACCORDIAN on it and is basically ABBA singing about how, despite the troubles and issues they were having, they WOULD go on and MAKE IT WORK, because that's what 'old friends do'. Sadly by the time Super Trouper came around a year after the tour, things had descened further and obviously the split was only a short time off at that point. That makes it ever so slightly more poignant for me.

 

#55 - I Know There's Something Going On

 

http://newmusicunited.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/frida.jpg

 

Moving on to Frida's first post ABBA solo single and indeed the biggest post ABBA solo hit for any of them. Oddly though, it did little in the UK peaking only at #43, something which Agnetha bettered with her debut solo effort The Heat Is On, albeit only by a few places. In the US though it was a big hit, reaching #13 and spending quite a long time on the cart. The more rocky sound, courtesy of Phil Collins, was BIG IN THE US in '82 so that's understandable. I think it's a pretty great song too, it wouldn't be this high otherwise obviously. It's nothing like what ABBA did which is probably why it did so well, but it's still got an unmistakble pop sensibility, it's similar to Pat Benetar's 80's singles.

 

Yay, another track I know well. Fernando is about mid-table out of their biggest hits for me as well, it can be amazing when you want it to be but it is missing a little.

 

Eagle sounds really quite good - I started playing that one as I was reading, very nice.

#54 - Agnetha Faltskog - The Heat Is On

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/TheHeatIsOn.jpg

 

Speaking of The Heat Is On... Agnetha launched her solo career it's biggest hit, at least in Europe, followup Can't Shake Loose would do better in the US. It actually outsold every one of ABBA's last 3 singles, which probably says more about their fortunes at the end than the quality of the songs. The Heat Is On is ridiculous, it's a total nothing of a song which sees Agnetha trilling her way through various hot sunny weather lines. It's so VERY 80's from start to finish that I can't help but be won over.

 

#53 - ABBA - Head Over Heels

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/25/Headoverheels.jpg

 

SPEAKING of those 1982 singles, here's one of them, Head Over Heels. This was supposed to be the sound of ABBA regaining their catchy fun pop roots which they had somewhat abandonded on the Super Trouper singles and One Of Us. However at this point I don't think anyone bought them as carefree young people (they weren't young for a start) and the whole thing came off a little bit like they were really TRYING to remain popular. The song itself IS every bit as catchy as earlier efforts, but whilst those were genuinely carefree this does feel somewhat forced which does dampen the joy somewhat. It's still bouncy and catchy as crabs, but in a post The Winner Takes It All ABBA world stuff like this didn't sit well with the group image and it did little to northing chart wise and really signalled the end of ABBA, it was their first flop single since WAY back in 1974/5.

 

Eagle sounds really quite good - I started playing that one as I was reading, very nice.

 

It's a total grower too! I hope there's a few more discoveries yet to come for you, the best of the solo stuff should be, but that's still a way off.

#52 - ABBA - Voulez Vous?

 

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And now onto the title track from the album that's already had numerous tracks in the top 100. 1979 was THE YEAR of disco and ABBA did a very good job for the most part and obviously the title track became another big hit and is pretty well known. For me, however, it is just a TAD lacking. It's a bit too long, GOD KNOWS why anyone would listen to the EXTENDED MIX and it's all a bit repetetive and not QUITE as good as it should be. I still enjoy listening to it, but it's not something I would rush to stick on, unlike much of the album.

 

 

#51 - ABBA - Super Trouper

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/56/SUPER_TROUPER_-_single_cover.jpg

 

On the surface ABBA's 9th and final UK #1 (One of Us would have been their 10th but there was no chart during the Christmas week so it had to make do with #3) is a fairly upbeat happy song. That belies a hidden sorrow, as with much of their later work. It's obviously nothing on the level of The Winner Takes It All, but it's not far off. It's that duality that makes stuff like this so strong and rewarding. Of course the INFAMOUS knitted jumper in the video and the point up at the stage lights dance in the video are also rather spiffing *.*

 

#60 - Agnetha Faltskog - What Now My Love

#59 - ABBA - The Visitors (Crackin' Up)

#58 - ABBA - Kisses Of Fire

#57 - ABBA - Fernando

#56 - ABBA - The Way Old Friends Do

#55 - Frida - I Know There's Something Going On

#54 - Agnetha Faltskog - The Heat Is On

#53 - ABBA - Head Over Heels

#52 - ABBA - Voulez Vous?

#51 - ABBA - Super Trouper

#50 - ABBA - When I Kissed The Teacher

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/ABBA_-_Arrival.jpg

 

From happy tinged with sad to happy tinged with peadotastic overtones. Well not really, it's Ag who wants her teacher, not him wanting her. A single from Arrival, basically the whole ALBUM was a single in some far flung territory, but I have no idea where or how well it did, but I'm glad it did because as far as throwaway ABBA goes this is a great example.

 

#49 - ABBA - Like An Angel Passing Through My Room

 

http://reflectiveinklings.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/The-Visitors-ABBA.jpg

 

The original closing track from ABBA's final album has an almost hypnotic quality about it. The production is little more than a metronome and the most basic of synth backings. It's lullaby like in it's simplicity and ability to soothe. Frida's vocals sound perfect and the lyrics are rather touching too. Madonna even covered it, it's obviously not a patch on the original, but coming during her Ray of Light era it at least has good vocals.

 

#48 - My Love, My Life

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/ABBA_-_Arrival.jpg

 

Back to Arrival again, this time for something a little less happy than WIKTT. Even at this 'happy' stage there were still melancholy aspects creeping into the music, this and of course Knowing Me, Knowing You from the same album. This finds Agnetha on lead vocals, doing a very good job but it's not QUITE reached the heights of latter day ABBA ballads thus makes do with #48.

 

#47 - Disillusion

 

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What started life as a solo Agnetha song, much like SOS, eventually found its way onto ABBA's debut album. Disillusion is one of the few ABBA songs not to have been written by B+B, instead Bjorn and Agnetha wrote it. It's really a very simple song, but that simplicity is its strength. Agnetha's vocals backed with just a piano and a few drums really makes the song stand out that extra little bit. It was an early example of what was to come.

 

#46 - ABBA - You Owe Me One

 

http://reflectiveinklings.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/The-Visitors-ABBA.jpg

 

AND back to The Visitors again, it's like an ABBA merry go ground (NOT THE SONG). This was one of the tracks intended to be for the never to be 9th studio album, in the end it made do with being a b-side to Under Attack. This was the sound of a group on the mend, or at least that's what it seemed. Together with I Am The City it showed ABBA embracing the more synth heavy sound of the early 80's, but not losing that familiar ABBA-ness. Sadly it wasn't to be and we ended up with 5 marvellous tracks from the album. You Owe Me One has a ridiculously catchy chorus with Frida on lead and Agnetha providing some lovely backing vocals in the chorus. It has a weird almost Middle eastern vibe going on with the refrain, but it works.

 

#45 - Honey, Honey

 

http://chudoleg.narod.ru/Abba/Abba-Honey_honey.jpg

 

And now we pay another trip to WATERLOO. It's been a long time since anything has cropped up from this album, but Honey, Honey is undoubtedly one of the highlights. It was the follow up to Waterloo in the UK but it did nothing chart wise and it looked for a time like ABBA might never have another BIG HIT again. Thankfully they did and Honey, Honey has ended up being a solid staple in the ABBA back catologue, featuring in Mamma Mia and being given a place on More Gold.

 

#44 - ABBA - Should I Laugh Or Cry

 

http://reflectiveinklings.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/The-Visitors-ABBA.jpg

 

 

AND once we again we find ourselves at the tail end of ABBA, The Visitors. And once again it's a bonus track, not originaly on the album. It was the b-side to One Of Us to begin with and I think it says a lot about the quality of music they were producing at the time that THIS is a B-SIDE. It's once again a Frida led jobby, but this time with slightly more synth heavy production and vocoding, along similar lines to the title track. The lyrics in the chorus always made me chuckle for the longest time because I misheard them, the real words don't feel quite so much. 'Feel my throat go dry' I always heard as 'I feed my pro quo drive' AMAZINGLY.

 

#43 - ABBA - He Is Your Brother

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/58/ABBA_-_He_Is_Your_Brother.jpg

 

And from the end, to the very beginning. He Is Your Brother was a single from Ring Ring, along with about half the album, not many of them caught on. It's so VERY of it's time, and it's back to the familiar early ABBA thing of Male verse-female verse-male verse. It works well once again though and the chorus is pretty damn catchy stuff and shows Agnetha's voice off pretty well.

 

#42 - ABBA - Mamma Mia

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Mamma_Mia_Intermezzo_No_1.jpg

 

Is there really anything I can, or indeed NEED to say about this? Well, I may justify myself as to why it's so low. Obviously it's brilliant, but in the grand scheme of things it's just a bit BASIC for me and thus ends up just missing out on the top 40. It's undeniably catchy and all, but when you look at what came after, it's a little easier to see why it's here.

 

#41 - ABBA - Hasta Manana

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4f/ABBA_-_Hasta_Mañana_(Italy).jpg

 

The final song before we hit the top 40 and indeed the final song for tonights mammoth run through. As previously stated the Waterloo album is a pretty patchy affair for me, some very great tracks, such as this, and then some utter GUFF like KING KONG SONG. This was a rather big hit for ABBA in most of Europe, but once again did nothing in the UK. It also finda Agnetha singing the song slightly differently to her usual style which really pays off and it's just a lovely gentle 70's guitar ballad. This was actually considered as their Eurovision entry, how different history might have been...