There's not many bands with as healthy a chart pedigree as ABBA, and the Swedish quartet's singles are almost national treasures in their own way. The band's global domination from the mid-seventies to the early eighties, followed by subsequent revivals in decades to come, means ABBA's classic hits are known to millions, across generations.

 

During their imperial phase, ABBA scored 25 Top 40 hits in the UK, including 19 Top 10s, of which nine went all the way to Number 1 – over the space of nine years.

 

As Agnetha, Benny, Bj­örn and Frida prepare to take us on an ABBA Voyage, reportedly including new material together for the first time in over 35 years, we look at the hits that paved the way, taking into account sales across physical and download formats, plus streams.

 

Out in front is Dancing Queen, the third consecutive chart-topper for the band in 1976 – spending six weeks there to be their longest running Number 1. It was re-released in 1992, to accompany their greatest hits ABBA Gold, becoming their 26th official Top 40 hit. It is ABBA's only million-seller and therefore their biggest single, with 1.65 million chart sales, including 93 million streams since 2014. See all ABBA's UK hit singles and albums in their chart archive

 

Up second is Super Trouper, their final Number 1 in 1980, taken from the album of the same name, which spent two weeks at the top and has 1.05 million chart sales, made up of 978,000 pure sales and 38 million streams. Taking the bronze is Knowing Me, Knowing You, the band's fifth Number 1, racking up five weeks at Number 1 in spring 1977 and picking up 1.02 million chart sales to date.

 

Fourth is Take A Chance On Me, which became their seventh Number 1 in 1978 – they had to wait over two and half years for another one – and has 950,000 chart sales (including 882,000 pure sales) to date. In fifth place comes the ultimate weepie The Winner Takes It All, a chart-topper in 1980, with 920,000 chart sales.

 

It's hard to pick out notable entries from an ABBA list because every single is a classic. Just outside the Top 5 is Fernando, another 1976 Number 1, with 903,000 chart sales. Interestingly, ABBA, who won Eurovision two years earlier, knocked that year's winner off the top – the very ABBA-esque UK entry Brotherhood of Man – and it wasn't the last time. ABBA booted Brotherhood of Man off Number 1 again in 1978, with Take a Chance on Me taking over from Figaro.

 

Close behind is Mamma Mia, on 860,000. Mamma Mia was the mighty track that knocked Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody off Number 1 – whose lyrics famously contained "mamma mia" too – and Queen and ABBA make up the two top selling albums of all time in the shape of their respective greatest hits.

 

The band's biggest single to miss the Number 1 spot is 1979's Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight), which peaked at 3 and ranks ninth overall, while their Eurovision winner and first chart-topper Waterloo rounds out the Top 10 on 732,000, their lowest selling Number 1.

 

Fittingly, rounding off the Top 20 is Thank You For The Music. Considered ABBA's farewell song, The track originally featured on the group's fifth studio record The Album in 1977 but was issued as a single in the UK in 1983, around the release of a compilation of the same name.

 

1 DANCING QUEEN 1 1976 1.65m [1m+ sales, 93m streams]

2 SUPER TROUPER 1 1980 1.05m [978k sales, 38m streams]

3 KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU 1 1977 1.02m

4 TAKE A CHANCE ON ME 1 1978 950k [882k sales]

5 FERNANDO 1 1976 903k ??

6 THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL 1 1980 920k ??

7 MAMMA MIA 1 1975 860k

8 THE NAME OF THE GAME 1 1977

9 CHIQUITITA 2 1979

10 GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) 3 1979

11 WATERLOO 1 1974 732k

12 I HAVE A DREAM 2 1979

13 ANGEL EYES / VOULEZ VOUS 3 1979

14 DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW 4 1979

15 ONE OF US 3 1981

16 MONEY MONEY MONEY 3 1976

17 LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME 7 1981

18 SUMMER NIGHT CITY 5 1978

19 S.O.S. 6 1975

20 THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC 33 1983

 

Either the article or list is out of date as TWTIA has supposedly sold more than Fernando but ranks lower down. <_<

So many classics :cheeseblock:

Anyhow I thought streaming would've given Gimme Gimme Gimme a bit of a boost to be higher than #10, it is certainly more iconic than half of their #1s anyhow.

 

Their top 20 on Spotify is:

583m Dancing Queen

278m Gimme Gimme Gimme

248m Mamma Mia

203m The Winner Takes It All

168m Take a Chance on Me

144m Super Trouper

142m Waterloo

131m Lay All Your Love On Me

116m Chiquitita

88m SOS

84m Fernando

84m Knowing Me Knowing You

80m Does Your Mother Know

79m Voulez Vous

67m Money Money Money

52m I Have A Dream

50m One Of Us

49m Thank You For The Music

44m Honey Honey

34m Angeleyes

32m The Name of the Game

According to the article 'The Winner Takes It All' is at number 5 with 'Fernando' at number 6.

Lay All Your Love On Me higher up their streams list than their overall list as it should be x

Lay All Your Love On Me higher up their streams list than their overall list as it should be x

 

Definitely by far and away my absolute favourite! :heart:

I’m a bit confused about the streams to sales situation, 38m streams only equates to 72k sales?

I’m a bit confused about the streams to sales situation, 38m streams only equates to 72k sales?

There are different ratios for premium and free streams, so it isn’t a set 1:100 like it used to be. Unless you know the free to premium ratio, it is hard to calculate.

There are different ratios for premium and free streams, so it isn’t a set 1:100 like it used to be. Unless you know the free to premium ratio, it is hard to calculate.

 

Ah yes I knew free streams meant less in terms of sales but I would’ve imagined that 38m streams would equal to more than 72k sales for sure.

72k from 38m streams does seem a bit low even accounting for the free/premium split actually - that seems to imply that only about 1 million of those streams were at the premium tier, unless I am calculating wrong.

Such a classic list of songs. I know all of them. After the release of their new album, they will likely get a number of new millionaires over the next year or so if it boosts their back catalogue (I'm very sure it will).