Dancing Queen

For other uses, see Dancing Queen (disambiguation).
"Dancing Queen"
Single by ABBA
from the album Arrival
B-side "That's Me"
Released 15 August 1976
Format 7" single
Recorded 45 August 1975 at Glen Studio
Genre
Length 3:50
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"Rock Me"
(1976)
"Dancing Queen"
(1976)
"Money, Money, Money"
(1976)
"Dancing Queen"
Single by ABBA
from the album Gold: Greatest Hits
B-side "Lay All Your Love on Me"
Released 24 August 1992
Format CD single, 7" single, 12" single
Label
Writer(s)
ABBA singles chronology
"Thank You for the Music"
(1983)
"Dancing Queen"
(1992)
"Happy New Year"
(1999)

"Dancing Queen" is a Europop song by the Swedish group ABBA, and the lead single from their fourth studio album, Arrival. It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus also produced the song. "Dancing Queen" was released as a single in Sweden on 15 August 1976, followed by a UK release and the rest of Europe a few days later.[1] It was a worldwide hit.[1] It became ABBA's only number one hit in the United States, and topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, West Germany and Zimbabwe. "Dancing Queen" also reached the Top 5 in many other countries.[2][3]

Musically, "Dancing Queen" is a Europop version of American disco music.[3] As disco music dominated the US charts, the group decided to follow the trend, replicating Phil Spector's Wall of Sound arrangements.[3] The song alternates between "languid yet seductive verses" and a "dramatic chorus that ascends to heart-tugging high notes."[4] It features keyboard lines by Andersson, which accentuate the melody's sophistication and classical complexity, while Ulvaeus and Andersson interlace many instrumental hooks in and out of the mix.[4] Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog's layered vocals have been noted for their dynamism,[3] "[negotiating] the melody's many turns flawlessly."[4] Lyrically, the song concerns a visit to the discotheque, but approaches the subject from the joy of dancing itself, thus having a greater emotional content than that of many other disco songs.[4]

History

The recording sessions for "Dancing Queen" began on 4 August 1975. The demo was called "Boogaloo" and as the sessions progressed, Andersson and Ulvaeus found inspiration in the dance rhythm of George McCrae's "Rock Your Baby," as well as the drumming on Dr. John's 1972 album, Dr. John's Gumbo. The main melodic riff echoes "Sing My Way Home" by Delaney & Bonnie (from Motel Shot, 1971). Fältskog and Lyngstad recorded the vocals during sessions in September 1975, and the track was completed three months later.

During the sessions, Benny Andersson brought a tape home with the backing track on it and played it to Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who apparently started crying when listening. Lyngstad said, "I found the song so beautiful. It's one of those songs that goes straight to your heart." Agnetha Fältskog later said: "It's often difficult to know what will be a hit. The exception was 'Dancing Queen.' We all knew it was going to be massive." Benny Andersson agreed, calling it "one of those songs where you know during the sessions that it's going to be a smash hit."

While working on the lyrics, the first half of the first verse was scrapped: "Baby, baby, you're out of sight/hey, you're looking all right tonight/when you come to the party/listen to the guys/they've got the look in their eyes..." It survives in footage from a recording session.[5]

"Dancing Queen" premièred on German and Japanese TV during the spring of 1976. It saw its first live and domestic performance on 18 June 1976, televised on Swedish TV during an all-star gala staged by Kjerstin Dellert at the Royal Swedish Opera[6] in honour of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his bride-to-be, Silvia Sommerlath, who were married the next day.[7][8]

For their 1980 Spanish-language compilation-album Gracias Por La Música, ABBA recorded a Spanish version of "Dancing Queen", renamed "Reina Danzante", with Spanish lyrics provided by Buddy and Mary McCluskey. The track was retitled "La Reina Del Baile" when included on the compilation album ABBA Oro: Grandes Éxitos in the 1990s.

In 1993, in honour of Swedish Queen Silvia's 50th birthday, Anni-Frid Lyngstad was asked to perform "Dancing Queen" on stage, repeating ABBA's 1976 performance of the song at the pre-wedding gala for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Frida contacted The Real Group and together they did an a cappella version of the song on stage at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm, in front of the king and queen. The Swedish prime minister at the time, Ingvar Carlsson, was also in the audience that night and said it was an ingenious idea to perform "Dancing Queen" a cappella. The performance was recorded by Sweden's Television (SVT) and is included in the biographical documentary Frida – The DVD and The Real Group's 1994 compilation album Varför får man inte bara vara som man är.

For the soundtrack of the 1994 Australian film Muriel's Wedding, songwriters Ulvaeus and Andersson allowed the use of "Dancing Queen" and other ABBA hits. "Dancing Queen" was among the ABBA songs included in Mamma Mia!, the jukebox musical first produced in 1999 and adapted into a movie released in 2008.

The first International Standard Musical Work Code was assigned in 1995 to "Dancing Queen"; the code is T-000.000.001-0.

Reception and legacy

"Dancing Queen" was a worldwide hit, topping the charts in more than a dozen countries including ABBA's native Sweden (where it spent 14 weeks at the top),[9] Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom,[10] Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway (where it charted for 32 weeks (VG-lista Top 10), making it the 11th best-performing single in that country),[11] South Africa and Rhodesia. "Dancing Queen" also topped the charts in the United States, ABBA's only No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100,[12] and was a Top 5 hit in Austria, Finland, France and Switzerland. The song sold over three million copies.[13]

According to Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic, the track's "sincerity and sheer musicality have allowed it to outlast the disco boom and become a standard of dance-pop."[4] The song's release also cemented ABBA as an international act and signified the beginning of the group's 'classic period', which would span the following four years.[1] It has become a standard for dance divas like Carol Douglas and Kylie Minogue,[4] and has been covered numerous times by acts including the Sex Pistols and U2. The song has been adopted by the LGBT community[1] and, according to Mojo magazine, remains one of the most ubiquitous "gay anthems".[14]

In the UK Singles Chart, "Dancing Queen" was the last of three consecutive chart-toppers for ABBA in 1976, following "Mamma Mia" and "Fernando" earlier in the year.[10] The song was re-released in the UK in 1992, taking advantage of an ABBA revival sparked by the success of Erasure's Abba-esque EP. The re-issued "Dancing Queen" reached No. 16 in the UK in September 1992.

In 2000, "Dancing Queen" came fourth in a Channel 4 television poll of "The 100 Best Number Ones". It was chosen as No. 148 on the Recording Industry Association of America's Songs of the Century list. It is ranked No. 174 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,[15] the only ABBA song on the list. That same year, it made VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs in Rock & Roll at No. 97. Also in 2000, editors of Rolling Stone with MTV compiled a list of the best 100 pop songs; "Dancing Queen" placed 12th among songs of the 1970s.[16]

On 9 November 2002, the results of a poll, "Top 50 Favourite UK #1's", was broadcast on Radio 2, celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Official UK Charts Company. 188,357 listeners voted and "Dancing Queen" came out at No. 8. On 5 December 2010, Britain's ITV broadcast the results of a poll to determine "The Nation's Favourite ABBA Song" in which "Dancing Queen" placed at No. 2.

In 2009, the British performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited celebrated its 75th anniversary by listing the 75 songs that have played most in Great Britain on the radio, in clubs and on jukeboxes. "Dancing Queen" was number eight on the list.[17]

Former US presidential candidate John McCain named "Dancing Queen" as his favourite song in a top-10 list submitted to Blender magazine in August 2008.[18] Also in August 2008, "Dancing Queen" surpassed the 500,000 mark for digital sales in the United States (512,000).

In August 2012, listeners to the 1970s-themed UK radio station "Smooth 70s" voted "Dancing Queen" as their favourite hit of the decade.[19]

In October 2014, the musical instrument insurer Musicguard carried out a survey determining "Dancing Queen" to be the United Kingdom's favourite "floorfiller". Unlike its closest competitors, "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson (No. 2) and "Twist and Shout" by The Beatles (No. 3), it turned out to be very popular throughout the nation whereas the other two were strong regional favourites.[20][21]

In 2015, "Dancing Queen" was inducted into the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame.[22]

In September 2016, theguardian.com ran an article by Tim Jonze entitled "Why Abba's Dancing Queen is the best pop song ever". Jonze writes: "Dancing Queen is beautifully produced: catchy and euphoric, the perfect backdrop for a song that encapsulates the carefree bliss of youth". Several artists are cited as being influenced by the song, including Elvis Costello ("Oliver's Army"), MGMT ("Time to Pretend") and Chris Stein of Blondie ("Dreaming").[23]

Track listings

7" Vinyl

  1. "Dancing Queen" 3:52
  2. "That's Me" 3:15

1992 7" European re-issue

  1. "Dancing Queen" 3:52
  2. "Lay All Your Love on Me" 4:35

1992 12"/CD European re-issue

  1. "Dancing Queen" 3:52
  2. "Lay All Your Love on Me" 4:35
  3. "The Day Before You Came" 5:50
  4. "Eagle" 5:49

1992 12" US re-issue

  1. "Dancing Queen" 3:52
  2. "Take a Chance on Me" 4:04[24]

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Charts (1976–77) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[25] 1
Austrian Singles Chart 4
Belgian Singles Chart 1
Canadian Singles Chart 1
Canada Adult Contemporary [26] 3
Danish Singles Chart[27] 1
Dutch Singles Chart 1
Eurochart Hot 100 1
Finnish Singles Chart 3
French Singles Chart 5
German Singles Chart 1
Irish Singles Chart 1
Italian Singles Chart 14
Japanese Singles Chart 19
Mexican Singles Chart 1
New Zealand Singles Chart 1
Norwegian Singles Chart 1
Rhodesian Singles Chart 1
South African Singles Chart 1
Soviet Singles Chart[28] 1
Spanish Singles Chart 10
Swedish Singles Chart 1
Swiss Singles Chart 3
UK Singles Charts[10] 1
US Billboard Hot 100 1
US Billboard Adult Contemporary 6
US Cashbox Top 100 Singles[29] 1

Charts (1992) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 28
Belgian Singles Chart 16
British Singles Chart 16
Dutch Singles Chart 24
German Singles Chart 22
New Zealand Singles Chart 14
Norwegian Singles Chart 5
Swedish Singles Chart 15
Swiss Singles Chart 6
Charts (2008) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 58
British Singles Chart 82

Year-end charts

Chart (1976) Rank
Australia 3
New Zealand [30] 4
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[31] 4
Chart (1977) Rank
Canada [32] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 12
US Billboard Adult Contemporary [34] 28
US Cashbox Top 100[35] 3

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Japan (RIAJ) 350,000[36]
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Platinum 1,120,000[38]
United States (RIAA)[39] Gold 1,000,000^
Digital
United States (RIAA)[40] 597,000[41]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Preceded by
"Moviestar" by Harpo
Swedish Singles Chart number-one single
24 August 1976 – 23 November 1976 (fourteen weeks)
Succeeded by
"Daddy Cool" by Boney M.
Preceded by
"Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans
Dutch Top 40 number-one single
4 September 1976 – 2 October 1976 (five weeks)
Succeeded by
"Mon Amour" by BZN
Preceded by
"Nice and Slow" by Jesse Green
Belgian Flemish VRT Top 30 number-one single (first run)
4 September 1976 – 9 October 1976 (six weeks)
Succeeded by
"In Zaire" by Johnny Wakelin
Preceded by
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles number-one single
4 September 1976 – 6 November 1976 (ten weeks)
Succeeded by
"Daddy Cool" by Boney M
UK Singles Chart number-one single
4 September 1976 – 9 October 1976 (six weeks)
Succeeded by
"Mississippi" by Pussycat
Australian Kent Music Report number-one single
6 September 1976 – 25 October 1976 (eight weeks)
Succeeded by
"Let's Stick Together" by Bryan Ferry
Irish Singles Chart number-one single
10 September 1976 – 15 October 1976 (six weeks)
Succeeded by
"Mississippi" by Pussycat
Preceded by
"Moviestar" by Harpo
Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart number-one single
6 September 1976 – 22 November 1976 (twelve weeks)
Preceded by
"Daddy Cool" by Boney M.
German Singles Chart number-one single
17 September 1976 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Daddy Cool" by Boney M.
Preceded by
"In Zaire" by Johnny Wakelin
Belgian Flemish VRT Top 30 number-one single (second run)
23 October 1976 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Mon Amour" by BZN
Preceded by
"Evergreen (love theme from A Star is Born)" by Barbra Streisand
Canadian RPM Singles Chart number-one single
2 April 1977 – 9 April 1977 (two weeks)
Succeeded by
"The Things We Do for Love" by 10cc
Preceded by
"Rich Girl" by Daryl Hall and John Oates
US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
9 April 1977 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Don't Give Up on Us" by David Soul
Preceded by
"She'd Rather Be With Me" by Pat McGlynn
Japanese Oricon International Weekly Singles Chart number-one single
8 August 1977 (one week)
Succeeded by
"Hotel California" by The Eagles

Other versions

A-Teens version

"Dancing Queen"
Single by A-Teens
from the album The ABBA Generation
Released 7 March 2000
Format CD single
Cassette
12" vinyl
Airplay
Recorded 1999
Genre Pop, Europop
Length 3:52 (Album Version)
3:20 (UK Radio Edit)
Label Universal Music Group
Writer(s) B. Andersson, S. Anderson, B. Ulvaeus
Producer(s) Ole Evenrude
A-Teens singles chronology
"Take a Chance on Me"
(2000)
"Dancing Queen"
(2000)
"Upside Down"
(2000)

"Dancing Queen" is a single released by A-Teens, an ABBA tribute band from Sweden. It is the fourth and final single from their first album, The ABBA Generation.

When the single came out in the spring of 2000, it peaked at number one in Mexico, becoming their first number one hit in that country. The song was also a smash hit in South America peaking at number three in Argentina, number five in Chile, number six in Colombia and number fifteen in Brazil.

This was the main single for the United States promotion, when the album was released in March 2000. "Dancing Queen" reached ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100, thirty-six on Airplay and number thirteen on the Hot Single Sales Chart.[42][43]

"Dancing Queen" was released as a double A-side with "The Name of the Game" in Europe, where both songs were promoted on radio simultaneously; Universal Music Group thought that "Dancing Queen", being the last single, needed a back-up to be successful. The video for "The Name of the Game" was an unofficial video, made especially for an A-Teens TV special in Sweden and it was never intended to be a promotional video. It was only aired by Channel 4. It appeared in the album Lizzie McGuire: Total Party!.

Music video

Directed by Patrick Kiely, it was the first A-Teens video to be filmed in the United States. It was filmed on 7 March 2000, the day of the song's release. The video is a tribute to the movie The Breakfast Club, where band members (and extras serving as background dancers) are left in a detention room which transforms into a discotheque. Paul Gleason, the actor who played the assistant principal in the film, reprises the role for the video.

Releases

European 2-Track CD single

  1. "Dancing Queen" [album version] – 3:48
  2. "The Name of the Game" – 4:17

European/Mexican CD maxi

  1. "Dancing Queen" [album version] – 3:48
  2. "Dancing Queen" [Pierre J's Main Radio Mix] – 3:27
  3. "Dancing Queen" [Pierre J's Main Extended Mix] – 5:47
  4. "Dancing Queen" [BTS Gold Edition Mix] – 5:13

US CD single

  1. "Dancing Queen" [album version] – 3:48
  2. "Dancing Queen" [extended version] – 5:48

US cassette

  1. "Dancing Queen" [album version] – 3:48
  2. "Dancing Queen" [extended version] – 5:48

Other cover artists

The KLF, under The JAMs moniker, sampled "Dancing Queen" for "The Queen and I" on their debut album 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?). ABBA and the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society forced them to "deliver up the master tape, mothers, stampers and any other parts commensurate with manufacture of the record".[48] King Boy D and Rockman Rock travelled to Sweden to destroy the unsold copies there.[49]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sheridan, Simon (22 May 2012). The Complete Abba. Titan Books. ISBN 978-0857687241. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  2. Mansour, David (1 June 2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 978-0740751189. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Creswell, Toby (2005). 1001 Songs. Hardie Grant Books. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-74066-458-5. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Guarisco, Donald A. "Dancing Queen – ABBA". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  5. "ABBA – Dancing Queen – The Missing Verse / Lost Lyrics" on YouTube. Retrieved on 15 November 2008.
  6. Dagens Nyheter 1976-06-19
  7. Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. Video of the performance on YouTube. Retrieved 6 December 2010
  9. "Sweden". Home.zipworld.com.au. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  10. 1 2 3 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 330–1. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  11. "BEST OF ALL TIME – SINGLES". VG-lista. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  12. "United States of America". Home.zipworld.com.au. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  13. Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 85. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
  14. The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion. Canongate. 18 February 2008. p. 371. ISBN 978-1847670205. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  15. "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  16. "The Pop 100: The Seventies". Superseventies.com. 1976-06-18. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  17. Archived 6 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  18. "White House DJ Battle". Blender Magazine. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  19. "Smooth Radio presenters head to Smooth 70s". Radio Today. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  20. Boogying Britain: Abba's Dancing Queen voted favourite floorfiller – what else was in top 10?. Mirror, 2014-10-30
  21. Abba's 'Dancing Queen' voted Britain's best 'floorfiller'. Business Standard, 2014-11-02
  22. "Grammy Hall of Fame". 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  23. "Why Abba's Dancing Queen is the best pop song ever". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2016-09-09.
  24. Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 124-125. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
  25. "Kent Music Report National Top 100 Singles, No 120". Kent Music Report. 11 October 1976. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  26. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  27. Billboard – Google Books. Books.google.ca. 1976-10-09. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  28. Faltskog, Agnetha & Ahman, Brita (1997) 'As I Am: ABBA Before & Beyond', Virgin Publishing, p.65
  29. Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank W (1994). Cash Box pop singles charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-56308-316-7.
  30. "Top Selling Singles of 1976 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1963-12-08. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  31. "Top 100 1976 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  32. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  33. "Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  34. Billboard, December 24, 1977.
  35. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  36. "List of best-selling international singles in Japan". JP&KIYO. 2002.
  37. "British single certifications – ABBA – Dancing Queen". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Dancing Queen in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  38. Myers, Justin (23 June 2016). "EU referendum special: The biggest selling singles by European acts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  39. "American single certifications – ABBA – Dancing Queen". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 6 July 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  40. "American single certifications – Abba". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  41. Trust, Gary (23 January 2009). "Ask Billboard: Mariah Carey, Abba, Oasis, The Verve". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  42. "Official home and community – Upside Down charts". A-Teens.Com. 2001-01-04. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  43. Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 209. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
  44. "Abbacadabra – Dancing Queen – Almighty Records". Almightyrecords.com. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  45. Grein, Paul (May 18, 2011). "Week Ending May 15, 2011. Songs: Idol Boosts Tyler". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  46. Davage, I., letter from the MCPS to The JAMs, reproduced in "The KLF 1987 Completeist List" [sic], an insert to Who Killed The JAMs?, KLF Communications JAMS LP2, 1988.
  47. News item, Sounds, 12 September 1987.
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