Are ABBA good, actually? YES (Ranking every ABBA song ever)
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- I feel like I should say, songs that were a different mix, or in another language I ranked low, just because I kinda considered it the same song as the original…does that make sense? Haha
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Justice for The Visitors! The title track is one of my favourite Abba songs, and Head Over Heels is a banger too. The album is a dark turn and it's one of those moments in music where I desperately wish they stuck together for another decade and followed that darker creative muse a bit more. Voyage was a terrific return though, far better than it had any right to be.
I agree, for me The Visitors is their magnum opus, and the title track is genius. It’s easy to see why their luck was turning though - every decade has its version of ”out with the old”, and the 80s was a revolution in sound and style, not just musically, more so than the even the 90s. That plus they were in their mid thirties by then and perhaps not the coolest kids on the block. But the music on that album, man…
I too would have loved hearing them take on the new decade on another album, but I understand their way of working was one of perfectionism, and that their albums took longer and longer to complete. And if you’re no longer on the best of terms socially, it’s going to be a grating experience. Especially if you sense you're on a downward trajectory in terms of popularity anyway. But yeah, when something is this good, you just want more, don’t you.
The track One Night In Bangkok from their musical Chess is a good indication of where they might might have gone on a 1983 album, I think. In other words, a refinement of the work they did on The Visitors, with an even more polished and modern sound. But they would probably also have gone more orchestral, given Benny’s interest in that area - and the fact that they went into doing musicals instead. In truth, they had been dabbling with that stuff for years with ABBA.
If It Wasn't for the Nights at #84?
Damn, it's a peak disco classic for me.
lush production sparkled with Abba's magical non-replicated stardust harmonies.A groovy masterpiece.
Such an amazing song. I call it Dancing Queen Part 2. That is how good it is.
I liked it better Dancing Queen@@Davey7358
I liked it better than Dancing Queen
'If It Wasn't For The Nights' is NOT disco, don't insult it, where the hell is the disco beat? Come on. If that's disco, so is 'Super Trouper' and 'Me And I'.
My top 10:
01. If It Wasn't For The Nights
02. My Love, My Life
03. Dancing Queen
04. The Winner Takes It All
05. Hole In Your Soul
06. Don't Shut Me Down
07. The Visitors
08. Super Trouper
09. Me And I
10. I Still Have Faith In You
oooh!very interesting!IIWFTN is the fantastic single that never was.LUV it.
@@alexioverdo5225 my thoughts exactly
Yes! If it wasn't for the nights is a fabulous song 👌
I agree! Justice for Hole in Your Soul!
U wonder if "IIWFTN" was released as a single how well it would've done on the charts. I think it would have been a smash hit!
Pete Townsend told Bjorn that SOS was the best pop song ever written. And he wasnt just blowing smoke, Daltry said Pete drove them nuts playing SOS over and over
The Day Before You Came at 45?! Caroline, I thought you had *taste*! xx
Dancing Queen is one of those really popular songs that's somehow still underrated. Not only is it a catchy pop song, it's also musically complex, yet perfectly formed.
Haha, Dancing Queen underrated! A world wide smash hit, everyday and the whole day on air somewhere, after 47 years recognitzed as one of the biggest songs ever written, also by ‘serious’ media.
@marvinpoprockfanop wasn’t talking about popularity though, they said underrated. Which it is. People know it sure, but the vast majority don’t realise how complex, how well written or how perfect the harmonies are. I don’t think underrated is necessarily a synonym of unpopular.
Lol. Dancing Queen is hardly underrated.
@marvinpoprockfan He may have meant they're underrated in comparison to the Beatles, Dylan and other critical darlings. Music critics likely characterize ABBA as good but essentially pop fluff.
@@watts18269 Something similar succed with a lot of their song: they seem simple and easy pieces, but they are really complex. They made their music in such way that it seem a easy task but, if you analyse it you can see the complexity of almost every song they made after the firts two albums.
Also, Gimme Gimme Gimme has the BEST riff to transpose to learn sweep picked guitar.
I love the Day Before You Came
I think you've done a wonderful job of ranking ABBA's songs! They brought musical magic to all of us over so many years. It's nice to know that they'll still be bringing that joy to generations to come.
I ♥ ABBA. So many great songs. You have a wonderful taste for music.
ABBA didn't hit my radar in full until earlier this year. I put a "best of" album on while driving for a couple of hours and was blown away. It's rare to discover a group where it is song after song that has fun hooks that I'll go back to again and again.
I guess I'd always known about their biggest hits, maybe top 5-10 songs, but there are so many many other great songs.
I'd probably put "The day before you came" as my number 1, but "The winner takes it all" is definitely a worthwhile winner. It's such a touching song on all levels. Perfection! I won't even try to make a Top 10!
I'm with you on Day Before You Came as number 1. Winner probably doesn't crack my top 50 although I acknowledge it's a great song. Most of their acknowledged greatest hits would fall more towards the middle on my list.
Agree. Good list but "The day before you came" has to be number 1 for me.
@@nickrr5234 I have never even heard of "Day Before You Came", but of all the Abba songs that I have heard, "Dancing Queen" is clearly the number one, followed closely by "The Winner Takes it All".
Hi Caroline, what a lovely idea and so well done! Great editing! You're right, Pop + Melancholy is a perfect combination and nobody did it better than ABBA. I'm an fan for 44 years now, these are my Top 10: 1. The Winner Takes It All, 2. Knowing Me Knowing You, 3. The Day Before You Came, 4. SOS, 5. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room, 6. Dancing Queen, 7. The Name Of The Game, 8. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, 9. Our Last Summer, 10. Angeleyes.
Yes, I understand it is personal. So, basically, I didn't look to disagree on any. EXCEPT, The Day Before You Came. That is so different, a stunning song which probably requires to be listened to a few times. I would have had it much closer to your listing.
And, Caroline, bazzing!
@@peterdowney7980 "The Day Before You Came" was so ahead of its time. People didn't connect with it like they used to up to that point. I loved it from first listen and was happy to see that over time it became kind of a cult classic. What a swan song, as if The Beatles had released "A Day In The Life" as their last single.:)
My top 3 ABBA songs are *Chiquitita,* *Knowing Me, Knowing You,* and *Move On* (crazy underrated).
I prefer their more established hits like "Dancing Queen", "fernando", and "The Winner Takes It All".
I decided that Move On will be the song for my funeral as it has a lot of meaning.
So funny because each of these songs was an official favorite at one time! I guess we share similar taste. My current fav is Chiquitita but it used to be Move On and Knowing Me, Knowing You last year.
my Top10 of all ABBA songs
#1 S.O.S.
#2 Dancing Queen
#3 Waterloo
#4 The winner takes it all
#5 Don't shut me down
#6 The name of the game
#7 Chiquitita
#8 Super Trouper
#9 Thank you for the music
#10 I still have faith in You
my Top3 of all ABBA albums
#1 The Album
#2 Arrival
#3 ABBA
Switch S.OS and Dancing Queen as then you got it, then put Mamma Mia in somewhere and you got it.
Just for grins, from Muriel's Wedding (1994):
Muriel: "When I lived in Porpoise Spit, I used to sit in my room for hours and listen to ABBA songs. But since I've met you and moved to Sydney, I haven't listened to one Abba song. That's because my life is as good as an Abba song. It's as good as Dancing Queen."
Interestingly although everyone seems to think Thank You For The Music" came at the end of ABBA's 1970/1980 recording phase, it didn't as in actual fact it is the opening song of a Benny and Bjorn's mini musical "The Girl With Golden Hair". There are 4 songs to the musical which are "Thank You For The Music", "I Wonder (Departure)", "I’m A Marionette" and "Get On The Carousel". although I believe the last one has never been released on an album.
This was lots of fun. I love the way you edit your videos. My Top 10: 1. Day before you came 2. SOS 3. Winner takes it all 4. One of Us 5. Lay all your love on me 6. Eagle 7. Gimme Gimme Gimme 8. Dancing Queen 9. Arrival 10 Fernando.
So glad to see When You Danced With Me so rank high, and as someone who absolutely ADORES Dance (While The Music Still Goes On), it's nice to see it get a mention!
Loved the video, and love your channel!😍
Good list the number one by you is absolutly in the top ten.
Some songs I would have ranked higer is:
Happy new year
Chiquitita
and the new one: I still have faith in you.
I'm struck by the fact that ABBA had only 130 songs. They were such a big part of my childhood growing up in the 1970s that somehow it **seems** like they should have had more total songs recorded. Excellent video, Caroline.
With one more song it would have been a numerical palindrome, like their name...
I was the same! I was like there must be more! I guess they just had so many hits.
130 is a lot, especially considering their consistent quality; very few duds. Though there are a few, ahem...
They had many throwaway songs that they never released.
@@Jenzemannen They threw away their throwaways? Just as it should be...
Great video as always. Though as soon as you named SOS as number 2 I knew what your number 1 was going to be. And I was right. I am not sure I could name a top 10 as it would change almost by the hour. Just like I couldn't do a top 10 Beatles songs...
Oh even while I was editing the video I was like hmmm should I change this haha
The Visitors is a great example of how songs grow on you. It took a while, but it would have to be in my top 3. I'd love to know musically what's going on. The verses seem to be in a strange scale like phrygian. I love When you danced with me. I wish it was longer. Don't shut me down is up there too. When that chorus came in and completely destroyed any doubt that they still have the ABBA sound. It made grown men cry. I wish I could fit about 50 songs into the top ten 😜
Don't Shut Me Down and The Visitors would be near the top on my list as well.
I adore The Visitors too. It’s so wonderfully weird, not just in terms of scales, but the intervals in the verses, and how Frida inhabits the song, projecting the anxiety of the lyrics. I also love how you start out thinking the percolating synths are programmed in a sequencer, until Benny starts anticipating the drummer entering the song, and the tempo slowly rises - and then jumps quite a bit when the full beat kicks in. Ah, when music was allowed to live and breath…
ABBA was the band that exposed my musical snobbery to me. I heard Dancing Queen and wrote ABBA off as some disco group and forgot about them. Then one night Fernando came on the car radio just as I pulled into my driveway and I sat in the car and listened to the whole song. Lovely. The chorus hamony grabbed me. Well my jaw dropped when the disc jocky said it was ABBA. Id rank this song pretty high as it put ABBA on my radar. Another top ten for me would be Chiquitita for the same reason, the chorus harmony. Takee a Chance On Me was my departed wife's favorite so yea that one tugs on me a bit too
Also there was so much good music going on that wasn't ABBA. It wasn't all snobbery. But I like your choices. :)
ABBA is so harmonious and musically complex that it makes the mere act of listening one of their songs so satisfying.
Their bubblegum, teen pop image is pretty undeserved, as they are masters of melody and harmony.
My two favourite Abba songs are 'Chiquitita' and 'My Mama said', but SOS is an incredible tune. I am not trained in music but I once heard a musical expert say that 'Mama Mia' has more hooks than any other major hit in the history of music. I would love to hear this explained in a way that the great unwashed masses would understand? Thank you, great channel.
My Mama Said is a hidden treasure!
yep, its a great little tune@@restlessbohemian26
I don't listen religiously to Mamma Mia, but as a fan in general, ABBA treats each of their songs as a musical landscape or an orchestra. Every detail, be it an instrument or vocal harmony, is crafted so it builds up the next melodic phrase of the song, so it's a constant build-up of different elements.
Mamma Mia, as far as I recall, has the xylophones, guitars, synths and even the verses to account as hooks, as they all are repeating musical phrases that leave the viewer wanting more in a beautifully assembled sound landscape.
on the Australian top 20 Fernando made its debut on the 22th March 1976 it debuted at number 14 it jumped two places hitting number one on the 5th April that year it stayed at that postion for sixteen weeks and stayed on the charts for 27 weeks
Remember it well.
"SOS" is a perfect pop song. "Knowing Me Knowing You" is also wonderful. They both remind me of the Beatles a bit, but it's basically verses in a minor key and then brighten it up with a major key chorus. "The Winner Takes It All" is a great number 1, it shows how much they developed, and how much trust they had in their audience to accept a more sophisticated song.
"Take a Chance on Me" too, for me. I like Macca just a hair over Lennon, so using those beautiful voices as instruments, I really love the intro of that song.
Caroline's video prompted me to start listening to all of ABBA's songs on RUclips. I just started but I am glad I did because so far I have discovered some good songs that are not included among their top hits - like "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough") which is only #77 (?!) on Caroline's list.
Your meal metaphor caught me off guard - HILARIOUS!
I'd have to have a serious think about what my top 10 would be, but I'm pretty sure my #1 song is "Take a Chance on Me." The a cappella hook at the start of the song is something pretty special, especially the stutter effect going on with the backup vocals. Just try singing that correctly!
Great job 👍... Congratulations 👌
(Obviously my rank is different 😅)
Big hug❤ from Chile 🇨🇱😘👍
'I Have a Dream' would definitely be in my top 5, maybe even at number 1. But I loved your breakdown of all the ABBA albums. They're such an iconic and timeless band with so much music to love and sing along to. Great choice!! I can't wait to see which musician(s) you've got lined up for us next.
I just discovered your channel, for reasons having nothing to do with ABBA, and am thrilled to discover another fan of them. I’ve known a few people over the years who loathe ABBA with the same intensity with which I loathe Air Supply, but I just don’t get it. ABBA may as well have invented the hook. Theirs is music that one cannot help but dance to. Watching you enjoy their songs has been a delight. Question: have you seen Lukas Moodysson’s film Together? His use of “S.O.S.” is one the greatest, most lyrical uses of a pop song in movie history.
the winner takes it all became my favourite abba song after watching better call saul! wonderful list!!
Wow! What a great job you’ve done going through every song and ranked them. ABBA is among my top 3 best artists ever, together with the Beatles and Queen.
I think a lot of people (myself included) would rate the top 3 bands of all time as being the Beatles, Queen and ABBA... interesting that none of these bands are American...
Abba has so many hits 🤩
I was going to try to rank the songs but I just can’t! I love everyone in this bar!
I will go hug my ABBA gold and more gold CDs
Good experiment, I really would put Chiquitita a lot higher (It's my no.1 - although ranking such brilliance is nigh on impossible)
They had 130 songs,that is a lot! I like the Arrival album best and of some of the songs on the rest of their LPs,Abba were a excellent pop music band.
Their final songs from 1982 were great as well as Just Like That.....I was so amazed and happy that they reunited...
Not sure if the "real nr1" but Eagle (the full version) is definitely a favorite of mine.
Visitors is epic too.
I love this. You got me laughing, watching you rock out.
You have deepened my appreciation for ABBA once again. I like 'em but i don't know every album backwards and forwards like I do with other artists so you've really inspired me to go back and re-listen to their entire catalog, something I did a few years ago but I'm overdue, especially because that was BEFORE I met Cazza! 😄 I love learning about a band directly from a FAN, much moreso than reading about them. Seeing the band through their eyes. THAT'S how you get into a band, that's how it was done back in the day. Your friend would be like "Have you heard this album yet?" Never had someone take me through ABBA until your videos; you're a good ABBA evangelist! I'm convinced! They're great! 😃
PS: These are MY favorite ABBA songs, for the record....in a random order: Knowing Me, Knowing You, Ring Ring (all versions! it works in every language!), Name Of The Game, S.O.S., Waterloo, Voulez-Vous, Dancing Queen, So Long.......and I Am Just A Girl! So happy it made your video! That song comes on, I start laughing and smiling! Talk about catching me off guard with that one! :D Brilliant. Brilliant vocal arranging on that one, that's what's so fun about that song. That song came on, I just assumed it would not stay on my playlist.....I could not bring myself to remove it, it's an achievement in songwriting and record-making because it's so distinctive, memorable......and entertaining!
@@TTM9691 IJAG!love this one too.
😆When I first clicked on your video............I thought to myself.............there is no way that I am going to watch all this straight through............but lo and behold, I was captivated for the whole 11 minutes❗You have such a fantastic personality, and you have one of the very best videos, on rating ABBA's songs.
All your videos are always fun and enjoyable. You got my support. 👍🏽
Great video! I can't believe this doesn't have more views?
Don't Shut Me Down is the absolute best, in my opinion, followed by I Still Have Faith In You
The reunion was fantastic.....
The thing that annoys me about "Don't Shut Me Down" is that I can't get used to ABBA, the great 70s band, using such a strongly 21st-century phrase as the title of a song. To my mind, it just doesn't go together,
@@140cabins That's true,,,but is it new Abba music,,,i thought the new album was great,,I hope they do a few more new songs,,,I wish they'd do a more acoustic new song..
I thought Just a Motion was brilliant as well..
Congrats to listening to every ABBA you made it congrats
Love the format of this video, it's fun, wonderful editing, and entertaining.
I recently rediscovered "Watch Out", which I hadn't heard in over 40 years -- I'm not an ABBA fan. That song was my favorite ABBA song when I was a kid, and now I realize why: it kind of sounds like early KISS mixed up with Slade, and maybe some other glam rock bands.
My two absolute favourites are "S.O.S." and "Andante,Andante"
Lets see where they land 😊
Post watch 2nd and 39th 👍
I'd add "i do,I do, I do" to make my top 3.
Purely for the effect that scene in muriels wedding had on my two girls. A precious memory indeed ❤
Hi Caroline, I've been an avid watcher since your Beatles reviews.
I'm a fan of most genres, I feel that there's good and bad everywhere, and some amazing compositions from the most unlikely artists.
One band that I am quite fond of, for their layered influences peppering through their oeuvre is Mastodon, the once sludge-metal behemoths, whose works are far more varied than their early releases might suggest.
One aspect of their works that many have missed is what I see as a heavy influence from the 70s and 80s disco scene.
There are often little diversions within songs that always remind me of ABBA, with a languid disco groove swinging away.
I won't direct you to their 'heavy' stuff, that'd probably be far to abrasive for you, but I would definitely suggest you listen to their four song EP 'Cold Dark Place', without a growl in earshot, it's their most tranquil effort to date, and worthy of your most discerning ears.
Hey Caroline, I'm not a super huge ABBA fan, but this was very entertaining! 🏆🏆🏆🏆
We all have different taste and that's a good thing so you got your favorite song and i got mine! Benny used to write the music and he could't read or write sheets! So many times he went to one of the guitarists and explained his ideas/thoughts for the song and then the guitarist had to write it down on sheets and explain it to the other musicians!
My top 10 ABBA songs would be 1 Eagles 2 As Good As New 3 The Winner Takes It All 4 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (live) 5 Man In The Middle 6 My Mama Said Summer 6 Summer In The City 7 Take a Chance On Me 8 Lay All Your Love On Me 9 The King Has Lost His Crown 10 The Visitors
Ohh nice list!🎉
You did an excellent job on this video, covering so much material in 11 minutes, great work! Instead of a countdown you presented the rankings in a new and fresh way. ABBA has so many great songs, it had to be a challenge to rank all of their songs. The rankings you made were very interesting. Thank you for your work!
Wow, thankyou! I am so glad you enjoyed it
It made me sad that you ranked What About Livingston at the absolute bottom, but I get it also. I happen to love that song, funny how tastes are so different even when you talk about liking the same group. I wish the excel spread sheet was posted so I can see it. There was no mention of I do I do I do I do I do... has all the requirements you mentioned. Costumes, relatable lyrics and a great catchy pop song. I didn't see Chiquittita in there either. Have to agree with #1 though. I've tried to practice this one to sing at karaoke but just not sure I can get through it, it is so incredibly sad. Not sure how she managed.
You mention how much "Disillusion" stands out on the first album, being more mature than the other songs on the album. Well, that's because it is written not by Benny and Björn, but by Agnetha Fältskog. She was a songwriter, too!
Yes, and she did compose some really great melodies back in the days! "Disillusion" also appeared in a Swedish version, "Dina ögon", on Agnetha's 1975 solo album. It should be said though, that the lyrics to "Disillusion" was written by Björn.
Hey I just dove into abba for the first time last year :D discovered so many songs that i didnt know about, and wouldnt you know it, i ranked them too!
So this video hit just the right spot :D
If you are interested in a strangers opinion:
1. As good as New
2. One of us
3. My Love my life
4. Knowing me, knowing you
5. SOS
6. Angeleyes
7. Super Trouper
8. Soldiers
9. Kisses of Fire
10. Lay all your love on me
interesting and though i'd have a different ranking but more or less similiar songs are high up. I could not rank them. It changes constantly but i could say which are
my top notch A+ songs are: Eagle, I Wonder, Summer Night City, Gimme Gimme Gimme, Lay All Your Love On Me, The Winner Takes It All, Knowing Me Knowing You, One Man One Woman, The Name Of The Game, Take A Chance On Me, Gonna Sing You My Lovesong..... any of those song could be my number one at any day...
my A List would include: My Mama Said, As Good As New, If It Wasn't For The Nights, Thank You For The Music, When I Kissed The Teacher, Dance, Our Last Summer, When All Is Said And Done, Rock Me...
my A- List would include: Chiquitita, Money Money Money, Dancing Queen (Though a fair ranking is impossible due its constant exposure) , Super Trouper, I'm A Marionette, Hole In Your Soul, Kisses Of Fire, Voulez Vous, Kisses Of Fire, The King Has Lost His Crown, Happy New Year, SOS, The Day Before You Came, One Of Us, Don't Shut Me Down, Mamma Mia, Hey Hey Helen, I Can Be That Woman,
My B+ List would include: Honey Honey, Waterloo, Fernando, I Do I do I Do, I Have A Dream, The Piper, Should I Laugh Or Cry, Little Things, Me And Bobby And Bobby's Brother, He Is Your Brother, Hasta Manana, That's Me, Why Did It Have To Be Me, Under Attack, The Visitors, No Doubt About It, I Let The Music Speak, Angeleyes, Move On, Tiger.
My B List would be : Does Your Mother Know, Me And I, Soldiers, Slipping Though My Fingers, I Still Have Faith In You, Dum Dum Diddle, Lovelight, Elaine, Bang-A-Boomerang, Love Isn't Easy, People Need Love, Another Town Another Train, Keep An Eye On Dan.... those are the songs i always enjoy listening to...
The next levels are not always or even rarely on my playlists:
My B- List would include: Arrival, Ode To Freedom and The Way Old Friends Do, both beautiful but rarely on my playlist, On And On And On, Watch Out, King Kong Song
My C List includes songs i am a bitt indifferent to: Nina Pretty Ballerina, My Love My Life, Just A Notion, When You Dance With Me, Ring Ring, I've Been Waiting For You, Dissillusion, Intermezzo N°1, Man In The Middle,
And the rest: I Am Just A Girl, What About Livingstone, Suzie Hang Around, Crazy World, Lovers Live A Little Longer, Andante Andante, Just A Notion, Bumblebee, Head Over Heels, Two For The Price Of One, Cassandra, You Owe Me One, Dream World, I Am The City, Like An Angel Passing, Happy Hawaii, I Saw It In The Mirror, Put On Your White Sombrero, Ring Ring, Rock'n Roll Band, Sitting In The Palmtree,
All song in their level in random order...
That was interesting. I only have the 2 ABBA Gold CDs, so haven't heard of many of these.
I grew up in Sweden in the 70s and 80s so I sort of grew up on ABBA. But it took a long time for me to hear anything but the Swedish versions of Ring Ring, Waterloo and Fernando. My favourite ABBA song has always been Voulez-Vouz.
A good assessment. I love getting older because all the people I knew back in the day who wouldn't be caught dead listening to an Abba song all pretty much love them. Some day, they will finally be held up as the musical geniuses they were. The boys could and still can, turn out a tune.
All of their hits stand on their own and as you revealed here, many of their album tracks are yet to be discovered as genuine great tunes.
They've lasted...like all great groups do.
You did such a great job! Lovely video. Thank you!
It's of course impossible to ultimately rank all these songs, as you will find that this ranking is always "in motion" and the order will change. Though of course favorites will always stay favorites and be further up the list rather than further down.
I am also surprised that you ranked Dancing Queen, their _by far_ biggest hit, as #15. This is rare. Though it might surprise you if I tell you this song is not even in my top 20, haha! Not that I dislike it, but it is not nearly my favorite.
I find that I like their single B-sides a lot. Songs like "Should I Laugh Or Cry", "Elaine", "You Owe Me One" or "Cassandra", those are so unusual, which is why I like them a lot.
Both Benny and Björn think that "The Winner Takes It All" is the best song they have ever written. Benny also really likes "My Love, My Life". Listen to Benny's piano version from the album "Benny Andersson Piano" and you will realize how strong that melody is.
Frida's favorite song is "I Let The Music Speak" which Benny also really loves, Agnetha's favorite is "The Winner Takes It All" and I think is Björn's too.
"The Visitors" is my favorite album because the production of the songs is so good, which is why I also really like "Voyage" as it is a clear continuation of this, and because the variety of the songs on both albums is so great.
My second favorite album though is "Ring Ring". The contrast to "The Visitors" could not be bigger. This, in comparison, extreme lightheartedness and pure joy you can sense on Ring Ring, it is so refreshing - once you are a bit too much engulfed in the darkness of the last two albums, you really need this. I love to flip between these to extremes.
"Disillusion" is so strange on Ring Ring because it was written by Agnetha. Agnetha is a very talented song writer in my opinion. Her style is either rather melancholic, or totally "easy listening", sounding more like German "Schlager" type songs. Agnetha wrote or cowrote almost all songs on her early solo albums and singles which she released in Sweden and Germany. Have a listen if you don't mind Schlager type songs sung in Swedish or German. You will better understand why "Disillusion" is so different.
There is one other song that you don't have on your list, which is technically also an ABBA song: "I'm Still Alive" which is only the second song composed by Agnetha yet sadly released only on their "ABBA Live at Wembley Arena" album. It never received a studio album or single release. "I'm Still Alive" sounds much like "Disillusion" and contrasts beautifully the song writing style of Agnetha versus Björn and Benny's. I'm sorry that Agnetha did not write more songs later in her career, she probably felt incompetent compared to the song writing power that are Björn and Benny, which likely discouraged her. But she was rather good as well and definitely has a unique style.
Ok, with you on "Hasta Manana"- maybe a throwaway song in the big picture, but could have been one of their classics. And along with that, "One of Us"- my favorite late career ABBA song.
This is a really good format for videos! You should do David Bowie in this format too - I'd love to hear your insights on such a diverse and varied catalogue of music. 😊
so so so so close, I had SOS at number one, your No 1 is awesome too, keep up the great work
Good choices.I would have the winner takes it all at number 1 too.probably have SOS not too far behind it. Thank you for your Abba enthusiasm from another Abba nut!
Another great video :) I probably would have honey honey higher though (the Swedish version). And you should TOTALLY come to Ireland and dance like that in a pub!!
Fun video! Very high and very well deserved spot for 'Our Last Summer'. A song we have to appreciate far more than we do, such a melancholic and catchy beauty of a song. However, far to low positions for 'The Visitors' (futuristic, experimental, gloomy - a masterpiece) and 'The Name of the Game' (complex, super catchy and with wonderful acapella sections). Thanks for great entertainment 🙂
Good video!
There were three songs I think you put waaay too far down, that really deserves a place further up! They are, in order of goodness: 1. If it wasn't for the nights (the way you want to dance to that one!) 2. Arrival (Blasting it at high volume really makes you feel things!) 3. One man, one woman (Those sweet Beach boys-harmonies at the second verse!)
OMOW,great song fantastic sophisticated lyrics.
@@christianoazzuro6711 Yeah, it's amazing!
I find it exceptionally difficult to make a top 10, since ABBA made so many wonderful songs, but I'd definitely say their melancholic masterpieces rank very high for me, I think this is very much due to their incredible harmonies producing pure gooesebump-material.
Tried to make the list but failed, so instead I'll just post in no particular order all the songs I couldn't decide between.
The winner takes it all, Knowing me knowing you, Thank you for the music, Slipping through my fingers, I have a dream, When all is said and done, One of us, My love my life, Happy new year, On and on and on, One Man one woman, Another town another train, Dance, Just a notion, SOS, Dum dum diddle, When you danced with me, Take a chance on me, When I kissed the teacher, Why did it have to be me, Don't shut me down, That's me, Bang-a-boomerang.
Many of their most famous songs like Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Mamma Mia and Money Money Money didn't even make it to my list, not because I don't like them, but because - in my opinion - they made some songs that were even better.
There are very few songs by ABBA that I genuinely don't like, almost all of them were examples of ABBA trying to be a rock band or going overboard in funky disco: Voulez vous, Eagle, I'm a marionette, I am the city, Disillusion, Tiger, So long, Lovers, Hole in your soul, Watch out, Hey hey Helen, Tropical loveland, Man in the middle, King Kong song.
Thanks for doing this, Caroline. I'm happy to see some of my personal favorites near the top of your list. Does Your Mother Know is only #20? What a shame... :)
Does your mother know is so good! They have too many hits lol
My favorite track is their last recording before their comeback 40 years later, the single The Day Before You Came.
Thank you for doing this list. As a 🇸🇪 ABBA in your blood.
ABBA The Album not released in 1997 it was released in 1977
#1 was the only easy choice
1 Thank You For The Music (chorus)
2 The Name Of The Game (second chorus with harmonies)
3 Knowing Me Knowing You (chorus)
4 Fernando (intro / chorus)
5 Dancing Queen (perfect pop song but also a bit heartbreaking)
6 Chiquitita (intro / chorus / piano / outro)
7 Don't Shut Me Down (a comeback on a par with their best work)
8 The Winner Takes It All (everything - intro / chorus / voice / harmonies / lyrics)
9 Take A Chance On Me
10 Happy New Year
I’m surprise summer night city didn’t get a mention.
Enjoyed the video. Thank you very much .
Haha, you had my favourite song in 69th place :) We are all different and that is good!
Loved your production work! Andante Andante and Happy New Year always bring me to tears. Beautiful melodies. Great job, Caroline!
Thank you so much!
Cazza ❤ I’ve missed you so much!
You made me laugh and cheered me up so much. Thank you!
I really like the quirkiness of King Kong Song, so sad to see it at the bottom of your list. :(
My three favourites would probably be SOS, Gimme Gimme Gimme and So Long.
I appreciate ABBA much more now than I did at the time of their releases. I thought they were a bit too much bouncy pop while I was into performers like Chicago, Eagles and also early punk/ alternative. When I listen to ABBA now I realize how really well they constructed songs as well as the breadth of the types of songs they did surprised me. My Top 10 is definitely filled with their hits more than any hidden gems, but whereas at one time I probably only listened to ten of their songs now I can listen to an album and enjoy all the tracks.
Hi Caroline, I wonder what you would make of this genre of music - 'Symphonic Metal'? one of the biggest bands in this genre is EPICA, a band from the Netherlands (Dutch), they have a female lead singer, her name is Simone Simons, she is incredible, here is a live performance from earlier this year in Amsterdam, one of their older songs, but an incredible new performance,
EPICA - Unleashed (Live At The AFAS Live)
Interesting list, which I thought I was going to agree with, but actually don't! But that's OK! You have given me a reason to go through them and make my own. I've been a fan since 1975 when I was 12, and back then admitting you liked Abba was SERIOUSLY uncool, at least in Britain. Alongside that I hated their copycats, like Brotherhood of Man, which a lot of people lumped them together with. My arguments that Abba were streets ahead in quality fell on deaf ears back then with many, but 50-odd years later, (and actually as far back as the 90s) I was vindicated, hahaha! Anyway, additional albums that you might want to consider are Frida Ensam (1975) which includes Fernando in Swedish but also a lot of Abba-esque cover versions, and Agnetha's Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus (1975), which is basically an Abba album as it was performed and produced by the all same people. The major points we differ on are I Have A Dream (hate it!), Hasta Mañana (boring tune), TYFTM (overrated) and several other lightweight ditties. But a few of them from the Waterloo album I quite like despite myself, such as My Mama Said. I think my all-time #1 is Cassandra though -- very sophisticated, and its reference to Greek mythology is very unusual. Anyway, enough blathering from me, enjoyed your take.
Hey Caroline, I just finished watching all of your Beatles albums reactions. I noticed you missed two of their best songs. The two songs are “Rain” and “Paperback Writer”. In the song “Rain” they did their first ever back masking of the music and singing. Also, Ringo Starr said that his best and favorite drumming on all of the Beatles songs was “Rain”. These two songs were released as a double “A” side 45 rpm record.
The keyboard run in Gimme Gimme Gimme is absolutely spectacular! Yay! 🙂
Great! I would put Knowing me knowing you in first place though
1. Our last summer
2. Gimme ! Gimme ! Gimme ! ( a man after midnight)
3. The winner takes it all
4. The day before you came
5. Knowing me, knowing you
6. Super Trouper
7. SOS
8. When all is said and done
9. I wonder (Departure)
10. Don´t shut me down
11. Mamma mia
12. Money, Money, Money
13. Fernando
14. Dancing queen
15. Chiquitita
16. I have a dream
17. Slipping through my fingers
18. One of us
19. Lay all your love on me
20. My love, my life
....so difficult to choose, and it changes from time to time.....
There are some "unreleased" songs as well, that were later included on compilations and box sets. Have you listened to "Dreamworld", "I am the City", and "Put on your white sombrero"? And I really recommend the 23-minute medley of "ABBA Undeleted"!
Just like that,,is great as well,,,They shud release a rarities album in 2024,,,and maybe a new single and Voyage deluxe!
👨🏻🦱Wow, this was great!!! I don't know why I missed the last two videos you put out, the last one I saw was on Greek mythology. I also liked, "Rock Me" as a kid! I didn't realize there were so many songs I liked on, "Arrival"! By your introduction I thought you were going to have another series like The Beatles you did previously but this was a good video! I appreciated your critique, humor and injected creativity!👍🏻 I really, really, rate it!!! 💣💥🔥🔥🔥🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My love My Life is my no1. Especially Benny’s new piano arrangement for the movie.
The movie version is So GOOD!
I need to listen to these albums...
You sure should.:) People don't realize that the magic continues when you put your worn out "ABBA Gold" to the shelf for a while and instead listen to all their great albums.:)
Of course this is not how I would have ranked their catalog, but I certainly appreciate the effort. I’m not even sure I would have been able to myself. I recently listened to their earliest stuff though, and was surprised by the quality of a lot of it. It’s true it took them a couple of albums to find their voice, but their search for it is no waste of time. Lots of interesting moments there. Which of course shouldn't be surprising given that they were all seasoned artists and songwriters when they started the band.
Let me suggest a tune that not everyone knows about, Klinga mina klockor ("Chime my bells" I guess), by Benny Andersson. It's not ABBA, but written with Benny and you get a hint of the records playing inside Bennys head. I think you might enjoy it. Also, don't forget Chess and Christina from Duvemåla. [Edit] I just noticed there are a few different versions on Spotify, the original would be with Benny Andersson, Orsa Spelmän and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Missing The day before You came! It was so sad and beautiful, that consider their swan song in 1982. One of their last songs, before break.. until Voyage.
Thanks, Caroline! 💎 #CallMeCaroline #ABBA #everyABBAsong
No way I've been waiting for you on the lower 100😢
great list i love all abba songs i went to see the abba concert in i saw it 3 times have you sean the concert yet
"I Wonder" at #19 🙄and "The Visitors" at #66 😭
Still glad that "Eagle", "Soldiers", "Under Attack" and "I'm A Marionette" got some love 🥰
"Thank You For The Music (Doris Day Version)" almost last 🥶
Well done anyway! 👍
It's unfortunate that a lot of their early releases still have a 'wall of sound' style reminiscent of the 1960s as I find it ruins some otherwise excellent tracks. My favourite album is The Visitors as their production quality reached its peak (sadly just as they broke up). Interesting to see The Day Before You Came at #45 in your list - I still think it's a massively underrated song. Cool list though!