In The 1970s ABBA 1976 to 1979

We continue the story of the super group Abba through the 1970s.In the first part we followed the group from 1970 to 1975. See the article here.

This was the year that they released their greatest hits. But of course it was only part one as so many more hits would pour into the UK charts over the next few years. 1976 saw a No.1 single from that greatest hit album called Fernando which had already been a best selling album in Switzerland by Anni Frid herself. Now she was singing it within a group. The lyrics were by manager Stig and was about love, but Bjorn changed the lyrics to be about two guys talking about a battle.

 

The best selling album produced  the next No.1 classic. A song that now feels the floor at all parties and weddings. It was originally calle Boogaloo but was changed to...Dancing Queen.

ABBA performed this song on June 18, 1976 at a televised tribute to Queen Silvia and King Gustaf XVI of Sweden, who were married the next day.

From the same album came the No. 3 hit Money Money Money and the same album produced their next No. 1 hit too in 1977. Not only was it a fantastic song but it was one of the best videos of the 1970s. The song was Knowing Me Knowing You. This came at a time when the group were undertaking major concerts throughout the world and the stress and strains of their marriages and relationships were under enormous stress.

This was another worldwide hit for the group and meant they were being called to  undertake impossible schedules of performances and TV shows.  Abba the Album produced yet another UK single No. 1 in 1977 called  The Name Of The Game .

"The Name of the Game", first called "A Bit of Myself", was the first song to be recorded for ABBA's fifth studio album, following the band's European and Australian tour. 

The opening riff on bass and synthesizer is inspired by Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" from the 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life, and both Andersson and Ulvaeus have acknowledged being inspired by Wonder's music during this part of ABBA's career.

A preliminary version of "The Name of the Game" was worked into the 1977 feature film ABBA: The Movie, for which it was written. When it was eventually finished, it was released as the lead single from ABBA: The Album in October 1977. 

Same album and yet another No.1 with Take A Chance On Me in 1978. That same year the group scored No. 5 hit with a more disco style hit called Summer Night City. 

Now the group were having real problems between themselves and the lyrics of some of other songs were reflecting those problems. Enter 1979 and a new album called Voulez Vous which contained the No. 2 hit Chiquitita which means in Spanish little one.

The group went uptempo on the next hit called Does Your Mother Know. The next three singles of that year all got as high as No.3 in the British charts and ended the 70s domination of Abba.

Those three singles were Voulez Vous the title track from the album,. The second from the same album was Angel Eyes. Their final hit single of the 70s was a another high tempo style hit. Gimme Gimme A Man After Midnight.

Abba on Swapshop 1978