For me, there is no greater band than ABBA. Many can provide an interesting case for The Beatles but I just don't see it. This is mainly because any ABBA song has the unique ability to touch you deep in the soul. Making you feel sadness, joy or an overwhelming need to get up and dance.
There have been successful covers of Beatles songs over the years and I can't think of one ABBA cover that beats the original. The Mamma Mia Broadway show, movies and Cher's cover album gave the songs a good crack, yet nothing can compare to the real thing. (I hope Cher never reads this because I feel like such a traitor!)
There in lies the true power of ABBA. There is only one ABBA, or four of them if you want to get pedantic. When they hit the scene in 1972 there was nothing quite like the Swedish supergroup and in 2020, we still haven't heard anything that comes even remotely close to it.
With a back catalog that will surely go down in history, it isn't hard to pick great ABBA songs. What is hard is to try and comb through the albums and greatest hit compilations in order to find a standout 25 tracks that could help form the basis of ABBA week here on my blog.
Selling an astonishing 380 million in record sales- second only to The Beatles- you know ABBA are the real deal. That's why I have looked high and low to find tracks that do the band justice in order to create a comprehensive guide to the 25 greatest ABBA songs of all time.
25. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - 1979
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) is the perfect example of what made ABBA so different. For all intents and purposes there are four people in the band. However, a track like Gimme! makes the listener feel that ABBA are in a room packed to the brim with musicians.
By using a form of double tracking, Benny was able to duplicate the sound of each instrument to create a wall of sound. That's why the distinctive opening chords penetrate the ear drums. It's also worth noting that the chords to this song are so catchy that the Queen of Pop herself - Madonna - sampled them in one of her songs called Hung Up.
Aside from the instruments in this song, something else shines and that is the vocal stylings of Agnetha. Possessing a voice that seemingly knows no bounds, Agnetha is able to take listeners on a singing masterclass. It should also be noted that Frida's harmonies are equally as impressive.
Undeniably catchy, Gimme! is ABBA at their pop best. Bjorn's guitar work and Benny's fingers on the piano perfectly compliment the vocal performance of Agnetha and Frida. Highlighting how ABBA would always give 110% in their songs. This is a complete record, rather than a song that relies on superior production in order to lift it up, or vice versa.
24. Kisses of Fire - 1979
The opening to Kisses of Fire is quite simply perfect. Agnetha comes in singing with beautiful tone in a low register. There is literally no hint as to what is to come. That's why when the piano and the guitar come in there is nothing that can stop you from wanting to dance.
I also think that the use of instruments in this song is yet another example of when ABBA get their storytelling right. In music it's easy to have either good lyrics or good production. What's hard is to put them together in order to create something that is great. It was even harder for ABBA given their tendency to create songs that told a story.
The way the song is structured speaks to the story behind the lyrics. Love can be a slow burn before all of a sudden transforming into something that is loud and overpowering. That's exactly the journey that Kisses of Fire takes us on.
There is a lyric that reads 'caught in a landslide of emotion' and the backing vocals of Frida along with the way in which the boys play their instruments perfectly accompanies this. ABBA have the unique ability to put words together to create catchy lyrics. Kisses of Fire is just one mere example of this.
23. Chiquitita - 1979
Bjorn is the master of his instrument and Chiquitita is a great example of this. This song shows ABBA's unique ability to switch from catchy pop tunes to songs with more emotional depth.
The way in which the voices of Frida and Agnetha meet in the upper registers provides a sound that is just music to the ears. Their ability to harmonise is unparalleled and while the song starts somewhat slow and low, as it progresses, there is a sense of optimism.
This song speaks to the power of friendship through the hard times and ABBA, masterful story tellers that they are, truly make you feel like you have a friend. If you were feeling down at the start of the song, by the end any feelings of sadness are gone.
Benny and Bjorn have the unique ability to create lyrics that speak to the human condition. While a word like Chiquitita was foreign to some, the rawness of the other lyrics have ensured that people from all over the world can feel the power of this song.
22. Money, Money, Money - 1976
What can I say about Money, Money, Money that will truly do it justice? Well, firstly I don't think it's a coincidence that many of ABBA's best songs have the same word repeated in the title. But hey, maybe I am the only one that notices these things.
Money, Money, Money is perhaps a shining moment for the power couple that was once Benny and Frida. Benny taps the keys on the piano with such timing and precision throughout the entire song. Frida expertly navigates the key changes while also treating listeners to her superb tone that may remain unrivalled for the rest of time.
ABBA have the knack of creating songs that you can sing along to right from the beginning. Now that's not to say that their lyrics are simple or overly repetitive. But rather highlighting how they managed to take real world issues and transform them into catchy pop tunes. I mean we can all relate to wanting a little bit of money, money, money.
21. Voulez-Vous - 1979
Ah Voulez-Vous. Another instance where I hadn't heard a specific word or phrase before ABBA introduced it to me. 1979 is ABBA at their best I feel. Seven years after forming they have found their sound and a purpose for their music.
Benny is experimenting in abrupt key changes. Bjorn is strumming away on the guitar providing expert riffs. While Agnetha and Frida are alternating between singing their hearts out and providing harmonies even the most accomplished singers could never master.
If you were to divide ABBA's music into columns, it would be dance music and pop ballads. Voulez-Vous is one of the shining lights of ABBA's foray into dance music. You can just imagine the DJ spinning this record at the club and the crowd going wild.
With a strong back beat and vocals that stick to the beat in perfect timing, it's hard not to love this song. It's also catchy as hell which means that people will be singing it whenever it is played on the radio. And, at the end of the day, people singing along to your song is always a dream come true.
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