Retro Roundup’s 10 favourite Abba songs

By Joel Goldenberg, October 26th, 2012

Talk to the many millions who got into Abba by buying the massively selling Abba Gold compilation — the disc that started a pile-on of similar and successful one-disc collections by other major artists for the next 20 years — or seeing the Mamma Mia musical and movie, and their obvious favourite songs will be Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All, Take A Chance on Me and, of course, Mamma Mia itself.
But Retro Roundup’s 10 favourites mixes the well-known with the somewhat obscure. Here they are, in no particular order:

The Name of the Game
This was a big hit, and perhaps one of their most musically advanced. The melody is more subtle than usual, and singer Agnetha Faltskog is at her sultriest during the slower middle section, which was foolishly edited out for the promo single for radio DJs. This would normally not be a big deal, except that this version was used on Abba’s first retropsective, The First 10 Years, and even the first CD pressing of Abba Gold. What really gets me in this song is the Beatle-like French horns.

SOS
Pete Townshend of the Who said in the 1970s this is was the best pop song ever. Considering Retro Roundup’s affection for the Who, this blessing automatically grants the song entry onto this list. The glorious rush one gets from the chorus, and the plaintive vocals during the slower sections, also help greatly.

Happy Hawaii
As will be evident from this entry and some others, Abba was more musically adventurous on their non-album B-sides. This, the B-side of Knowing Me, Knowing You from 1976, is a wonderful Beach Boys pastiche with nicely aggressive playing, and a somewhat tongue in cheek approach to the harmonies and the song as a whole. The song was rearranged and rewritten as Why Did It Have To Be Me, which was an album track on the album of the time, Arrival. But, in RR’s opinion, this version had a somewhat stale, uninspired sound.

Medley
Pick a Bale of Cotton/On Top of Old Smokey/Midnight Special: This was recorded in 1975 and issued on an obscure charity album, and then achieved slightly less obscurity when remixed and issued as the B-side of Summer Night City three years later. There’s no reason for the obscurity of this song — it’s the most aggressive and danceable song in Abba’s catalogue, and less contrived than their other attempts at aggreesive music — Rock Me and Watch Out.

Elaine
Any song that sounds influenced by The Who, in this case through the synthesizer intro of this B-side to The Winner Takes It All, gains entry onto this list.

One of Us
One of Abba’s last big hits, this was a more convincing portrait if the wreckage wrought by divorce than The Winner Takes it All, written after Bjorn Ulvaeus and Faltskog split up. By the time of One Of Us, both couples in the group had split. Just watch the video and look at the pain on Frida Lyngstad’s face. The reggae rhythms here are quite nice.

Summer Night City, extended version
No, this is not an artificialy extended 12’ single dance track. This version has a hushed intro of the lyrics sung very quietly by Bjorm and Agnetha, and then the regular song kicks in like a bomb. The usual single version sounds kind of ordinary in comparison.

Thank You For the Music
No, Retro Roundup has not lost its sanity. In its regular, Abba: The Album version, this song is perhaps the worst in Abba’s catalogue, sung in a contrived Vegas style. But the so-called “Doris Day version” is sweeter and more tongue in cheek. Arrangement makes quite a difference.

Dancing Queen
Yes, it’s too well known. Yes, it’s everyone’s go-to Abba song. Doesn’t mean it’s not great.

As Good As New
Just as you’re thinking it’s another ornate Euro-influenced track, the disco-funk kicks in to great effect.
And a bonus track:

Angelo
Don’t go scouring through your Abba collection, this is not one of their songs. It’s by the British group Brotherhood of Man. But it’s such an audaciously Abba-sounding song (not a rip off, although you can tell it derives from Fernando)that it deserves at least bonus track status. And the female members even look like Abba clones.