You can POLL, you can jive, having the time of your life -- ILM Artist Poll #20 -- ABBA (RESULTS THREAD)

(don't ask me to flesh that out)

Agnetha has the same haircut my mum had that same year

Tom Ewing did One Week One Band on Abba last week. I only saw one or two bits, but one nugget was The Day Before You Came landing at #3 when ITV (Britain's blandest channel) polled Abba a few years back. (i) that's a surprise, esp beating ILM; and (ii) why does it resonate so?

why does it resonate so?

Minor key gypsy/eastern european dirges go straight for the heart in ways that a lot of western music doesn't, regardless of the key. If you rearranged The Day Before You Came with piano and weepy violin, it would be very Hungarian.

That's interesting, I had supposed it would be the lyric.

It could also be the lyric. lol

yeah, the level of detail in the lyrics is what makes it for me. as a character sketch i think it's peerless

so "take a chance on me" was one of only two ABBA records to go gold in the US. this is the other one (and their only US #1):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8d/Dancing_Queen_That%27s_Me.jpg
5. Dancing Queen
“Dancing Queen” b/w “That's Me” single, 1975/Arrival, 1976
(333 points, 14 votes, 1 #1 votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s

Okay, I thought that was nailed on for no.1

my heart still swells when i hear the first notes of this song
that's how i know it still works!

lol @ Agnetha's expression on the single photo

cf. the parkes essay upthread - i don't really buy the argument that i've often heard/read that this song is "secretly really depressing", at least not in the way that i think eg "should i laugh or cry" is. like certainly there's a sense that all these good vibes are fleeting but i think the mood is ultimately pretty celebratory. it's definitely not one of their more "reflective" songs, so much of it is about the present moment, feel the beat of the tambourine, etc

my heart still swells when i hear the first notes of this song
that's how i know it still works!

this argument, otoh, i totally buy (and agree with)

up next: my personal #1 vote

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/Winner_Takes_It_All.jpg
4. The Winner Takes It All
Super Trouper, 1980
(368 points, 13 votes, 3 #1 votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c

guilty secret: this song makes me VERY teary for some reason, I have no idea why

Dancing Queen is A+ bcz of piano. OH the piano is so great

also aspirational lyrics very clever, everyone wants to be that girl

"winner" makes me well up every damn time

also: that blue eyeshadow

the top three songs each got 16 or 17 votes, meaning all but two or three people listed them on their ballots

I love how happy they all are on the cover of one of their most miserable (in content) songs.

i'm the only one of my friends/acquaintances irl that likes abba at all. Dancing Queen was my gateway to them as a 11 year old am radio junkie back in the day. i still completely love tha tune but for the past week or two i've been seriously diggin' everything i've gotten my hands on by these guys. it started with a vinyl purchase of Waterloo on vinyl and i haven't stopped listening to 'em since. thanks for another sublime poll pepoll

ok, the biggest jump in points in the entire poll:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/Lay_All_Your_Love_On_Me.jpg
3. Lay All Your Love on Me
Super Trouper, 1980
(413 points, 17 votes, 1 #1 votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWI2bTckbgc

I hope my #1 is the poll's #1, but I'd be okay with my #3 being the poll's #1.

Love the yacht rock sleeve to TWTIA

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/Knowing_Me_Knowing_You.jpg
2. Knowing Me, Knowing You
Arrival, 1977
(421 points, 17 votes, 2 #1 votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUrzicaiRLU

So my #1 was #2. I can deal.

ahahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

That "ah hahhhh" is THE BEST background vocal swell ever.

which means the runaway winner is...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/SOS_-_Man_In_The_Middle.jpg
1. SOS
ABBA, 1975
(457 points, 16 votes, 2 #1 votes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvChjHcABPA

lol at first i was shocked/pleasantly surprised to see that the two i had penciled as the heavy faves for #1 - 'dancing queen' and 'the winner takes it all' - had already placed (along w/ one i had pegged as a dark horse - 'the day before you came'), and was thinking 'o wow, i think my #1 is gonna "win"' but had trouble placing what else was left, glanced at the abba gold tracklist and thought 'dear god ilx, plz tell me you didn't put 'i have a dream' in the top two'.

It kinda had to be SOS, right? Sometimes the obvious is also correct.

anyhow my ballot:
top 3 abba albums

1. voulez vous
2. abba (1975)
3. super trouper

tracks
1. s.o.s. - 40
2. waterloo - 36
3. chiquitita - 33
4. as good as new - 30
5. lay all your love on me - 28
6. if it wasn't for the nights - 26
7. the winner takes it all - 25
8. the name of the game - 24
9. knowing me knowing you - 23
10. does your mother know - 22
11. the day before you came - 21
12. gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight - 20
13. eagle - 19
14. the visitors - 18
15. under attack - 17
16. summer night city - 16
17. king kong song - 15
18. elaine - 14
19. mamma mia - 13
20. dancing queen - 12

one of my 'projects' this summer was to sing 20 abba songs at karaoke. last week i did 'waterloo' and 'king kong song', tonight it's 's.o.s.' and 'fernando'. if we were to do a 'best pop songs all time' poll i think i could cut and paste that ballot and change at most half of it and be happy. good job, great effort everybody!

My own

Knowing Me Knowing You - 40
The Visitors - 36
S.O.S. - 33
Take a Chance on Me - 30
You Owe Me One - 28*
Lay All Your Love on Me - 26
Under Attack - 25
Does Your Mother Know - 24
Chiquitita - 23
Arrival - 22
I Know There's Something Going On (Frida) - 21*
Lovelight - 20*
The Day Before You Came - 19
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - 18
Dancing Queen - 17
Money, Money, Money - 16
My Mama Said - 15
On and On and On - 14
The Winner Takes It All - 13
When I Kissed the Teacher - 12

Albums:
1. Arrival
2. The Visitors
3. Super Trouper

Only three things I voted for didn't make the countdown, so I have no gripes.


*3. Lay All Your Love on Me
/Super Trouper/, 1980
(413 points, 17 votes, 1 #1 votes)*



the entire top 45:

1 SOS - 16 votes, 457 points, 2 #1 votes
2 Knowing Me, Knowing You - 17 votes, 421 points, 2 #1 votes
3 Lay All Your Love on Me - 17 votes, 413 points, 1 #1 vote
4 The Winner Takes It All - 13 votes, 368 points, 3 #1 votes
5 Dancing Queen - 14 votes, 333 points, 1 #1 vote
6 The Day Before You Came - 13 votes, 318 points, 1 #1 vote
7 Waterloo - 10 votes, 289 points, 1 #1 vote
8 Take a Chance on Me - 14 votes, 283 points
9 The Visitors - 10 votes, 281 points
10 The Name of the Game - 10 votes, 274 points
11 Summer Night City - 11 votes, 218 points
12 Voulez-Vous - 8 votes, 212 points, 1 #1 vote
13 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) - 10 votes, 205 points
14 When I Kissed the Teacher - 9 votes, 203 points, 2 #1 votes
15 Fernando - 9 votes, 196 points
16 Does Your Mother Know - 8 votes, 157 points
17 Mamma Mia - 8 votes, 152 points
18 If It Wasn't for the Nights - 5 votes, 151 points
18 Under Attack - 7 votes, 151 points
20 Chiquitita - 7 votes, 150 points
21 Eagle - 7 votes, 148 points
22 As Good as New - 6 votes, 142 points
23 Bang-a-Boomerang - 5 votes, 128 points, 2 #1 votes
24 My Mama Said - 5 votes, 116 points
25 Money, Money, Money - 6 votes, 112 points
25 One of Us - 4 votes, 112 points, 1 #1 vote
27 Angeleyes - 6 votes, 111 points
28 Slipping Through My Fingers - 5 votes, 108 points
29 Head Over Heels - 5 votes, 102 points
30 Like an Angel Passing Through My Room - 5 votes, 96 points
31 On and On and On - 5 votes, 94 points
32 I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do - 5 votes, 93 points
33 When All Is Said and Done - 5 votes, 86 points
34 Tiger - 4 votes, 81 points
35 Arrival - 3 votes, 82 points, 1 #1 vote
36 Ring Ring - 4 votes, 81 points
37 Should I Laugh or Cry - 4 votes, 79 points
38 Super Trouper - 4 votes, 75 points
39 Me and I - 3 votes, 71 points
40 Thank You for the Music - 4 votes, 66 points
41 So Long - 3 votes, 64 points
42 I've Been Waiting for You - 3 votes, 63 points
42 That's Me - 3 votes, 63 points
42 Two for the Price of One - 3 votes, 63 points
45 Honey Honey - 3 votes, 59 points
45 Soldiers - 3 votes, 59 points

i'll post the other tracks later tonight

if nothing else this was a very interesting list and i'm happy i got to do this poll! thanks to all of those who voted!

i often think that the
"memories (memories) Good days (good days) bad days (baaad daaays)
/ they'll be (they'll be) with me (with me) always (always)"
bit is my single favourite pop moment of all time.

thanks donna this was great.

I love how happy they all are on the cover of one of their most miserable (in content) songs.

― Desire is withered away from the sons of men! (aldo), jeudi 7 juin 2012 21:37 (23 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Was thinking the exact same thing! It was my #1 (Winner Takes It All).

most surpringly high vote IMO probs Voulez Vous at no 12
most surpringly low vote is surely Ring Ring at 36.

still massively amazed at the high placing for If It Wasn't for the Nights

Arrival
Under Attack
The Day Before You Came
As Good As New
Elaine
When I Kissed The Teacher
The Visitors
That's Me
Take A Chance On Me
When All Is Said And Done
When I Kissed The Teacher
I Am The City
Cassandra
Head Over Heels
Summer Night City
Soldiers
Lay All Your Love On Me
Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
Should I Laugh Or Cry
Two For The Price Of One

Top 3 Albums
The Visitors
Arrival
Waterloo

and if I knew we were voting for solo tracks I would have made room for this

Agnetha Fältskog - If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOrZHbTKmks

Here was my Frida vote. Since only 19 people voted, I'm inclined to believe they're all familiar with it, but in case a random observer drops in, here's "I Know There's Something Going On". (I guess Phil Collins = poison in ILM polls.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz5DkTF2RW8

I'll post my ballot later on; at work right now. I was the #1 vote for Waterloo though.

This poll was an absolute blast. Thank you so much, donna rouge.

in terms of frida solo i love "threnody" and "i see red" as well but i didn't put any solo work/'chess' on my ballot

picking up some kate bush vibes in this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gARk3zPlbs

GREAT POLL YOU GUYS

Bang-A-Boomerang
Waterloo
S.O.S.
Dancing Queen
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Fernando
Mamma Mia
The Day Before You Came
The Winner Takes It All
Like an Angel Passing Through My Room
Honey Honey
Arrival
So Long
Take a Chance on Me
The Name of the Game
Slipping Through My Fingers
Chiquitita
Ring Ring
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
When I Kissed the Teacher