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

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My ballot:

The Day Before You Came
The Winner Takes It All
SOS
Summer Night City
The Name of the Game
Knowing Me Knowing You
Move On
My Mama Said
Slipping Through My Fingers
Take a Chance on Me
Under Attack
As Good As New
Angeleyes
Soldiers
Rock Me
Like an Angel Passing Through My Room
What About Livingstone?
Fernando
Tiger
Just Like That

Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 8 June 2012 11:31 (eleven years ago) link

I missed this!!!! "Lay All Your Love On Me" was my No. 1 - I know it's Geir's favourite ABBA song too, so he obv. didn't contribute to this.

Tom D (Tom D.), Friday, 8 June 2012 14:19 (eleven years ago) link

Embarrassed about the great songs I left off - there's so many of them.

1. Lay All Your Love On Me
2. The Name Of The Game
3. SOS
4. Dancing Queen
5. One Of Us
6. Knowing Me, Knowing You
7. Fernando
8. Take A Chance On Me
9. I’ve Been Waiting For You
10. Should I Laugh or Cry?
11. That’s Me
12. The Winner Takes It All
13. The Day Before You Came
14. The Visitors
15. Chiquitita
16. Move On
17. Under Attack
18. Money, Money, Money
19. Summer Night City
20. Mamma Mia

When I was choosing the albums I originally placed "The Visitors" at no. 1, then I systematically went thru the ratings for the songs I'd chosen and found that "Arrival" won it easily and that "The Visitors" wasn't even in the Top 3! But I overruled myself...

1. Arrival
2. The Album
3. The Visitors

Tom D (Tom D.), Friday, 8 June 2012 14:25 (eleven years ago) link

Super Trouper was so low!

skip, Friday, 8 June 2012 14:38 (eleven years ago) link

disappointed in lack of "lovelight" votes personally. also i'm the only one who voted for 'happy new year'!

yorba linda carlisle (donna rouge), Friday, 8 June 2012 15:22 (eleven years ago) link

one year passes...

BANG A BOOMER BOOMERANG
DUM DE DUM DUM DE DUM DE DUM DUM
BANG A BOOMER BOOMERANG
LOVE IS A TUNE YOU HUMMY HUM HUM

that is all

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 23 April 2014 15:57 (ten years ago) link

Been getting into ABBA for the first time this week. I couldn't agree with you more.

valerie loves me some hummus (how's life), Wednesday, 23 April 2014 16:02 (ten years ago) link

yeah someone started talking about them when I got to work this morning, and I've been on a kick since then

I was amusing myself by wondering how ABBA would sound if Frida's voice was replaced by Marlene Dietrich, in particular on 'Tropical Loveland' :D

set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 23 April 2014 16:17 (ten years ago) link

two years pass...

'Watch Out' was robbed in this poll, IMO.

Coolio Iglesias (Turrican), Friday, 10 March 2017 22:35 (seven years ago) link

I didn't submit a ballot but it would have been this:

The Day Before You Came
The Visitors
I’m a Marionette
Head over Heels
Summer Night City
Voulez-Vous
On and On and On
Lay All Your Love On Me
SOS
Eagle
Gimme Gimme Gimme
Lovelight
Ring Ring
Disillusion
Cassandra
I Am the City
The Name of the Game
Hole in Your Soul
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Slipping Through My Fingers

a self-reinforcing downward spiral of male-centric indie (katherine), Friday, 10 March 2017 22:43 (seven years ago) link

'I'm a Marionette' fucking rules.

Coolio Iglesias (Turrican), Friday, 10 March 2017 23:43 (seven years ago) link

Was amazed when SOS won this. Was it on an ad in America or something? One of their most forgettable singles to me, had to remind myself how it goes.

Supposed Former ILM Lurker (WeWantMiles), Friday, 10 March 2017 23:48 (seven years ago) link

I can completely understand why 'S.O.S.' won... it's absolute perfection.

Coolio Iglesias (Turrican), Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:01 (seven years ago) link

The idea of it being "forgettable" is just completely alien to me!

Coolio Iglesias (Turrican), Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:03 (seven years ago) link

yeah SOS is beautiful cmon

Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:10 (seven years ago) link

so... you wish you understood

a self-reinforcing downward spiral of male-centric indie (katherine), Saturday, 11 March 2017 00:43 (seven years ago) link

there are not many songs better than "SOS".. so i would say that WeWantMiles is wrong

was it in an ad in america or something... phhbbbttt how insulting!!

a but (brimstead), Saturday, 11 March 2017 01:15 (seven years ago) link

i also did not vote in this but my boring ballot would contain (unordered)

hey hey helen
sos
dancing queen
knowing me knowing you
tiger
fernando
take a chance on me
voulez-vous
summer night city
gimme gimme gimme
the winner takes it all
lay all your love on me
should i laugh or cry
the day before you came

a but (brimstead), Saturday, 11 March 2017 01:17 (seven years ago) link

+ waterloo
+ honey honey

a but (brimstead), Saturday, 11 March 2017 01:18 (seven years ago) link

not surprised to see the first album's songs get zero votes because there is some absolute shit on there (if I go to hell it would probably be a loop of "Me and Bobby and Bobby's Brother" occasionally interrupted by "I Saw It in the Mirror," like that "What's New Pussycat" sketch), but it was my father's favorite ABBA album so I have a soft spot for it

a self-reinforcing downward spiral of male-centric indie (katherine), Saturday, 11 March 2017 01:20 (seven years ago) link

just re-read this thread again, this poll was so much fun

donna rouge, Saturday, 11 March 2017 01:48 (seven years ago) link

I was amusing myself by wondering how ABBA would sound if Frida's voice was replaced by Marlene Dietrich, in particular on 'Tropical Loveland' :D

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, April 23, 2014 10:17 AM (two years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink


"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is on my list of songs I sing in Nico's voice when I'm drunk and in a mischievous/annoying mood.

hardcore dilettante, Saturday, 11 March 2017 02:38 (seven years ago) link

lol that is a perfect choice

Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 11 March 2017 03:27 (seven years ago) link

i can't remember if i voted in this poll or not but my list now would be something like

soldiers
one of us
tiger
knowing me knowing you
me and i
under attack
on and on and on
that's me
should i laugh or cry
the day before you came
head over heels
does your mother know
lay all your love on me
sos
as good as new

the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Saturday, 11 March 2017 16:09 (seven years ago) link

ah god i forgot if it wasn't for the nights

the raindrops and drop tops of lived, earned experience (BradNelson), Saturday, 11 March 2017 16:24 (seven years ago) link

one year passes...

Can’t really argue with their top 10 picks. Name Of The Game at 10 is much too low though, that would be my no 1. As soon as I saw the post, it started playing in my head. Love that song so much. Immediately after I’m all: B-b-but... Dancing Queen? ...Knowing Me, Knowing You? ...Winner Takes It All? All three are at least as good, Dancing Queen is one of the best records ever, but I’m NOTG for life, I guess - that song moves me. My only gripe is with Day Before You Came, it’s way overrated imo. I mean, it’s great, but not top-10-great. I would replace it with Chiquitita. Beautiful song, and the coda takes it next level.

breastcrawl, Friday, 29 June 2018 21:50 (five years ago) link

(So I checked: ILM’s ranking is quite similar, with one notable exception: where the Guardian has Super Trouper, here it’s Waterloo - better choice perhaps, although I wasn’t mad at ST placing)

breastcrawl, Friday, 29 June 2018 22:13 (five years ago) link

Soldiers would be my #1

music saved my life (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 23:13 (five years ago) link

And of the singles, which one would be your pick?

breastcrawl, Friday, 29 June 2018 23:23 (five years ago) link

dancing queen :)

music saved my life (Ross), Friday, 29 June 2018 23:29 (five years ago) link

Can’t say you’re wrong

breastcrawl, Friday, 29 June 2018 23:31 (five years ago) link

Super Trouper wd make my ballot now

bedraggled vorticist (Drugs A. Money), Saturday, 30 June 2018 03:55 (five years ago) link

I love Name Of the Game but Under Attack would be number one for. me. NOTG number 2

Hotdogs Killcars (dog latin), Saturday, 30 June 2018 21:22 (five years ago) link

Gonna have to search some singles bins for that (Day Before You Came too, I guess)

albvivertine, Saturday, 30 June 2018 21:34 (five years ago) link

"Angel-eyes" came up on a playlist today and surprised me, I hadn't heard it in years. Good tune.

this poll was such a joy to participate in, and so much fun to put together a ballot. abba are the fucking best

i’m gonna listen to more abba this week

Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 1 July 2018 06:04 (five years ago) link

"One of Us" is low-key their best single, IDGAF if no one else but Brad agrees. If not that, it's "The Day Before You Came." And for a supposed singles act they certainly had a lot of great album cuts - Ross and Brad OTM on "Soldiers," which would def make my top 10 ABBA tracks if not top 5.

It's like an Christian pop (thewufs), Sunday, 1 July 2018 07:03 (five years ago) link

I mean ABBA got game with deep cuts all the way back to the debut album - "Disillusion" and "Another Town, Another Train" are worlds better than their first two singles ("People Need Love," and "He Is Your Brother," both among the worst songs they ever released). Anybody know why Agnetha never wrote an ABBA song again?

It's like an Christian pop (thewufs), Sunday, 1 July 2018 07:10 (five years ago) link

'Soldiers', 'One of Us' and 'The Day Before You Came' are all fantastic, I agree, although I'm not sure I could choose one single that stands above all the rest. I know that 'Dancing Queen' wouldn't be it because I've heard it far too many times at this point.

Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Sunday, 1 July 2018 07:48 (five years ago) link

Yeah actually I don't really have one favorite, it's just that that was my first favorite when I got into ABBA half a dozen years ago. I resent the fact that "Dancing Queen" is the only ABBA song I ever hear on the radio, because I heard it many times before I ever "got" ABBA and though I like it a lot better now than I did before I saw the light, I'm never going to be able to hear it with fresh ears. I mean it's transcendent, but there's always going to be that residue of those benighted years when I thought it was fluff.

It's like an Christian pop (thewufs), Sunday, 1 July 2018 08:07 (five years ago) link

"Under Attack" in last place out of all their singles? Löjlig!

Portsmouth Bubblejet, Sunday, 1 July 2018 11:52 (five years ago) link

"Angel-eyes" came up on a playlist today and surprised me, I hadn't heard it in years. Good tune.

― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Sunday, July 1, 2018 12:07 AM (eight hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

My three year old and I listen to a lot of ABBA on the way to school and I’m really surprised that out of their entire catalog of hits her favorite song is “Angel Eyes” followed closely by deep cut “Elaine.”

Western® with Bacon Flavor, Sunday, 1 July 2018 12:18 (five years ago) link

Guardian Top 5 OTM.

dorsalstop, Sunday, 1 July 2018 12:40 (five years ago) link

Disillusion is a fantastic song

bedraggled vorticist (Drugs A. Money), Thursday, 5 July 2018 07:59 (five years ago) link

two months pass...

Their best albums.

The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 16 September 2018 01:48 (five years ago) link

^ This would probably be my ranking exactly. It's nice that both you and the ILM poll gave a shout out to "When I Kissed the Teacher," which I think is the one ABBA album track that most deserved to be the A-side of a single

Josefa, Monday, 17 September 2018 02:13 (five years ago) link

four weeks pass...

Agreed, solid list.

Apropos of nothing, my love of the Mamma Mia movies knows few bounds. There should be a thread for chrissakes.

Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 16 October 2018 15:38 (five years ago) link

seven months pass...

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