Arrival (ABBA album)
Encyclopedia
Side one
- "When I Kissed the Teacher" (AnderssonBenny AnderssonGöran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
, UlvaeusBjörn UlvaeusBjörn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
) – 2:58 - "Dancing QueenDancing Queen"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...
" (Andersson, Stig AndersonStig AndersonStig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...
, Ulvaeus) – 3:47 - "Dum Dum Diddle" (Andersson, Ulvaeus) – 2:50
- "My Love, My LifeMy Love, My Life (song)"My Love, My Life", originally "Monsieur, Monsieur", is a song recorded by ABBA for the Arrival album. It was one of the last songs to be recorded for the album....
" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:50 - "Tiger" (Andersson, Ulvaeus) – 2:54
Side two
- "Money, Money, MoneyMoney, Money, Money"Money, Money, Money", originally "Gypsy Girl", is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song, like most ABBA songs, was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was released as a single on November 1, 1976, as the follow-up single to "Dancing Queen, both from the album Arrival...
" (Andersson, Ulvaeus) – 3:02 - "That's MeThat's Me (song)"That's Me", originally "Coachman's Farm", is the title of a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1976. It was released as a single in Japan the following year to promote the band's Arrival album, and reached number 75 on the official Japanese charts...
" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:14 - "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" (Andersson, Ulvaeus) – 3:19
- "Knowing Me, Knowing YouKnowing Me, Knowing You"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1"...
" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 3:55 - "Arrival" (Instrumental) (Andersson, Ulvaeus) – 2:58
The recording of "Dancing Queen" commenced at the same time as "Fernando" in August 1975. The original working title of the song was "Boogaloo" and George McCrae
George McCrae
George McCrae is an American soul and disco singer, most famous for his 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby".-Early life and career:...
's 1974 disco classic "Rock Your Baby
Rock Your Baby
"Rock Your Baby" is a popular song by George McCrae. Written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, "Rock Your Baby" was one of the landmark recordings of early disco music...
" was used as an inspiration for finding the right groove on the recording. Some of the rhythmic feel was also inspired by the Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
album Dr. John's Gumbo
Dr. John's Gumbo
Dr. John's Gumbo is the fifth album by New Orleans singer and pianist Dr. John, a tribute to the music of his native city. The album is a collection of covers of New Orleans classics, played by a major figure in the city's music. In 2003, the album was ranked number 402 on Rolling Stone magazine's...
, which influenced drummer Roger Palm. Frida
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
started crying the moment she first heard the backing track for the song.
CD re-issues, bonus tracks
Arrival was remastered and reissued in 1997 with one bonus track:- "Fernando" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:12
"Fernando" was released in the original track listing for the South African, Australian and New Zealand version of the original record, after "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" and before "Tiger".
Arrival was remastered and reissued in 2001 with another bonus track:
- "Happy Hawaii" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:25
- Early version of "Why Did It Have to Be Me?".
Arrival was remastered and reissued again in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings
The Complete Studio Recordings (ABBA album)
The Complete Studio Recordings is a box set of all of the studio material released by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 7 November 2005 and consists of 9 CDs and 2 DVDs, plus a full colour booklet with timeline and photos. Another booklet containing the complete lyrics was also...
box set with several bonus tracks:
- "Fernando" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:14
- "Happy Hawaii" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus) – 4:25
- B-side of "Knowing Me, Knowing YouKnowing Me, Knowing You"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1"...
". Early version of "Why Did It Have to Be Me?".
- B-side of "Knowing Me, Knowing You
- "La Reina Del Baile" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, Buddy McCluskey, Mary McCluskey) – 4:03
- Spanish version of "Dancing Queen". When the track was first released in 1980, the Spanish title was "Reina Danzante".
- "Conociéndome, Conociéndote" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, McCluskey, McCluskey) – 4:04
- Spanish version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You".
- "Fernando (Spanish Version)" (Andersson, Anderson, Ulvaeus, McCluskey, McCluskey) – 4:17
Tracks 13–15, vocals recorded January 1980. These three songs are from the album Gracias Por La Música (Septima SRLM 1, June 23, 1980).
Arrival was reissued again in 2006 (October 16) as a 30th Anniversary of the original release, called the Deluxe' Edition. This features the same track listing as the 2005 release, with one additional track "Fernando
Fernando (song)
"Fernando" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the group's first non-album single and was released in November 1975 through Polar Music. Lead vocals were sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad...
" sung in Swedish by Frida (solo version, not with ABBA), and also came with a bonus DVD with the following clips:
- ABBA-DABBA-DOOO! One hour Television Special. Includes interviews to the group, the official "Dancing QueenDancing Queen"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...
" promo clip, the English version of "Waterloo" at the Eurovision contest, and seven videos of the songs:- "Knowing Me, Knowing YouKnowing Me, Knowing You"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1"...
" (filmed song) - "When I Kissed the Teacher" (filmed song, includes an early mix of the song different to the one of the album)
- "Dum Dum Diddle" (live performance at television studios of Sveriges Radio)
- "My Love, My LifeMy Love, My LifeMy Love, My Life is a compilation album released in 1996 of Agnetha Fältskog named after the ABBA song "My Love, My Life". The two-disc set features all her Swedish-language hits plus a small selection of later English language songs, including a few ABBA songs,from her favourite , such as "My...
" (filmed song featuring only Agnetha) - "Money, Money, MoneyMoney, Money, Money"Money, Money, Money", originally "Gypsy Girl", is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song, like most ABBA songs, was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It was released as a single on November 1, 1976, as the follow-up single to "Dancing Queen, both from the album Arrival...
" (playback performance at television studios of Sveriges Radio) - "Tiger" (filmed song)
- "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" (live performance at television studios of Sveriges Radio)
- "Knowing Me, Knowing You
- "Dancing Queen" (Musikladen)
- "Fernando" (BBC - Top of the Pops), an alternate version with live vocals over prerrecorded sound
- "Happy Hawaii" (Cartoon of ABBA)
- "Dancing Queen" (Recording Session), includes every bit available of the recording sessions with the "lost verse" of the song.
- ABBA in London (November 1976)
- ABBA's 1976 Success (News Report, Sweden)
- Arrival TV Commercial I - (UK)
- Arrival TV Commercial II - (UK)
- International Sleeve Gallery
Arrival was reissued once again in 2008 as part of The Albums
The Albums
The Albums is a box set of recordings by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Universal Music. The box set includes nine discs, the first eight are all of the original studio albums the way they were originally released between 1973 and 1981 while the ninth disc...
box set but without any bonus tracks.
Singles
- "Dancing Queen"/"That's Me" (August 1976)
- "Money Money Money"/"Crazy World" (October 1976)
- "Dum Dum Diddle"/"Tiger" (1976) (Argentina only)
- "Knowing Me Knowing You"/"Happy Hawaii" (February 1977)
- "That's Me"/"Money Money Money" (July 1977) (Japan only)
Non Album Tracks
- Funky Feet
Recorded during the Arrival sessions this song was eventually dropped due to the similarity of "Dancing Queen". Later the song was recorded by Svenne & Lotta, Australian group The Studs, Alcazar, and Arrival, a Swedish ABBA tribute band.
- Monsieur, Monsieur
An early demo version of "My Love, My Life". The theme of a lost love in Paris would later be revisited in "Our Last Summer". Although the demo has never been released, an extract was heard during a Swedish radio interview with Agnetha Fältskog.
- National Song
A short track recorded for the Australian TV commercial of the National appliances. It is a re-recording of "Fernando" with new lyrics, using the backing track from the song.
"Dum Dum Diddle"
"Dum Dum Diddle", an Arrival album track, which features lead vocals shared by Agnetha FältskogAgnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
and Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Lyngstad
Anni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
, was recorded on 19 July 1976.
On 19 September 1976, ABBA performed the song live as part of the ABBA-dabba-dooo!! TV special.
In 1977, the song was released as a single in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The B-side was "Tiger", another track taken from Arrival. According to Carl Magnus Palm, "Tiger" and "Dum Dum Diddle" can be called direct opposites. While the former track has a rock sound, the latter is "very light-poppy".
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
, the group's lyricist, was deeply dissatisfied with the outcome of his work, explaining that the words were written in the early morning, thus being not as good as he might have expected. In her turn, Lyngstad described the track as "silly".
"When I Kissed the Teacher"
"When I Kissed the Teacher" was recorded on 14 June 1976 at Metronome Studio.While never released as a single, a promotional video was made for "When I Kissed the Teacher" (originally called "Rio de Janiero"). In the video, the teacher was played by Swedish actor Magnus Härenstam
Magnus Härenstam
Johan Herbert Magnus Härenstam is a Swedish television host, actor and comedian. Härenstam hosted the Swedish version of the game-show Jeopardy! for 14 years before being replaced by Adam Alsing...
with Fältskog playing the student. Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
considers this one of his favorite ABBA songs.
The song was included on the greatest hits album More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits
More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits
More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits is compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released in 1993, it was the follow-up to the highly successful ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits, released the previous year, and went on to sell 3 million copies....
and the video was included on The Definitive Collection.
"When I Kissed the Teacher" cover versions
- Belgian singer Ann ChristyAnn Christy (singer)Ann Christy was a Belgian singer who enjoyed success in her native country and is best known internationally for her participation in the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest....
rendered the song in Dutch as "Toen ik de leraar kuste" in 1977. - Indie Cincinnati music artist Fungobat (Mike Hagen) covered the song. It was included on his Greatest Hits Vol. 1 compilation, released through the Old 3C Records indie label.
- The San Francisco Gay Men's ChorusSan Francisco Gay Men's ChorusThe San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus is the world's first openly gay chorus, one of its largest and the group most often credited with creating the LGBT choral movement....
recorded a cover of the song for their 1997 album ExtrABBAganza!. - Studio 99 released a version on their Studio 99 Perform a Tribute to ABBA, Vol. 2 album in 2006.
- Russian metal band Boney Nem recorded a cover of the song.
In popular culture
- ABBAABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
perform parts of the song live in the film ABBA: The MovieABBA: The MovieABBA: The Movie is a 1977 film about the pop group ABBA's Australian tour. It was directed by Lasse Hallström, who directed most of the group's videos. The film has become a cult film among ABBA fans...
(1977).
"Why Did It Have to Be Me?" and "Happy Hawaii"
"Why Did It Have to Be Me?" was originally recorded as "Happy Hawaii" on 26 April 1976 at Metronome Studio. "Happy Hawaii" was originally meant to be unreleased, but was eventually used as the b-side to "Knowing Me, Knowing YouKnowing Me, Knowing You
"Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a hit single recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocal sung by Anni-Frid Lyngstad. During recording sessions, it had the working titles of "Ring It In" and "Number 1, Number 1"...
".
After the melody had slightly been reworked it was re-recorded as the song "Why Did It Have to Be Me?" (which had also been the original working title), and included on Arrival.
Personnel
- Benny AnderssonBenny AnderssonGöran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
– synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, chimes, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Agnetha FältskogAgnetha FältskogAgnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
– vocals - Anni-Frid LyngstadAnni-Frid LyngstadAnni-Frid Prinzessin Reuss von Plauen , is a Norwegian-born Swedish pop singer...
– vocals - Björn UlvaeusBjörn UlvaeusBjörn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
– acoustic guitar, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals
Additional musicians
- Ola BrunkertOla BrunkertOla Brunkert was one of the main session drummers for ABBA. Brunkert and bassist Rutger Gunnarsson are the only two side musicians to appear on every ABBA album....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, strings - Lars Carlsson – saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Anders Dahl – strings
- Malando Gassama – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, rhythm - Anders Glenmark – electric guitar
- Rutger Gunnarsson – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Roger Palm – strings, drums
- Janne Schaffer – electric guitar
- Lasse Wellander – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Production
- Benny Andersson; Björn Ulvaeus - producers
- Michael B. Tretow - engineer
- Benny Andersson; Björn Ulvaeus; Sven-Olof Walldoff - arrangers
- Rutger Gunnarsson - string arrangements
- Ola Lager; Rune Söderqvist - cover design
- Ola Lager - photography
- Jon Astley; Tim Young; Michael B. Tretow - remastering for the 1997 Remasters
- Jon Astley; Michael B. Tretow - remastering for the 2001 Remasters
- Henrik Jonsson - remastering for The Complete Studio Recordings box set
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Australia | 1 |
| 1977 | RPM chart - Canada | 4 |
| CRIA chart - Canada | 8 | |
| 1976 | Italy | 12 |
| France | 15 | |
| West Germany | 1 | |
| 1977 | Mexico English language chart | 1 |
| 1976/1977 | The Netherlands | 1 |
| 1976 | New Zealand | 1 |
| 1976/1977 | Norway | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 | |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | |
| Belgium | 1 | |
| Switzerland | 2 | |
| 1977 | Japan | 3 |
| UK | 1 | |
| Billboard 200 | 20 | |
| 2009 | Finnish Albums Chart | 24 |
UK Chart Position by Week
According to The Official Charts Company, the album spent 79 consecutive weeks in the Top 40 between 27 November 1976 and 9 May 1978.Weekly chart positions from 27 November 1976:
6-3-2-2-2
Weekly chart positions from 8 January 1977 to 10 September 1977:
3-1-2-2-5-10-11-14-9-11-9-3-3-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-3-3-5-5-6-9-14-13-13-12-10-13-18-9-17-25-37-34-33-39-25-31-30-25-30-21-19-22-22
Weekly chart positions from 7 January 1978 and 9 May 1978:
20-21-12-22-25#-30-23-19-13-15-17-19-29-22-25-38-35-37
Note that for the entire run the album charted along with Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (ABBA album)
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1975 . Greatest Hits was rush-released in Scandinavia in November 1975 to counter expected import sales of similar collections released by licencees in Europe, such as French Disques Vogue's ABBA's Greatest Hits and West...
. From the week marked # it also charted along with The Album. At the beginning of March 1978 all three albums were in the Top 15.
Singles
UK Singles Chart| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Dancing Queen" | UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| "Money, Money, Money" | 3 | ||
| 1977 | "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | 1 |
USA
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | "Dancing Queen" | Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| Billboard Adult Contemporary | 6 | ||
| "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | Billboard Hot 100 | 14 | |
| Cashbox singles chart | 11 | ||
| Billboard Adult Contemporary | 7 | ||
| "Money, Money, Money" | Billboard Hot 100 | 56 | |
| Billboard Adult Contemporary | 38 |
Canada
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Dancing Queen" | RPM singles chart | 1 |
| RPM Adult Contemporary chart | 3 | ||
| Steede Report airplay chart | 2 | ||
| 1977 | "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | RPM singles chart | 5 |
| RPM Adult Contemporary chart | 6 | ||
| Steede Report airplay chart | 2 | ||
| "Money, Money, Money" | RPM singles chart | 47 |
Australia
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Fernando" | Australia Singles Chart | 1 |
| "Dancing Queen" | 1 | ||
| "Money, Money, Money" | 1 | ||
| 1977 | "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | 9 |
West Germany
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Dancing Queen" | Sales Chart | 1 |
| "Money, Money, Money" | 1 | ||
| 1977 | "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | 1 |
Norway
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Dancing Queen" | Norway's Single Chart | 1 |
| "Money, Money, Money" | 2 | ||
| 1977 | "Knowing Me, Knowing You" | 6 |
External links
- http://www.abba4therecord.com/ ABBA discography (Arrival releases worldwide)