On and On and On
Encyclopedia
"On and On and On" is a pop song recorded by Swedish
pop group ABBA
in 1980 for their Super Trouper
album.
The track, which had working titles "Esses vad det svänger när man spelar jazz" (roughly translated as "God Almighty How it Swings When You're Playing Jazz") and "'Til the Night is Gone", was released as a single in a few countries, namely the United States
, Japan
, Argentina
, France
and Australia
. The B-side was "The Piper", also taken from the Super Trouper album.
After the mostly-disco Voulez-Vous
album, the Super Trouper album saw ABBA noticeably tone-down the disco flavor of their records, probably due to the disco backlash of the time. As a result, "Lay All Your Love on Me
" and the slightly rock-oriented "On and On and On" would become the group's last new recordings in the genre.
The single reached the top 10 in Australia, where it peaked at number 9. Although the song only managed to reach number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in the U.S., its inclusion on a 12-inch single
with the songs "Super Trouper
" and "Lay All Your Love on Me" merits all three songs as having reached number 1 on the American dance chart
in May 1981.
An early mix of the song was used in the accompanying music video
, but not released on record in stereo until 2011, and it features an extra verse:
And for the first time since ABBA made music videos, "On and On and On" music video did not feature any live movement of ABBA, instead, a photo montage was made from their Las Vegas, United States tour was used to (somehow) match the action of the photos with song.
The song is in the Dorian mode
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
pop group ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
in 1980 for their Super Trouper
Super Trouper (album)
Super Trouper is the seventh studio album by Swedish pop group ABBA, first released in 1980 .-Overview:Led by the international hit "The Winner Takes It All", Super Trouper was the group's sixth chart-topping album in the UK. It was also the best-selling album in Britain for 1980...
album.
The track, which had working titles "Esses vad det svänger när man spelar jazz" (roughly translated as "God Almighty How it Swings When You're Playing Jazz") and "'Til the Night is Gone", was released as a single in a few countries, namely the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The B-side was "The Piper", also taken from the Super Trouper album.
After the mostly-disco Voulez-Vous
Voulez-Vous
-CD re-issues, bonus tracks:Voulez-Vous was remastered and reissued in 1997 with two bonus tracks:"Summer Night City" – 3:34 "Lovelight" – 3:18Voulez-Vous was remastered and reissued in 2001 with three other bonus tracks:...
album, the Super Trouper album saw ABBA noticeably tone-down the disco flavor of their records, probably due to the disco backlash of the time. As a result, "Lay All Your Love on Me
Lay All Your Love on Me
"Lay All Your Love on Me", is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1980 for their Super Trouper album. It was released only as a 12-inch single in 1981 in limited territories, rather than as a standard 7-inch record. At the time, it was the highest selling 12-inch record in UK chart...
" and the slightly rock-oriented "On and On and On" would become the group's last new recordings in the genre.
The single reached the top 10 in Australia, where it peaked at number 9. Although the song only managed to reach number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in the U.S., its inclusion on a 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
with the songs "Super Trouper
Super Trouper (song)
-A-Teens version:"Super Trouper" was A-Teens' second single from their 1st album The ABBA Generation, a cover of ABBA's song. When the single came out in the fall of 1999, it became a hit around the globe, just as its predecessor "Mamma Mia", also an ABBA cover...
" and "Lay All Your Love on Me" merits all three songs as having reached number 1 on the American dance chart
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
in May 1981.
An early mix of the song was used in the accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, but not released on record in stereo until 2011, and it features an extra verse:
- "Standing up is scary if you think you're gonna fall /
- Like a Humpty-Dumpty 'fraid of falling off your wall /
- I say if you ever wanna know what's going on /
- Gotta keep on rocking baby, 'till the night is gone..."
And for the first time since ABBA made music videos, "On and On and On" music video did not feature any live movement of ABBA, instead, a photo montage was made from their Las Vegas, United States tour was used to (somehow) match the action of the photos with song.
The song is in the Dorian mode
Dorian mode
Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different musical modes or diatonic scales, the Greek, the medieval, and the modern.- Greek Dorian mode :...
.
Chart placings
| Charts (1980/1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 9 |
| France | 18 |
| Japan | 52 |
| USA | 90 |
Cover versions
- The song's chorus has a backing vocals arrangement clearly influenced by one of 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!...
's favorite bands, The Beach BoysThe Beach BoysThe Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, and in particular their 1968 hit "Do It Again". In 1981, Beach Boys member Mike LoveMike LoveMichael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
returned the compliment by covering "On and On and On" on his solo album Looking Back with LoveLooking Back with LoveLooking Back With Love is Mike Love's only solo album. It was released in 1981 under Boardwalk Records. The track "Be My Baby" was produced by Brian Wilson, who also sings background vocals on the cut....
. It was also included years later on the 1999 compilation ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration. - The 1992 compilation ABBA: The Tribute contained a cover by Swedish rock musician/singer Mats RonanderMats RonanderMats Ronander, born 1 April 1954 in Sundsvall, Sweden, is a Swedish rock musician, guitar player, producer and composer.- Biography :Mats was born in Sundsvall, but grew up in Örebro. At the age of sixteen he succeeded Peps Persson as singer in the band Blues Quality. He was a member in the band...
. - The 1995 New Zealand compilation AbbasalutelyAbbasalutelyAbbasalutely is a compilation album released in 1995 by New Zealand recording label Flying Nun Records as a tribute album to ABBA.-Track listing:-External links:*...
contains a cover by Tall DwarfsTall DwarfsTall Dwarfs are a New Zealand rock band formed in 1981 by Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate who, through their do-it-yourself ethic, helped pioneer the lo-fi style of rock music. The duo formed out of the ashes of Toy Love....
. - 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!. - An eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
cover by Italian act Raffa was released as a single in 1997. - Almighty RecordsAlmighty RecordsAlmighty Records is a British recording label and remix production team founded in 1989, releasing their first single in the same year. Producing mainly Dance-Pop and Hi-NRG music, the label is best known for releasing remakes and remixes of mainstream pop songs...
released several eurodance cover remixes of the song from the group Abbacadabra during the late 1990s. Various remixes can be found on the 2008 compilation We Love ABBA: The Mamma Mia Dance Compilation. Audio samples can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.