Summer Night City
Encyclopedia
"Summer Night City", written by Björn Ulvaeus
and Benny Andersson
, is ABBA
's 2nd non-album single, released on September 6, 1978. It was originally intended as the lead single
from the group's upcoming Voulez-Vous album, but was eventually not included. However, it was included as a bonus track on the 1997 CD re-issue.
, Polar Music
Studio, had opened in May, but had not been ready to use initially, so the primary backing track had been recorded at Metronome
Studio. A 43-second ballad-style introduction to the song had been edited out to improve the overall quality, but nothing seemed to work. Allegedly, mixing the single took at least a week, far more than it took to mix any other track in ABBA's recording history. A reluctant ABBA decided to release the song as a single in September despite their disappointment with the track as it was. The group still performed the song live on their 1979 world tour, though with the original introduction that had been removed in the studio recording. The unreleased version with the extended intro was finally released as part of the box set Thank You for the Music
.
The single's B-side
was a medley of the American traditional songs "Pick a Bale of Cotton", "On Top of Old Smokey", and "Midnight Special
", which the group had recorded in 1975. This was the only song released by ABBA that was not written by any of the members themselves. On the single, "Medley" was actually a remix of the original 1975 version that had been issued on the German charity album Stars Im Zeichen Eines Guten Sterns (Polydor). However, the 1978 mix is very similar, so much so that a mistake was made in the booklet notes of the 1994 4-CD boxed set Thank You for the Music
. It turned out that the 1975 mix was included in that set but it was claimed to be the 1978 mix. The Medley mystery was allegedly solved when the UK single master tapes were returned by Epic Records
to Polar Music
in Sweden in the early 2000s. As the UK tapes had definitely included the 1978 mix, it then became possible to determine which mix was which. An explanation of this by ABBA expert Carl Magnus Palm appeared on his website.
, Finland
and Sweden
; the group's last #1 in their home country. It also reached the Top 5 in Belgium
, the United Kingdom
, the Netherlands
, Norway
, Rhodesia
, and Switzerland
, the Top10 in Canada
by Atlantic Records and finally appeared a year later on Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (ABBA album)
.
"Summer Night City" was, however, the group's 1st single since "S.O.S.
" not to reach the UK Top 3. Despite this, the song makes small appearances in the musical Mamma Mia!
. Samples from the song appear in scrambled "nightmare" form during the ent'racte, and is also scene change music between the songs "The Winner Takes It All
" and "Take a Chance on Me
."
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!...
and 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!...
, is 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...
's 2nd non-album single, released on September 6, 1978. It was originally intended as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from the group's upcoming Voulez-Vous album, but was eventually not included. However, it was included as a bonus track on the 1997 CD re-issue.
History
The recording sessions for "Summer Night City" began in early 1978. It had the Working Title (Kalle Skändare). ABBA's new recording studioRecording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, Polar Music
Polar Music
Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...
Studio, had opened in May, but had not been ready to use initially, so the primary backing track had been recorded at Metronome
Metronome
A metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
Studio. A 43-second ballad-style introduction to the song had been edited out to improve the overall quality, but nothing seemed to work. Allegedly, mixing the single took at least a week, far more than it took to mix any other track in ABBA's recording history. A reluctant ABBA decided to release the song as a single in September despite their disappointment with the track as it was. The group still performed the song live on their 1979 world tour, though with the original introduction that had been removed in the studio recording. The unreleased version with the extended intro was finally released as part of the box set Thank You for the Music
Thank You for the Music (album)
-Disc 2:-Disc 3:-Disc 4:-Personnel:ABBA*Benny Andersson - synthesizer, keyboards, vocals*Agnetha Fältskog - vocals*Anni-Frid Lyngstad - vocals*Björn Ulvaeus - acoustic guitar, guitar, vocalsAdditional personnel*Ulf Andersson - saxophone...
.
The single's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
was a medley of the American traditional songs "Pick a Bale of Cotton", "On Top of Old Smokey", and "Midnight Special
Midnight Special (song)
"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" ....
", which the group had recorded in 1975. This was the only song released by ABBA that was not written by any of the members themselves. On the single, "Medley" was actually a remix of the original 1975 version that had been issued on the German charity album Stars Im Zeichen Eines Guten Sterns (Polydor). However, the 1978 mix is very similar, so much so that a mistake was made in the booklet notes of the 1994 4-CD boxed set Thank You for the Music
Thank You for the Music (album)
-Disc 2:-Disc 3:-Disc 4:-Personnel:ABBA*Benny Andersson - synthesizer, keyboards, vocals*Agnetha Fältskog - vocals*Anni-Frid Lyngstad - vocals*Björn Ulvaeus - acoustic guitar, guitar, vocalsAdditional personnel*Ulf Andersson - saxophone...
. It turned out that the 1975 mix was included in that set but it was claimed to be the 1978 mix. The Medley mystery was allegedly solved when the UK single master tapes were returned by Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
to Polar Music
Polar Music
Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. The first act that it signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity producing Ulvæus' next group, international superstars ABBA...
in Sweden in the early 2000s. As the UK tapes had definitely included the 1978 mix, it then became possible to determine which mix was which. An explanation of this by ABBA expert Carl Magnus Palm appeared on his website.
Reception
Despite the group's negative views of the song, "Summer Night City" was another sizeable hit for ABBA, topping the charts in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Sweden
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....
; the group's last #1 in their home country. It also reached the Top 5 in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Top10 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
by Atlantic Records and finally appeared a year later on Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (ABBA album)
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (ABBA album)
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is a compilation album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in October 1979 to coincide with their tour of North America and Europe...
.
"Summer Night City" was, however, the group's 1st single since "S.O.S.
SOS (ABBA song)
Agnetha Fältskog's version was the second single from her fifth Swedish solo-album Elva kvinnor i ett hus . It was the only song from this album not to have been composed by Fältskog herself....
" not to reach the UK Top 3. Despite this, the song makes small appearances in the musical Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
. Samples from the song appear in scrambled "nightmare" form during the ent'racte, and is also scene change music between the songs "The Winner Takes It All
The Winner Takes It All
"The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group's Super Trouper album on July 21, 1980, it is a ballad in the key of F-sharp major, reflecting the end of a romance...
" and "Take a Chance on Me
Take a Chance on Me
"Take a Chance on Me" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, simply called The Album. The song has been featured on a number of ABBA compilations such as ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits.-History:The working title of "Take a...
."
Chart positions
| Chart (1978) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
13 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
18 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 2 |
| British Singles Chart | 5 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 34 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
5 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 15 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
6 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Japanese Singles Chart | 24 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 37 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
3 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Mexico | 10 |
| Zimbabwe | 4 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
5 |
Cover versions
- The digipack edition of Swedish Symphonic metalSymphonic metalSymphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
band TherionTherion (band)Therion is a Swedish symphonic metal band founded by Christofer Johnsson in 1987. The word "therion" comes from the Greek therion , meaning "Beast," i.e., that of the Christian Book of Revelation...
's Secret of the RunesSecret of the Runes (album)Secret of the Runes is the tenth full-length musical album by symphonic metal band Therion. Cover artwork was made by Thomas Ewerhard. A music video was filmed for the Summer Night City cover.-Track listing:# "Ginnungagap " - 6:10...
album from 2001 contains their coverCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of this song. There is also a live version on their Live in MidgårdLive in MidgårdLive in Midgård is the first official live album released by Swedish heavy metal band Therion. This double-disc album was recorded in Colombia, Germany and Hungary during the Secret of the Runes world tour in autumn and winter 2001...
album. They also produced a music videoMusic videoA 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...
for the studio version of the cover. - Swedish musician Nils Landgren covered the song on his album Funky ABBA from 2004.
- In 2005, IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Offer NissimOffer NissimOffer Nissim is a popular Israeli DJ and producer. He was born in 1964 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Nissim produces house music in mostly tribal, hard and progressive styles, including exclusive tracks featuring female vocalists and Meital De Razon...
did a dance cover of "Summer Night City" on his album First Time. This version omits some of the original lyrics of the song and features singer Maya SimantovMaya SimantovDance-R&B singer-songwriter Maya Simantov , also known as Maya, was born and raised in Israel to a Jewish family. Maya's debut dance album First Time received acknowledgment as one of Israel's all-time best dance albums and was released internationally by Star69 Records.In 2005 Maya recorded...
on vocals. - Dance versions of the song have been recorded by Angeleyes on their 1999 ABBAdance album, Jill Dreski, Astaire, Australian singer Donna BurkeDonna BurkeDonna Burke, a singer, narrator, and entrepreneur, was born in Perth, Australia, and moved to Tokyo, Japan in 1996. She lives with her guitarist and husband Bill Benfield and her three cats....
on the 2001 Japanese ABBA Ibiza Caliente Mix compilation, and DJ Ensamble on the 2006 album Trancing Queen. - Various eurotrance cover remixes by Abbacadabra were released through 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...
during the 1990s. The song was most recently included on the 2008 compilation We Love ABBA: The Mamma Mia Dance Collection. Audio samples can be heard on the official Almighty Records website. - In 2009, RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
singer Roma Kenga released an English language eurotrance cover of the song.