The Winner's Gonna Take It All: The final...
- Thread starter Remorque
- Start date
He/Him
I'm writing it up as we speak, sis.
He/Him
9.
'...And when you go... when you slam the door... I think you know that you won't be away too long... You know that I'm not that strong....'
- Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in Mamma Mia -
Frida's coat! I can't...
Average: 9.1196
Highest score: 1 * 11.00 - @ohnostalgia
23 * 10.00 - @Angeleyes @Mina @hownee @GhettoPrincess @SecretsOfFatima @chris4862 @WhipperSnapper @AllGagaLike @CasperFan @WhatKindOfKylie? @tylerc904 @Sprockrooster @DJHazey @Gotnomoretosay @ufint @Mumty @Terminus @idratherjack @bichard @kalonite @LTG @haps @Remorque
Lowest score: 1 * 5.00 - @cityofdoomsday
My score: 10.00
Are y'all as surprised as I am this isn't top 5? I thought it was a dead cert...
ABBA's self-titled third album loses its second-to-last track in the form of Mamma Mia, which means it's left standing in our countdown with only S.O.S. hanging on for dear life...
The song was recorded in March 1975 and was the last song to be finished for the album, yet was never intended to be released as a single though... Because the album was failing to sell in a lot of areas, the band were shopping around songs to other groups and Mamma Mia was first offered to fellow Eurovisioners Brotherhood of Man, but they weren't interested and declined the offer... Poor them, eh.
The surprise success of I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do in Australia (it stayed at the top of the charts for three weeks over there) made their Australian record company take notice of other tracks on the album and they demanded Mamma Mia would be released as a single... The boys were hesitant at first, because they only saw it as an album track and didn't see the single material in it at all, yet their manager Stig Anderson agreed with RCA and the rest is history... The song stayed at no. 1 for ten weeks straight and propelled ABBA to superstars down under.
Epic Records, their record company for the United Kingdom caught wind of their whirlwind succes in Australia and actually made them invest in the band for the first time since winning the Eurovision Song Contest the year before... Hence, them releasing S.O.S. in september 1975, it becoming a top 10 hit, following that up with the single release for Mamma Mia in January of '76 and it ultimately reaching the top spot over there too, earning the band their biggest hit since Waterloo in 1974...
It also reached no. 1 in Germany, Switzerland and Ireland, was a top three hit in Belgium, Austria, Norway and New Zealand and became a top 10 hit in South Africa too. The song was quite a hit for the band on the other side of the Atlantic as well, reaching the top 15 in both the United States and Canada...
ABBA were on the rise.
I gave it top points, because it's an iconic song that played a huge deal in the history of the band. Giving it a 5 is fucking blasphemy on all accounts. Just sayin'...
The first person of our esteemed panel of judges to comment is GhettoPrincess, who simply states it's "AMAZING. That production, the girls' vocals…. what a stone cold classic bop. I love how the pace changes so often in the song and yet it flows perfectly.". SecretsOfFatima agrees that it's "Iconic, simple as. Such a simple basic melody yet builds into a glorious, intricate pop song. Rightfully put them back on top in the UK (even though S.O.S. should’ve gone to #1, not #6).", with ufint getting punny, saying it's "So iconic with one of the most memorable hooks in the history of music. How can I resist it?" and Mina calling it "Quintessential pop." and getting it spot on.
Hudweiser is of mind that "After Dancing Queen this must be their most overplayed record now. So close to perfect it's insane. I think if they'd written it later it would be a lot more layered and complex. Iconic dressware in the video too.", while chris4862 admits "that I don't give this song much love, but it is undeniably a gem.".
Poor ol' Sprockrooster joins ufint in giving us da puns with "How can I resist you? Not 11-ing this. How could I resist? Tactics and saving an other song hopefully. Yes, I will be broken hearted if this is outside of the top 3."... Sis, what song did you '11' again?
It's "A classic," to P'nutbutter and "almost a 10.", with Filippa giving out the exact same score of 9,50, admitting it's "Not my favourite but now that’s what I call ABBA.", simultaneously stating it's also "One of their TOP Songs.".
It's "A bona fide classic-" for CasperFan, "from the opening notes to music-lite chorus, brilliant vocals, great melody and rousing end chorus.".
WhatKindOfKylie? is transported to ancient times after listening to Mamma Mia, serenading "Oh how I love thee!!! Once this one comes on, I just wanna crank up the volume and belt this one out, without a care in the world. Some might say however, that the song itself has been unfairly eclipsed by the musical of the same name and the equally brilliant and iconic music video for it, which has near enough every ABBA promo video trademark going.".
constantino pleads "Don’t @ me but this has never been a fave of mine, the post-chorus refrain is fantastic, mind.", giving it an 8, which is the exact same score Mikey1701 gave it, thinking "It’s easy to see why this was a runaway success: great production, the girls' harmonies sl*ying hard and the melody is infectious and catchy as you would expect from an ABBA smash. In many respects, this is a perfect example of their early wall-of-sound signature sound. It’s a glorious, instant cacophony of noise.". A little bit of tactical scoring on your part, sis?
"For many years" it has been bichard's "favourite ABBA song, and still amazing today. The way it drops out for the chorus is brilliantly subversive. How I Do X a million was chosen over this remains a pop conundrum for the ages. And what the fuck were they thinking when they dropped it from the 1979 tour setlist? Sacrilege!". Came to me as a big surprise too when I found out it wasn't performed...
tylerc904 isn't equally as convinced though, thinking "Sometimes I don’t know if this belongs in their upper echelon, but I am always reminded when I play the chorus. “Yes I’ll be broken hearted, blue since the day we parted” is top-tier ABBA in both sad lyrics and melody.".
It's "Probably" TrueBeliever's "most played track on my iPod, as it’s what automatically plays first every damn time it crashes. Otherwise, it’s a classic, over-played, marvellous ABBA tune.", with kalonite saying the song "Never fails to cheer me up." and idratherjack stating it's "Perfectly crafted pop and proof that ABBA were something special and here to stay.".
The video, directed by Lasse Halström, started a trend of awkward close-ups, which became somewhat of a trademark for the band in their videos...
The song was promoted rather heavily around the time of release in countries such as the United States in '75...
...in Australia that same year...
...live in the United Kingdom on Top of the Pops in 1976...
- Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad in Mamma Mia -
Frida's coat! I can't...
Average: 9.1196
Highest score: 1 * 11.00 - @ohnostalgia
23 * 10.00 - @Angeleyes @Mina @hownee @GhettoPrincess @SecretsOfFatima @chris4862 @WhipperSnapper @AllGagaLike @CasperFan @WhatKindOfKylie? @tylerc904 @Sprockrooster @DJHazey @Gotnomoretosay @ufint @Mumty @Terminus @idratherjack @bichard @kalonite @LTG @haps @Remorque
Lowest score: 1 * 5.00 - @cityofdoomsday
My score: 10.00
Are y'all as surprised as I am this isn't top 5? I thought it was a dead cert...
ABBA's self-titled third album loses its second-to-last track in the form of Mamma Mia, which means it's left standing in our countdown with only S.O.S. hanging on for dear life...
The song was recorded in March 1975 and was the last song to be finished for the album, yet was never intended to be released as a single though... Because the album was failing to sell in a lot of areas, the band were shopping around songs to other groups and Mamma Mia was first offered to fellow Eurovisioners Brotherhood of Man, but they weren't interested and declined the offer... Poor them, eh.
The surprise success of I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do in Australia (it stayed at the top of the charts for three weeks over there) made their Australian record company take notice of other tracks on the album and they demanded Mamma Mia would be released as a single... The boys were hesitant at first, because they only saw it as an album track and didn't see the single material in it at all, yet their manager Stig Anderson agreed with RCA and the rest is history... The song stayed at no. 1 for ten weeks straight and propelled ABBA to superstars down under.
Epic Records, their record company for the United Kingdom caught wind of their whirlwind succes in Australia and actually made them invest in the band for the first time since winning the Eurovision Song Contest the year before... Hence, them releasing S.O.S. in september 1975, it becoming a top 10 hit, following that up with the single release for Mamma Mia in January of '76 and it ultimately reaching the top spot over there too, earning the band their biggest hit since Waterloo in 1974...
It also reached no. 1 in Germany, Switzerland and Ireland, was a top three hit in Belgium, Austria, Norway and New Zealand and became a top 10 hit in South Africa too. The song was quite a hit for the band on the other side of the Atlantic as well, reaching the top 15 in both the United States and Canada...
ABBA were on the rise.
I gave it top points, because it's an iconic song that played a huge deal in the history of the band. Giving it a 5 is fucking blasphemy on all accounts. Just sayin'...
The first person of our esteemed panel of judges to comment is GhettoPrincess, who simply states it's "AMAZING. That production, the girls' vocals…. what a stone cold classic bop. I love how the pace changes so often in the song and yet it flows perfectly.". SecretsOfFatima agrees that it's "Iconic, simple as. Such a simple basic melody yet builds into a glorious, intricate pop song. Rightfully put them back on top in the UK (even though S.O.S. should’ve gone to #1, not #6).", with ufint getting punny, saying it's "So iconic with one of the most memorable hooks in the history of music. How can I resist it?" and Mina calling it "Quintessential pop." and getting it spot on.
Hudweiser is of mind that "After Dancing Queen this must be their most overplayed record now. So close to perfect it's insane. I think if they'd written it later it would be a lot more layered and complex. Iconic dressware in the video too.", while chris4862 admits "that I don't give this song much love, but it is undeniably a gem.".
Poor ol' Sprockrooster joins ufint in giving us da puns with "How can I resist you? Not 11-ing this. How could I resist? Tactics and saving an other song hopefully. Yes, I will be broken hearted if this is outside of the top 3."... Sis, what song did you '11' again?
It's "A classic," to P'nutbutter and "almost a 10.", with Filippa giving out the exact same score of 9,50, admitting it's "Not my favourite but now that’s what I call ABBA.", simultaneously stating it's also "One of their TOP Songs.".
It's "A bona fide classic-" for CasperFan, "from the opening notes to music-lite chorus, brilliant vocals, great melody and rousing end chorus.".
WhatKindOfKylie? is transported to ancient times after listening to Mamma Mia, serenading "Oh how I love thee!!! Once this one comes on, I just wanna crank up the volume and belt this one out, without a care in the world. Some might say however, that the song itself has been unfairly eclipsed by the musical of the same name and the equally brilliant and iconic music video for it, which has near enough every ABBA promo video trademark going.".
constantino pleads "Don’t @ me but this has never been a fave of mine, the post-chorus refrain is fantastic, mind.", giving it an 8, which is the exact same score Mikey1701 gave it, thinking "It’s easy to see why this was a runaway success: great production, the girls' harmonies sl*ying hard and the melody is infectious and catchy as you would expect from an ABBA smash. In many respects, this is a perfect example of their early wall-of-sound signature sound. It’s a glorious, instant cacophony of noise.". A little bit of tactical scoring on your part, sis?
"For many years" it has been bichard's "favourite ABBA song, and still amazing today. The way it drops out for the chorus is brilliantly subversive. How I Do X a million was chosen over this remains a pop conundrum for the ages. And what the fuck were they thinking when they dropped it from the 1979 tour setlist? Sacrilege!". Came to me as a big surprise too when I found out it wasn't performed...
tylerc904 isn't equally as convinced though, thinking "Sometimes I don’t know if this belongs in their upper echelon, but I am always reminded when I play the chorus. “Yes I’ll be broken hearted, blue since the day we parted” is top-tier ABBA in both sad lyrics and melody.".
It's "Probably" TrueBeliever's "most played track on my iPod, as it’s what automatically plays first every damn time it crashes. Otherwise, it’s a classic, over-played, marvellous ABBA tune.", with kalonite saying the song "Never fails to cheer me up." and idratherjack stating it's "Perfectly crafted pop and proof that ABBA were something special and here to stay.".
The video, directed by Lasse Halström, started a trend of awkward close-ups, which became somewhat of a trademark for the band in their videos...
The song was promoted rather heavily around the time of release in countries such as the United States in '75...
...in Australia that same year...
...live in the United Kingdom on Top of the Pops in 1976...
He/Him
...and live in the United States again that same year.
Among many others.
The song was performed during ABBA: The Movie in 1977...
...but was never part of the setlist for their 1979 world tour.
The band also re-recorded Mamma Mia in Spanish for their 1980 Gracias Por La Musica album.
In 1976 French singer Karen Cheryl recorded a version in French, called Oh! Mamma Mia...
...and almost twenty years later in 1995, New Zealand alternative rock band The 3Ds recorded a cover for the Abbasalutely compilation album...
Among many others.
The song was performed during ABBA: The Movie in 1977...
...but was never part of the setlist for their 1979 world tour.
The band also re-recorded Mamma Mia in Spanish for their 1980 Gracias Por La Musica album.
In 1976 French singer Karen Cheryl recorded a version in French, called Oh! Mamma Mia...
...and almost twenty years later in 1995, New Zealand alternative rock band The 3Ds recorded a cover for the Abbasalutely compilation album...
He/Him
...with Hazell Dean releasing her cover on her 1996 tribute album The Winner Takes It All: Hazell Dean Sings ABBA.
Here's the Matt Pop remix of her version...
A year later in 1997, ska band Five Iron Frenzy recorded their version of Mamma Mia...
...with the A*Teens (then called ABBA*Teens) releasing their cover of the song in 1999, starting their pop career. It became quite a success for the band, reaching the top spot in their native Sweden, staying there for eight consecutive weeks. It also reached the top 20 in a lot of other countries and was a certified hit, peaking new interest in ABBA for a whole new generation.
The A*Teens also recorded their version in Spanish to promote the band in Latin America.
Danish singer Kate Hall used the A*Teens' backing track for her version, recorded for the German version of the ABBAMania compilation album...
Here's the Matt Pop remix of her version...
A year later in 1997, ska band Five Iron Frenzy recorded their version of Mamma Mia...
...with the A*Teens (then called ABBA*Teens) releasing their cover of the song in 1999, starting their pop career. It became quite a success for the band, reaching the top spot in their native Sweden, staying there for eight consecutive weeks. It also reached the top 20 in a lot of other countries and was a certified hit, peaking new interest in ABBA for a whole new generation.
The A*Teens also recorded their version in Spanish to promote the band in Latin America.
Danish singer Kate Hall used the A*Teens' backing track for her version, recorded for the German version of the ABBAMania compilation album...
He/Him
...with Martine McCutcheon releasing her version on the English ABBAMania album.
Abbacadabra released their Hi-NRG version of the song during the late 90s...
...with Swedish rock band The Black Sweden combining their version of Mamma Mia with the riff from Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water on their Gold ABBA tribute album.
Hungarian jazz vocal group Cotton Club Singers recorded their cover for their 2005 ABBA Jazz Live 1 album...
...German AC/DC tribute band Riff Raff recording their version for their 2006 album Rock 'N' Roll Mutation Vol. 1: Riff Raff Performs ABBA...
Abbacadabra released their Hi-NRG version of the song during the late 90s...
...with Swedish rock band The Black Sweden combining their version of Mamma Mia with the riff from Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water on their Gold ABBA tribute album.
Hungarian jazz vocal group Cotton Club Singers recorded their cover for their 2005 ABBA Jazz Live 1 album...
...German AC/DC tribute band Riff Raff recording their version for their 2006 album Rock 'N' Roll Mutation Vol. 1: Riff Raff Performs ABBA...
He/Him
...and punk ABBA tribute band Gabba delivering their version not in an AC/DC way, but in a Ramones style.
Shana Vanguarde released a dance version of the song...
...American indie alternative rock band Miniature Tigers recorded a cover of the song in 2010...
...and a year later British folk punk band Smokey Bastard covered Mamma Mia on their album Tales From The Wasteland.
In 1993, the song was featured in the Australian movie Priscilla: Queen of the Desert...
Shana Vanguarde released a dance version of the song...
...American indie alternative rock band Miniature Tigers recorded a cover of the song in 2010...
...and a year later British folk punk band Smokey Bastard covered Mamma Mia on their album Tales From The Wasteland.
In 1993, the song was featured in the Australian movie Priscilla: Queen of the Desert...
D
Deleted member 312
Oh for Christ's sake. I despair, I really do. This should easily be top 5 over some of the songs left. Only SOS remains as an absolute, top-tier ABBA song for me now. That'll probably be out next.
And honestly, I also despair of the boys. In what world did they deem I Do a single but Mamma Mia only an album track? Maybe in the Upside Down...
And honestly, I also despair of the boys. In what world did they deem I Do a single but Mamma Mia only an album track? Maybe in the Upside Down...
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So my 11 is still here and Mamma Mia isnot. That is a surprising turn of events.
she/her
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
Fine then.
No! Thought this would be top 5! Oh well.
he/him
Slightly, yes, but there's still no way that Dancing Queen and The Day Before You Came should've beaten it.
Imagine if The Day Before sweeps to victory!
Arrrrgh you fucks rated 'Dancing Queen' into the top 10??? It's a classic, but no no no.