"Dum Dum Diddle" is a song by

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...

, released on their 1976 album '' Arrival''. In 1977 it was released as a promo single in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

on the

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

label.

Production

When asked "how did BBAmanage to make such a ridiculous and quite banal song s Dum Dum Diddlecome alive", Björn Again founder Rod Leissle said "I think ABBA had a special quality about them. They could put ridiculous lyrics into a song, and because they were fundamentally great songwriters they could make it work. A line like 'Dum Dum Diddle, to be your fiddle' doesn't really make a great deal of sense, but it still works because it's something you can sing along to and enjoy".

Composition

"Dum Dum Diddle" is a folk-inspired pop song. The song has Lasse Wellander's acoustic guitar in the verses. Benny plays piano during the breaks between the girls' "woh-woh" vocals. The song has a fiddle-style refrain (simulated by a synthesiser), which serves as its hook. It contains a "stream of strong melodies and instrumentation". The lead vocals are shared by

Agnetha Fältskog Agneta Åse Fältskog (born 5 April 1950), known as Agnetha Fältskog (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and musician. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 self-titled debut album. She later achieved internatio ...

and

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on 15 November 1945), also known by her nickname "Frida", is a Norwegian-born Swedish singer, songwriter and environmentalist, who is best known as one of the foun ...

Synopsis

The song is about a woman who quietly longs for the affections of a sad, lonely man who derives his only pleasure from constantly playing and practicing on his violin. ''The Guardian'' described it as "a song about a woman who feels sexually threatened by her partner's violin".

Critical reception

''Abba's Abba Gold'' suggests that ABBA criticised the song, but adds that the writers of the book like it. ''Abba - Uncensored on the Record'' said the "unfortunately titled song ... seemed like a reversion to Eurovision-style thinking". ''The complete New Zealand music charts, 1966-2006'' describes the song as "rather silly but fun". ''Bright Lights Dark Shadows: The Real Story of Abba'' implied that Eagle was more lyrically ambitious than "the 'dum dum diddles' of ABBA's earlier work". ''The Los Angeles Times'' described the song as "cheery nonsense". ''The Scotsman'' implied that "Dum Dum Diddle" was a bad song by saying: "LIFE – to quote Toni Collette in ''Muriel's Wedding'' – can be 'as good as an Abba song' but the clunky transfer of ''Mamma Mia!'' from stage to screen proves that it can be just as awful as 'Dum Dum Diddle' too."

Covers

Helen Sjöholm Marie Helen Sjöholm (; born 10 July 1970) is a Swedish singer, actress and musical theatre performer who lives in Gamla Enskede in Stockholm. She grew up in Sundsvall and started to sing in choirs at an early age, working, among others, with S ...

has performed "Dum Dum Diddle", accompanied by Orsa Spelman's Kalle Moraeus on the fiddle.

References

{{Authority control 1976 singles 1976 songs ABBA songs Atlantic Records singles Epic Records singles Polar Music singles Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus