Greatest Hits (ABBA album)
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''Greatest Hits'' is a compilation album by the
Swedish pop Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
group
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's ...
. It was originally released in Scandinavia on 17 November 1975 and in other parts of the world in 1976, notably the UK on 10 April, and on 18 September in the US and Canada. The 1976 version of the album included the band's most recent single "
Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
". The album was released in response to similar ABBA compilation albums being issued at the time by record labels in other countries who had licensed ABBA's music for release in their own territories, and the threat of import sales of those compilations impacting upon ABBA's home market. This meant that the success of ''Greatest Hits'' was largely confined to Scandinavia and the UK, although the size of the latter market and the scale of its success there has ensured that ''Greatest Hits'' is one of ABBA's best-selling albums worldwide. The album was the best-selling album of 1976 in the UK, and the country's second-best selling album of the decade.


Background

ABBA had won the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
in April 1974 with the song " Waterloo", which went on to be a major hit across Europe and in Australia and New Zealand. However, the immediate follow-up singles did not meet with the same success, and it wasn't until over a year later that "
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" is song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the third single to be released from their third studio album, ''ABBA'' (1975). The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and their manager Stig Anderson, and ...
", " SOS" and " Mamma Mia" became worldwide hits and reignited interest in the band. To capitalise on this resurgence of interest, several labels around the world released their own licensed compilations of ABBA's singles up to and including "Mamma Mia" – these included a similarly-titled ''Greatest Hits'' by France's Disques Vogue, and '' The Best of ABBA'', released by West Germany's division of
Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
and by
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...
in Australia and New Zealand. To counteract the possibility of import sales from these records in Scandinavia, ABBA's record label
Polar Music Polar Music is a Swedish record company founded in 1963 by Stig Anderson and his friend Bengt Bernhag. Background The first act that Polar Music signed was the Hootenanny Singers featuring Björn Ulvaeus. Polar eventually gained prosperity pr ...
rush-released their own version of ''Greatest Hits''.


Release

The tracks were taken from ABBA's first three studio albums, '' Ring Ring'', '' Waterloo'' and ''
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's ...
'', and with the exception of "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" had all been released as singles somewhere in the world. Despite the title of the compilation, only half of the tracks had actually charted as hit singles in major territories. " Waterloo", " SOS", " Mamma Mia" and (later) "
Fernando Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
" were top 10 hits in the UK and several other countries, though only the first of these was a top 10 hit in the US. Other hits in multiple territories included "
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" is song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the third single to be released from their third studio album, ''ABBA'' (1975). The song was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and their manager Stig Anderson, and ...
" (a top 10 hit in several countries, a number one in Australia, and a top 20 hit in the US, though barely cracking the top 40 in the UK), "
Honey, Honey "Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, '' Waterloo'', after the success of the title track at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. History "Honey, Honey" was ...
" (a top 20 hit in several countries and a top 30 hit in the US), "
Hasta Mañana "Hasta Mañana" (Spanish for "Until tomorrow") is the fourth track on Swedish pop group ABBA's second studio album, '' Waterloo''. It was released in 1974 as the album's third and final single. Background Initially fearing that " Waterloo" migh ...
" (a top 10 hit in South Africa and New Zealand and a top 20 hit in Australia), and " So Long" (a top 20 hit in Germany and a top 10 hit in Sweden and Denmark). " Ring Ring" reached number one in Belgium and Sweden, and went top ten in a few other markets. "
Nina, Pretty Ballerina "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" is a song recorded in November 1972 by Swedish pop group ABBA, and released on 7" vinyl record in Austria and France in October 1973 as the seventh and final single from the band's debut album '' Ring Ring''. It reached ...
" was an A side in only a few territories, reaching number 8 in Austria, "
Another Town, Another Train "Another Town, Another Train" was a song recorded by Sweden, Swedish pop music, pop group ABBA at KMH Studios. The song was released as a 7" vinyl single in Japan in March 1973 to promote the group's debut album ''Ring Ring (album), Ring Ring''; ...
" was a B side in most territories, but reached number 18 in Rhodesia. "
People Need Love "People Need Love" is the debut single recorded in March 1972 by Swedish pop group ABBA, at the time known as 'Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid'. The song was on the group's first album, '' Ring Ring'', released in 1973. Track listing # A. "P ...
" was a radio hit in several US regions, but didn't chart higher than #114 nationally (on the
Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
chart). "
Bang-a-boomerang "Bang-A-Boomerang" is a song by ABBA, first released by Svenne & Lotta (both Swedish and English-language versions). The track was first recorded as a demo with English lyrics (but without any recorded vocals) in September 1974 by the ABBA musi ...
" was an A side in France, where it was a minor hit. A few more songs had been issued as singles somewhere in the world, with I've Been Waiting For You reaching #49 in Australia and
Love Isn't Easy (But it Sure Is Hard Enough) "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)" is a country rock song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was the fifth single to be released from their album '' Ring Ring'', but unusually, it was not issued in ABBA's home-country of Sweden ...
charting at #21 in Denmark. The Swedish Radio hit parade was based on votes, not single sales. The group's first two singles, "
People Need Love "People Need Love" is the debut single recorded in March 1972 by Swedish pop group ABBA, at the time known as 'Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid'. The song was on the group's first album, '' Ring Ring'', released in 1973. Track listing # A. "P ...
" and "
He Is Your Brother "He Is Your Brother" is a song recorded in 1972 by Swedish pop group ABBA, at the time known as "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid". The song continued on the lyrical theme from "People Need Love" about reaching out to your fellow man. It was ...
", were hits on this
Tio i Topp ''Tio i Topp'' (English: ''Ten At The Top'') was a Swedish record chart and radio program broadcast by Sveriges Radio P3 between the years of 1961 and 1974. It was launched to combat pirate radio charts and was the first official Swedish record cha ...
chart. In all, ABBA had nine songs in this chart, and the six that went as high as number three are included on the album.
Svensktoppen ''Svensktoppen'' () is a weekly record chart airing at Sveriges Radio. Until January 2003, the songs had to be in the Swedish language. Svensktoppen has aired since 1962, except for the years 1982-1985. The last years before the January 2003 cha ...
was a vote-based radio chart show for Swedish-language songs. ABBA had three number ones in this chart ("Ring Ring", "Waterloo", "Honey Honey") and a number 6 ("Åh, Vilka Tider").
Polar Polar may refer to: Geography Polar may refer to: * Geographical pole, either of two fixed points on the surface of a rotating body or planet, at 90 degrees from the equator, based on the axis around which a body rotates * Polar climate, the c ...
issued 'official' Swedish versions of "
Bang-A-Boomerang "Bang-A-Boomerang" is a song by ABBA, first released by Svenne & Lotta (both Swedish and English-language versions). The track was first recorded as a demo with English lyrics (but without any recorded vocals) in September 1974 by the ABBA musi ...
" and "Dance (While the Music Still Goes On)" by Svenne & Lotta, both reached number 2 in this chart. Svenne & Lotta had hits with these songs in several markets. Other acts, including both Agnetha and Frida as solo performers, made Swedish-language versions of other ABBA songs; only "So Long" had not been a hit on the Svensktoppen chart, though "So Long" had been a hit on the Danish equivalent Dansktoppen. On the North American version of the album "Hasta Mañana" was omitted and the other tracks were reordered. In Australia, where several of the tracks had reached number one, the release of ''Greatest Hits'' was beaten to the market by the RCA Victor compilation ''The Best of ABBA'', precluding a release there for years. Nevertheless, the official greatest hits package was an enormous success. Even ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', often one of ABBA's harshest critics in the US, declared of the album, "Anyone who could listen to this record five times and not wind up humming half the songs is an android". Polar's version of ''Greatest Hits'' reached number one in Sweden and in Norway, but lost out in sales over much of the rest of Europe and in Australia and New Zealand to the already released rival compilations. However, it had no competition in the UK and in North America, and the UK version of the album was released in April 1976. In the five-month period between the releases of the Scandinavian and UK versions of ''Greatest Hits'', ABBA had achieved their second consecutive (and third overall) UK number-one single with "Fernando", and this song was added to the UK version of the album, as well as to a reissued version in Norway and Denmark. The release of ''Greatest Hits'' coincided with the start of ABBA's huge popularity in the UK during the latter half of the 1970s, becoming the first of eight consecutive number-one albums for the group. It spent eleven non-consecutive weeks at the top of the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
and went on to become the best-selling album of 1976 and the second best-selling album of the 1970s. As of July 2016 it is the 46th best-selling album of all time in the UK, with sales of over 2.6 million. ''Greatest Hits'' was released in the US and in Canada in September 1976, but sales of the record did not peak until April 1977, when the song "
Dancing Queen "Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus al ...
" reached number one in both countries. "Dancing Queen" was not included on ''Greatest Hits'', but it was the lead single from the new studio album ''
Arrival Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to: Film * ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film * ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film * ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...
'' and it had generated interest in ABBA's back catalogue. ''Greatest Hits'' has been certified platinum in the US and quintuple platinum in Canada.


Artwork

The album was issued with two different
gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...
covers, depending upon the territory. The painting on the original Scandinavian release was by artist
Hans Arnold Hans Arnold (22 April 1925 – 25 October 2010) was an artist, born in Switzerland, who lived and worked in Sweden from 1947 until his death in 2010. He illustrated many magazines and books. He is perhaps best known for his illustrations for the ...
and had originally been awarded as a prize by Swedish magazine ''VeckoRevyn'' to celebrate ABBA being voted "Artists of the Year". The artwork was also used on the European-wide "30th Anniversary Edition" CD reissue, in a miniature replica gatefold album sleeve. In the UK, North America and some other territories, the cover features a photograph taken by Bengt H. Malmqvist of the group sitting on a park bench on an autumn day. Benny and Frida are kissing, while Björn reads a paper and Agnetha looks straight into the camera. The image was used as the inner gatefold picture on the Scandinavian versions. It was also used on the US CD reissue by
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
in the 1980s, but without the track listing on the front.


Appearances in other media

The British/American version of the album sleeve appears in the popular 2015 science-fiction film '' The Martian'', when the husband of the disco-loving ship commander Melissa Lewis reveals on a video link that he has found an original vinyl copy of the album. The track "Waterloo" also features prominently on the film's soundtrack.


Track listing


European version

All tracks written by
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...
,
Stig Anderson Stig Erik Leopold Anderson (25 January 1931 – 12 September 1997), better known as Stikkan Anderson, was a Swedish music manager, lyricist and music publisher. He was the co-founder of Polar Music, and is best known for managing the Sw ...
and
Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, producer, a member of the musical group ABBA, and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma Mia!'' He co-produced the films ...
, except where noted * Note: the original UK release of ''Greatest Hits'' featured the addition of the recent number-one single "Fernando" as the album's final track – early pressings of the album do not include the song on the track listing on the sleeve and a sticker was placed on the cover to advertise its inclusion. The original 1975 Scandinavian releases do not feature "Fernando" – the album was reissued in 1976 in Norway and Denmark with the addition of "Fernando" as the first track on side one. The 2006 30th anniversary edition CD of ''Greatest Hits'' features the same 15-track running order as the 1976 Norway/Denmark reissue.


North American version

All tracks written by
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...
,
Stig Anderson Stig Erik Leopold Anderson (25 January 1931 – 12 September 1997), better known as Stikkan Anderson, was a Swedish music manager, lyricist and music publisher. He was the co-founder of Polar Music, and is best known for managing the Sw ...
and
Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, producer, a member of the musical group ABBA, and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma Mia!'' He co-produced the films ...
, except where noted


Personnel

*
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 ...
- lead vocals , co-lead vocals , backing vocals *
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 ...
- lead vocals , co-lead vocals , backing vocals *
Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, producer, a member of the musical group ABBA, and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma Mia!'' He co-produced the films ...
- lead vocals , co-lead vocals Steel-string, acoustic guitar, backing vocals *
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...
 – synthesizer, keyboards, backing vocals * Janne Kling - flute


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


Certifications and sales


See also

*
Music of Sweden The Music of Sweden shares roots with its neighboring countries in Scandinavia, as well as Eastern Europe, including polka, schottische, waltz, polska and mazurka. The Swedish fiddle and nyckelharpa are among the most common Swedish folk instr ...


References


External links


Official Abba Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greatest Hits (Abba album) 1975 greatest hits albums ABBA compilation albums Polar Music compilation albums Albums produced by Björn Ulvaeus Albums produced by Benny Andersson Atlantic Records compilation albums Epic Records compilation albums