"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" is song by Swedish pop 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 the third single to be released from their third studio album, ''

'' (1975). The song was 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 ...

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 ...

and their manager

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 Swe ...

, and was released in April 1975 with "Rock Me" as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

. The song was recorded on 21 February 1975 at Glen Studio, and was inspired by the European

schlager music Schlager music (, " hit(s)") is a style of European popular music that is generally a catchy instrumental accompaniment to vocal pieces of pop music with simple, happy-go-lucky, and often sentimental lyrics. Typical Schlager tracks are eith ...

of the 1950s, as well as the saxophone sound of '50s American orchestra leader Billy Vaughn.

History

After the release of " Waterloo", ABBA were having difficulty establishing themselves as an act with longevity. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do", in many cases, put ABBA firmly back in the spotlight. With a rousing saxophone tune and homage to 1950s Schlager music, "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" became a significant improvement on the international charts, although it made little impact in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. The song's popularity was boosted (particularly in Australia) by the release of a promo clip shown on television.

Reception

"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" was a notable hit in a number of countries, and was the song that sparked "ABBA-mania" in Australia, becoming ABBA's first chart-topper there. With " Mamma Mia" and " SOS" to follow, this gave the group a run of 14 consecutive weeks at the top of the Australian charts. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" also topped the charts in France, New Zealand, Switzerland and South Africa and hit the Top 5 in Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Rhodesia (all in 1975). The song also reached No. 15 in the United States in early 1976. A notable exception to the song's success was in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, a market that ABBA was aiming to conquer, where the single stalled at No. 38. Thus, the musical direction taken in the song was not used again for some time. This marked the only time that an ABBA song had more success in the United States than in Britain. Later in 1975, ABBA found success in the UK with "SOS", which cemented the group's success in Australia and elsewhere. ''

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 ...

'' said "richly textured vocals give this fifties sounding shuffle an extra push, push, push, push" and praised the "excellent horn riff."

Track listing

* a. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" * b. " Rock Me"

Personnel

ABBA *

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 and 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 and backing vocals *

– rhythm guitar *

– keyboards, synthesizers ;Additional musicians and production staff * Lasse Wellander, Finn Sjöberg,

Janne Schaffer Jan Erik Tage "Janne" Schaffer (born 24 September 1945) is a Swedish songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his work as a session guitarist for ABBA but he has also recorded with artists such as Bob Marley, Johnny Nash, Art Farmer and To ...

– lead guitar * Mike Watson,

Rutger Gunnarsson Johan Rutger Gunnarsson (12 February 1946 – 30 April 2015) was a Swedish musician, bass guitarist, guitarist, arranger and producer. He was closely associated with the pop group ABBA. Career Gunnarsson grew up in Ledberg parish. His career began ...

– bass * Roger Palm,

Ola Brunkert Ola Brunkert (15 September 1946 – 16 March 2008) was a Swedish drummer who was one of the main session drummers for the pop group ABBA. Brunkert and bassist Rutger Gunnarsson are the only two side musicians to appear on every ABBA album, not cou ...

– drums * Ulf Andersson –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Cover versions

* The saxophone arrangement early made the song an ideal for several

dansband (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish term for a band that plays ("dance band music"). ' is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired by ...

covers, like

Ingmar Nordströms Ingmar Nordströms was a dansband from Växjö, Sweden that was established in 1955 by Ingmar Nordström. Their first appearance occurred in the Eringsboda folkpark. Their last appearance occurred in Växjö on 19 December 1991. In 1987, the band ...

on the 1975 album '' Saxparty 2''. * In 1975,

Seija Simola Seija Saara Maria Simola (25 September 1944 Helsinki – 21 August 2017 Vantaa), married Franzén, was a Finnish singer. She began her career musical in the mid-1960s in the band Eero Seija & Kristian Trio, and her debut solo album was released in ...

released the song as a single, rendered in Finnish as "Vai Niin, Vai Niin, Vai Niin, Vai Niin, Vai Niin" – ''vai niin'' translates as "I see". Under the title "Vai Niin" this rendering was also recorded by

Lea Laven Lea Laven (née Luukinen; after that Marjanen, Forssell and Tulonen; born 19 June 1948, Haukipudas) is a Finland, Finnish pop singer. Laven grew up in meager circumstances in the small town of Haukipudas: she began singing in shows while in sch ...

for her album ''Lea'' (1975). * In 1978, a Swedish country band called Nashville Train (which included some of ABBA's own backing band members) covered the song in 1977 on their album ''ABBA Our Way'', released on the Polar Music label in Sweden. * In 2000, Swedish band The Black Sweden recorded a version for their tribute album ''Gold''. This version includes a

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

from the

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

song " Tush". * The song appears in the second act of the '' Mamma Mia!'' musical. In the context of the musical, Sky and Sophie call off the wedding. The song is used when Sam and Donna get married instead. Although it is one of several songs featured in the 2008 '' Mamma Mia!'' movie adaptation, it was not included on the official soundtrack.

References

{{Authority control 1975 singles 1975 songs 1976 singles ABBA songs Ingmar Nordströms songs Music videos directed by Lasse Hallström Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in South Africa Number-one singles in Switzerland Polar Music singles Songs about marriage Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Songs written by Stig Anderson