"Mamma Mia" is a song by the 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 ...

, 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

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 ...

, with the lead vocals 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 ...

. It is the opening track on the group's third album, the self-titled ''

'' (1975). The song was released in September 1975 as its sixth single. The song's name is derived from

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, where it is an

interjection An interjection is a word or expression that occurs as an utterance on its own and expresses a spontaneous feeling or reaction. It is a diverse category, encompassing many different parts of speech, such as exclamations ''(ouch!'', ''wow!''), curse ...

used in situations of surprise, anguish, or excitement. It corresponds to the English interjection " my, my!" (which can indeed be found in some lines within the song) but literally means "my mum". The song was ABBA's first number one in the UK since " Waterloo" in 1974.

History and impact

The distinctive sound at the start of the song is the

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

. According to biographer Carl Magnus Palm, the instrument was incorporated at the last minute, added after

found it in the studio and decided its "tick tock" rhythm was perfect for the track. "Mamma Mia" was written at the home of

and

, and was the last track recorded for the album ''

''. It was one of four songs from the album to have a music video made to promote the album. Initially, however, "Mamma Mia" was never intended for release as a single. Around this time, many artists were recording ABBA songs (such as "

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 ...

" and "

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 ...

"), similarly ABBA offered "Mamma Mia" to British pop group

Brotherhood of Man Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s. They won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with "Save Your Kisses for Me". Created in 1969 by songwriter and record producer Tony Hiller, Brotherhood of Man was initia ...

, who turned it down. "

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 ...

" topped the Australian charts for three weeks; however, the promo clip for "Mamma Mia" proved the more popular after repeat screenings on Australian television, notably ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

''. ABBA's Australian record company, RCA, asked that "Mamma Mia" be released as a single but Polar Music refused. However,

agreed to this; "Mamma Mia" was released in Australia in August 1975, where it spent 10 weeks at number one. ''

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 the single was "an example of BBA'sexcellent musical taste," stating that the "tune is upbeat, with characteristically varied textures." After this success in Australia,

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

in the United Kingdom took notice of ABBA for the first time since their

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 ...

winner " Waterloo". From then on, Epic began to heavily promote ABBA's singles with the immediate result of " S.O.S." reaching the Top 10 in the British market, their first hit since " Waterloo". "Mamma Mia" soon followed, reaching number one 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 ...

in January 1976, the second of ABBA's 18 consecutive Top 10 singles there. 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 ...

for the Australian release of "Mamma Mia" was "Hey, Hey Helen". In most other countries the B-side was the instrumental "Intermezzo Number 1". ABBA's British label Epic selected "Tropical Loveland" as the B-side for the UK release, believing another vocal track, especially one showcasing ABBA in a different musical style, would better promote the parent album. "Mamma Mia" is widely considered to be one of ABBA's best songs. In 2017, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' ranked the song number seven on their list of the 15 greatest ABBA songs, and in 2021, ''

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 ...

'' ranked the song number five on their list of the 25 greatest ABBA songs. As of September 2021, it is ABBA's seventh-biggest song in the UK with 860,000 chart sales (pure sales and digital streams).

Track listings

International single

UK single

Personnel

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

– lead and backing vocals *

–

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

and backing vocals *

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

and backing vocals *

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 Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

* Mike Watson –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Roger Palm –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

A-Teens version

"Mamma Mia" is the debut single of Swedish pop group

A-Teens A-Teens (stylized as A★TEENS or A*Teens) were a Swedish pop music group from Stockholm, Sweden, formed by Niklas Berg in 1998 originally as an ABBA tribute band called ABBA-Teens and was later renamed A-Teens. The band members were Marie Serne ...

. It was released on 30 April 1999 by Stockholm Records as the first single from their debut album, ''

The ABBA Generation ''The ABBA Generation'' is the debut studio album by Swedish pop group A-Teens. It was released on 25 August 1999 by Stockholm Records. The album is composed of cover versions of well-known ABBA songs. The album spawned four singles, " Mamma Mia" ...

'' (1999). The song is a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of the popular hit by

. Upon its release, it became a smash hit in Sweden, where it peaked at number one and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks, earning a quadruple platinum

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

. On initial pressings of the single, the name of the band appeared as ABBA-Teens, but Stockholm Records thought it would be better to change the name of the band to A-Teens, so new pressings of the single were made.

Commercial performance

The single reached the top 20 in several European countries, reaching number three in Norway, number nine in Switzerland and the Netherlands, number 10 in Germany, number 12 in the United Kingdom, and number 14 in Austria and Finland. A

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

version of the song was recorded for promotion in Latin America and Spain. Despite the worldwide success, the song failed to attract the Australian public, peaking at 72 on the ARIA Singles Chart, although it did reach number 13 in New Zealand. In the United States, the single peaked at 63 on the ''

'' Hot Single Sales Chart, becoming the band's first single to chart in the country.

Music video

The accompanying music video was directed by Henrik Sylvén and was filmed in Sweden. It shows the A-Teens as waiters at an art exposition, and they are suppressed by the manager; but soon they discover that one of the paintings transports them to a party where the manager and patrons he's helping also join in on the fun.

Track listings

* European CD single # "Mamma Mia" (radio version) – 3:43 # "Mamma Mia" (extended version) – 5:48 * European maxi-CD single and Australian CD single # "Mamma Mia" (radio version) – 3:43 # "Mamma Mia" (Giuseppe remix) – 5:35 # "Mamma Mia" (Jam Lab remix) – 3:56 # "Mamma Mia" (extended version) – 5:48 * UK CD1 # "Mamma Mia" (radio version) – 3:45 # "

Lay All Your Love on Me "Lay All Your Love on Me" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA in 1980 for their seventh studio album, '' Super Trouper''. The song was released as the sixth and final single from the album in the summer of 1981. At the time, it was the ...

" – 4:04 # "Mamma Mia" (karaoke version) – 3:45 # "Mamma Mia" (CD-ROM video) * UK CD2 # "Mamma Mia" (extended version) – 5:48 # "Mamma Mia" (The Bold & The Beautiful Glamourmix edit) – 3:46 # "Mamma Mia" (Trouser Enthusiasts' Undying dub) – 9:20 * UK cassette single # "Mamma Mia" (radio version) – 3:45 # "Mamma Mia" (karaoke version) – 3:45 * US CD and cassette single # "Mamma Mia" (album version) – 3:43 # "Mamma Mia" (extended version) – 5:48

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

''Mamma Mia!'' version

"Mamma Mia" was recorded by

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

for the soundtrack of '' Mamma Mia!''. Her version was released on 8 July 2008 alongside the rest of the soundtrack, by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

and

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. ...

. It was produced by Benny Andersson.

Charts

Certifications

''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' version

Lily James Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson (born 5 April 1989), better known by her stage name Lily James, is an English actress. She studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and began her career in the British television series ''Ju ...

, Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies recorded "Mamma Mia" for the soundtrack of ''

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' is a 2018 British-American jukebox musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Ol Parker, from a story by Parker, Catherine Johnson, and Richard Curtis. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''Mamma Mia!'' ...

''. Their version was released on 13 July 2018 alongside the rest of the soundtrack, by

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

and

. It was produced by Benny Andersson.

Charts

Certifications

References and appearances in other media

*In 1980, a Spanish version of "Mamma Mia" was included on the album ''

Gracias Por La Música ''Gracias Por La Música'' is a Spanish-language album by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in Spain on 5 April 1980 and Latin America on May 10. ''Gracias Por La Música'' was originally released due to the unexpected surge in popularity for the ...

''. *In 1999, a musical with the same name, '' Mamma Mia!'' (with an exclamation point to differentiate its name from the title track), opened in London's West End, featuring many of ABBA's songs and production has spread to many other countries, with more than 5,000 performances on Broadway alone. A

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

premiered in theaters in 2008. *ABBA perform parts of the song live in the film '' ABBA: The Movie'' (1977). *The song is featured in the movie ''

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert ''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows two drag queens, played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, and a transgender woman, played by Tere ...

'' (1993) which was made in Australia, the site of the single's greatest success. *The song can be heard in another Australian film ''

Muriel's Wedding ''Muriel's Wedding'' is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by P.J. Hogan. The film, which stars Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Jeanie Drynan, Sophie Lee, and Bill Hunter, focuses on the socially awkward Muriel whose ambi ...

'' (1994). *The song can be heard in the ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television Period piece, period teen sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the ficti ...

'' episode "No Quarter". Jackie plays it trying to get to sleep, to the annoyance of Donna. *In a second-season episode of the television drama ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...

'', the character Ivan Tiggs, performed by

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series '' Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations ...

references the song in reaction to his fiancé's breaking into a line from ''

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 ...

''. * The A-Teens cover is used as the opening theme of the German reality programme ''

Frauentausch ''Frauentausch'' is a German docu-soap with the same premise as the British television show '' Wife Swap''. The concept involves temporarily swapping one family member between two families. The docu-soap premiered on 14 July 2003. The show runs e ...

''. * On 5 December 2010, on a British poll of the nation's favourite ABBA song, the song was placed at number 6. * Aus TV series sent up this video in their second season in 1990 with Jane Turner and Gina Riley in the roles of Agnetha and Anni-Frid, respectively. *

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

recorded the song for her ABBA cover album "

". * In 2019

Josh Turner Guitar Joshua Lee Turner is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and internet personality based in Brooklyn, New York. Early life and education Turner began singing at nine years of age and began playing guitar five ...

released a YouTube cover of the ABBA song "Mama Mia" with

Joshua Lee Turner Joshua Lee Turner is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and internet personality based in Brooklyn, New York. Early life and education Turner began singing at nine years of age and began playing guitar five ...

as vocalist and banjo player? ... Banjo Player! and Carson Mckee playing acoustic guitar and singing backup vocals. This popular video has over 1 million views * In 2018, Austin Weber uploaded his cover of the song on Youtube where he remade the song with a synth keyboard, recorded his own vocals and danced to them while in Kyoto, Japan. This popular cover would go on to get over 9.3 million views.Archived a
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and th
Wayback Machine
*In 2020, Gabi DeMartino covered the song, in a medley along with " The Name Of The Game" titled "Mamma Mia 2 Medley" on her debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Gabroadway''.

References

{{Authority control 1975 singles 1975 songs 1976 singles 1999 singles ABBA songs A-Teens songs Atlantic Records singles Epic Records singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Lasse Hallström MCA Records singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland Polar Music singles Polydor Records singles RCA Records singles Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Stockholm Records singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles