"Take a Chance on Me" is a 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' ...

, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977).

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 ...

share the lead vocals on the verses and choruses, with Fältskog singing two bridge sections solo. It reached the top ten in both the UK and US. The song was notably covered by the British band Erasure.

Background and release

The working title of "Take a Chance on Me" was "Billy Boy". (An excerpt of “Billy Boy” was released on the 1994 box set Thank You for the Music, as part of the track ABBA Undeleted, which consisted of demos, early and alternate versions of completed songs, and unfinished songs.) Written and recorded in 1977 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 ...

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 (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamma Mia! (musical), M ...

, the song was one of ABBA's first singles in which 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 Sw ...

did not assist with writing the lyrics, confirming Andersson and Ulvaeus as a songwriting partnership. The song's origins sprang from Ulvaeus, a keen runner, who would repeat a "tck-a-ch"-style rhythm to pace himself. This evolved into "take-a-chance" and the eventual lyrics. Roger Palm, the drummer on the track, described the song as "ABBA at their most energetic and forceful". The single's

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 company ...

was " I'm a Marionette", which, like "

Thank You for the Music "Thank You for the Music" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally featured on the group's fifth studio album, '' The Album'' (1977), and was released as a double-A sided single with "Eagle" in May 1978 in limited territories ...

" and "I Wonder (Departure)" (the B-side to their previous single, " The Name of the Game"), was part of a mini-musical entitled ''The Girl With the Golden Hair'' performed during their 1977 concert tour.

Reception

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 ...

'' described "Take a Chance on Me" as "one of BBA'smost busy, fast paced productions." ''

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 that the vocals "are intricately arranged to produce a wall of sound." "Take a Chance on Me" proved to be one of ABBA's most successful chart hits, becoming the group's seventh UK #1 (and third consecutive chart-topper in the country after "

Knowing Me, Knowing You "Knowing Me, Knowing You" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in February 1977 as the third single from the group's fourth album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with A ...

" and " The Name of the Game"). It was also ABBA's final #1 in the UK of the 1970s, and gives the group the distinction of being the act with the most chart-topping singles of the 1970s in the UK. It sold over 500,000 copies and was awarded a gold disc. As of September 2021, it is the group's fourth-biggest song in the country with 950,000 chart sales (including 882,000 pure sales). In the United States it reached #3 and was certified gold for one million sales. The song peaked at #3 in Canada and West Germany as well. "Take a Chance on Me" has been widely regarded as one of ABBA's finest songs. In 2017, ''

'' ranked the song number two on their list of the 15 greatest ABBA songs, and in 2021, '' Rolling Stone'' ranked the song number nine on their list of the 25 greatest ABBA songs.

Personnel

– vocals *

–

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, electric guitar, vocals *

– keyboards, synthesizers, vocals

Additional musicians

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 – drums *

Malando Gassama Malando Gassama (born Malang Omar Gassam; 7 February 1946 – 25 January 1999) was a Gambian percussionist who spent most of his music career in Sweden. He recorded and performed with many notable Swedish and international artists such as ...

– percussion

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Erasure version

The track was covered by English synthpop duo Erasure in 1992 as part of their ''

Abba-esque ''Abba-esque'' is an extended play (EP) by British synth-pop duo Erasure. Released on 1 June 1992, the EP was Erasure's first and only number one on the UK Singles Chart and also became a number-one hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, ...

'' EP with an additional

ragga Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music. Wayne Sm ...

-style toast performed by

MC Kinky Caron Liza Geary (born 15 October 1963 in Paddington, London), known by various stage names, is an English female raggamuffin toaster. She was the first white female reggae/dancehall MC. According to Geary, her first recorded appearance was o ...

added to the song. In a few countries, the cover was credited to "Erasure featuring Special K", due to MC Kinky referring to herself as "Special K" during the ragga rap. In the United States, it reached number 51 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay chart. Although it had earned enough charting points to reach the publication's main Hot 100 chart, it was not eligible to enter as it had not been released commercially as a single. The radio edit omits the ragga rap.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from ''

'' wrote, "Venerable U.K.

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

duo lovingly covers a favorite from now-legendary Swedish pop act

's catalog. Track maintains the cool kitsch of the original, while giving it electro-hip instrumentation and a jolting-but-pleasing toast interlude by

. A must for adventurous popsters, while remixes have considerable club potential." Amy Linden from '' Entertainment Weekly'' said that Erasure "reverently tarts up "Take a Chance on Me", as keyboard whiz Vince Clarke pumps the '70s gems full of '92 club aggression." She also stated that the duo "digs that ABBA were Euro pop gods, and they pay respect with a frothy testimonial that has its tongue in the right place." Tom Ewing of

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2000 ...

noted that "the whole project roars to life exactly once, when MC Kinky takes over for thirty delightful, crass seconds in the middle of "Take A Chance on Me" and shows the song a little creative disrespect at last." Dave Sholin from the '' Gavin Report'' asked, "ABBA goes techno?" He added that this updated version "retains much of the flavor in the original with hip production elements added." Howard Cohen from '' Knight-Ridder Newspapers'' deemed it a "bouncy remake".

Music video

Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell played dual roles – as themselves and in drag (Clarke as Fältskog and Bell as Lyngstad) – in a music video heavily influenced by ABBA's original. It was directed by Philippe Gautier. MC Kinky (aka. Caron Geary), who sings the reggae/dancehall rap part, also appears in an interlude in the video.

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Take A Chance On Me UK Singles Chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Belgium Number-one singles in Mexico European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles 1978 singles ABBA songs 1992 singles Erasure songs A-Teens songs 1999 singles Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Polar Music singles Music videos directed by Lasse Hallström Alvin and the Chipmunks songs Atlantic Records singles Epic Records singles 1978 songs MC Kinky songs