"Voulez-Vous" ( ; French for "Do you want?") is a 1979 song by the Swedish 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 and composed 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

shared the lead vocals. It is the second track on the group's 1979 album of the same name. In the UK and Ireland, "Voulez-Vous" was released as a

double A-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 ...

, though nearly everywhere else, "Voulez-Vous" was a single A-side. The double A side single is, as of September 2021, ABBA's 13th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams. The song also features on the album '' Gold: Greatest Hits'', first as a 4:21 edited version when the compilation was first released in 1992 and then in its full 5:09 version from 1999 onwards. "Angeleyes" is featured on the '' More Gold: More Hits'' compilation. "Voulez-Vous" was re-released as a single in 1992 to promote '' Gold: Greatest Hits''. "Voulez-Vous" is also the only ABBA song to have been officially released as an extended dance remix – albeit only as a

promo Promo or promos may refer to: Promotions and advertising *Promo (media), a form of commercial advertising used to promote television or radio programs *Promo (professional wrestling), a televised interview in which a wrestler's on-screen personali ...

. The 6:07 version of the track, released as a double A-side 12-inch single 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 United States in 1979, was included as a bonus track on the 2001 compilation '' The Definitive Collection''. A songwriting trip to the Bahamas saw the birth of this melody, and the proximity to Miami made it convenient to record the backing track at Criteria Studios with members of the disco group Foxy. Criteria Studios is where the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

made their disco-era records. "Voulez-Vous" is the only ABBA song (other than live recordings) to be recorded outside of Sweden.

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 Voulez-Vous as one of ABBA's "most dynamic tracks", stating that it contains "almost Russian sounding musical accents". ''

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 song was "a return to shimmering

Euro-pop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

with a chirpy disco beat and bright horns," and praised the vocal performance. Compared to ABBA's hits both before and after, "Voulez-Vous" was not a major hit for the group. It did top the charts in Belgium, while reaching the Top 3 in Great Britain, Ireland and The Netherlands. It also peaked at No. 9 in France, Spain and Switzerland.

Track listings

*7-inch vinyl :A: "Voulez-Vous" :B: "

Angeleyes "Angeleyes" (also known as "Angel Eyes") is a pop song written and recorded in 1978 by the Swedish group ABBA, and is featured on their sixth studio album, '' Voulez-Vous''. Released as a double A-side with the title track of the album in July ...

" *12-inch vinyl :A: "Voulez-Vous" :B: "

Does Your Mother Know "Does Your Mother Know" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA and was the second single taken from their sixth album, '' Voulez-Vous''. The B-side was "Kisses of Fire", which was also taken from the album. The song is notable for its emphasis on ma ...

" *1992 CD re-issue #"Voulez Vous" #"

Summer Night City "Summer Night City" is a song recorded by the Swedish pop group ABBA, written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus as a tribute to their hometown of Stockholm. It is the group's second non-album single, released on 6 September 1978. It was rec ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Live performances and appearances in other media

"Voulez-Vous" is one of the numbers performed in the '' Mamma Mia!'' musical.

References

{{Authority control 1979 singles ABBA songs Macaronic songs Music videos directed by Lasse Hallström Polar Music singles Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles