"Money, Money, Money" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group

ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

, written by

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...

and

Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA. He is also the co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duve ...

with

Anni-Frid Lyngstad Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad (born 15 November 1945), also known simply as Frida, is a Swedish singer who is best known as one of the founding members and lead singers of the pop band ABBA. Courtesy titles ''Principality of Reuss-Gera, Princess Re ...

singing lead vocals. It was released on 1 November 1976, as the second single from the group's fourth studio album, '' Arrival'' (1976). The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, "Crazy World", was recorded in 1976 during the sessions for the ''ABBA'' album. The song (originally titled "Gypsy Girl") is sung from the viewpoint of a woman who, despite hard work, can barely keep her finances in surplus, and therefore desires a well-off man. ABBA perform parts of "Money, Money, Money" live in the 1977 film '' ABBA: The Movie''. In the popular musical, '' Mamma Mia!'', the song is sung by the character of Donna as she explains how hard she has to work to keep the taverna in order and her dreams of a better life.

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 advertis ...

'' reviewed the single release and described it as a "fast paced" song with "lots of good-natured gimmicks" that is highlighted by its production. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 it "is BBA'scleverest ingleto date, adding humorous lyrics to the distilled pop hooks." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that it "combines Brecht- Weill overtones with a typically sound ABBA pop structure" and that "the ironic lyric goes well with a haunting, music-hall-style tune." "Money, Money, Money" was the second worldwide hit from ''Arrival''. The song became a number-one chart hit in Australia (ABBA's sixth consecutive chart-topper there), Belgium, France, West Germany, The Netherlands, Mexico and New Zealand, while reaching the top three in Austria, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. By peaking at No. 3 in the UK, "Money, Money, Money" was the only ABBA single between " Mamma Mia" in January 1976 and "

Take a Chance on Me "Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish recording group ABBA, released on 27 January 1978 in the United Kingdom, by Polar Music, as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Fr ...

" in February 1978 not to top the UK chart. A British poll of "The Nation's Favourite ABBA song" in December 2010 saw "Money, Money, Money" placed at #22 (out of 25). As of September 2021, it is ABBA's 16th-biggest song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams. As of September 1979 in Germany "Money, Money, Money" had sold over 300,000 units. French sales as of April 1977 stand at 500,000.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Money, Money, Money" was inspired by the film ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'', showing Frida wearing a hat typical of the 1920s. The video varies from her determined presence in reality during the verses, to the dream sequences about money and "the good life" in the chorus. The video's director,

Lasse Hallström Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (; born 2 June 1946) is a Swedish film director. He first became known for directing almost all the music videos by the pop music, pop group ABBA, but came to international attention with his 1985 feature film ''My L ...

, later acknowledged "Money, Money, Money" as the best ABBA video he ever directed. An alternate music video was filmed for the TV special ''ABBA-DABBA-DOOO!!'' featuring Agnetha and Frida in 1920s style flapper dresses, with feathers in their hair.Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 85. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995

Personnel

– lead vocals *

Agnetha Fältskog Agneta Åse "Agnetha" Fältskog (; born 5 April 1950) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and a former member of the pop group ABBA. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 Agnetha Fältskog (album), self-titled debut alb ...

– backing vocals * Anders Glenmark – guitar * Björn Ulvaeus – backing vocals * Benny Andersson – keyboards, synthesizer * Rutger Gunnarsson – bass guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{Authority control 1976 singles ABBA songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Belgium Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in New Zealand Polar Music singles Epic Records singles Atlantic Records singles Songs written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Music videos directed by Lasse Hallström Madness (band) songs Song recordings produced by Clive Langer Song recordings produced by Alan Winstanley Songs about economics Songs about consumerism