Dancing Queen

ABBA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXCnvROuv2s
Mamma Mia


You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
Leave them burning and then you're gone
Looking out for another, anyone will do
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in 1976. It was the follow-up single to the massive hit "Fernando" and is commonly regarded as one of the most successful singles of the 1970s. Dancing Queen was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Stig Anderson and is considered by many to be ABBA's signature song as it reached the number 1 position on popular music charts in 13 countries. Recorded in 1975 for the group's album Arrival, it was released as a single the following year with "That's Me" as the B-side.[1]
In May 2004, the British performing rights group Phonographic Performance Limited celebrated its 70th anniversary by listing the 70 songs that have played most in Great Britain on the radio, in clubs and on jukeboxes. On this list "Dancing Queen" featured at number 6.[2]
"Dancing Queen" features the shared lead vocal performance by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Its opening keyboard glissando is one of the most instantly recognizable intros in pop music.

The recording sessions for "Dancing Queen" began on 4 August 1975. The demo was called "Boogaloo" and as the sessions progressed, Andersson and Ulvaeus found inspiration to the dance rhythm in George McCrae's disco classic "Rock Your Baby", as well as the drumming on Dr. John's 1972 album Dr. John's Gumbo. Fältskog and Lyngstad recorded the vocals on sessions in September, and the track was completed three months later.
During the sessions, Benny Andersson brought a tape home with the backing track on it and played it to his fiancée, singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who apparently started crying when listening. "I found the song so beautiful".
While working on the lyrics, part of the verse was scrapped: "Baby, baby, you're out of sight/hey, you're looking alright tonight/when you come to the party/listen to the guys/they've got the look in their eyes...". It survives in footage from a recording session.[3]

The track was premiered on Swedish tv on June 18, 1976, during an all-star live gala in honour of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his bride to be, Silvia Sommerlath, who were to be wedded on June 19. Benny Andersson has cited it as "one of those songs where you know during the sessions that it's going to be a smash hit". Also Agnetha Fältskog has stated in a TV-programe: "It´s often difficult to know what will be a hit. The exception was Dancing Queen. We all knew it was going to be massive".

"Dancing Queen" was massive. It became ABBA's only #1 in the United States in April 1977. It also hit #1 in at least 13 other countries worldwide: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and Zimbabwe. "Dancing Queen" also reached the Top 5 in Austria, Canada, Finland, France and Switzerland. The track peaked at #14 in Italy, where ABBA never achieved the same degree of popularity as elsewhere.
"Dancing Queen" was their last of 3 consecutive Number 1's they had in the UK in 1976, with "Mamma Mia" and "Fernando" being #1 earlier in the year.