Not exactly rock and roll, but it's definitely something we can work with. Although, before you ride this political pony too far, you should know that for years, rumors circulated that Queen Silvia's father had ties to the German Nazi party. Born and raised in Heidelberg, Walter Sommerlath moved to Brazil while a young man, but returned to Germany in His political affiliations were unclear, but he did run an arms plant that served Germany's World War II war machine.
At least Sweden stayed neutral throughout the war. In fact, they even aided in the rescue of several thousand Jews from Denmark. And that's certainly not nothing. But back to ABBA: politics may still be the path to their song's—and by extension, your—respectability. Since its release in , the gay community has embraced "Dancing Queen.
Rock and roll is all about political movements, right? Woody Guthrie's music was simple, but he inspired millions. Bob Dylan used the same three chord on every song, but the man's got a Nobel Prize in Literature. ABBA's music may verge on trite, but its message was ahead of its time—with "Dancing Queen," the Swedish visionaries went where few others were willing to go.
Politics are admirable, but you really can't pour too much of all this into ABBA or the tune. When it comes down to it, ABBA's dancing queen was the old school type. ABBA was talking prom dates and debutants, not drag. While "Dancing Queen" has certainly become a rallying song for gay pride, it wasn't written with that in mind. Let's try one last approach. Maybe ABBA's backstory is rock and roll. Did they get their start at the Kaiserkeller in Hamburg?
Were they at Monterey in '67 or at Woodstock in '69? Not exactly. One of their first collaborations was "Ljuva Sextital," which despite sounding suggestive, means "Sweet or Happy '60s. The two met their bandmates and future wives in Norwegian-born Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad had burst onto the Swedish scene at age 21 by winning a national talent contest.
In the same year, Lyngstad and Andersson moved in together, and married in Well, yes, it is. No comments yet. Leave a comment. Take A Chance On Me. A Man After Midnight. Mamma Mia. Contact News About Privacy Policy. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Strictly Necessary Cookies Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. This glittering pop track, laced with nostalgia, yearning harmonies and a glorious piano line, has inspired many imitators — and some covers during lockdown.
I t takes 18 seconds for Dancing Queen to drop into one of the greatest moments in pop. It speaks volumes that the 18 seconds preceding it are pretty wonderful too: that song bursting into life on that impossibly joyous piano glissando, before eight bars of sparkling, effortless mid-tempo pop.
A moment of enjoyment turns into something sadder, more reflective, perhaps one of nostalgia. Maybe we once were. Maybe we still can be, even if only in our wedding disco-lit memories, or our glittering imaginations.
Released in the summer of , it got to No 1 in 15 countries including the UK where it stayed at the top for five weeks and the US. They initially called the song Boogaloo, but Abba manager and co-writer Stig Anderson suggested a different title.
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