Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King Meets the Legends – ABBA – Part Four 1980s – Gimme, Gimme more Hits.

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Welcome to the new series of meet the legends and William will be taking us through the incredible career of ABBA.

In  Part Three – Mid-1970s  William introduced us to some of the groups iconic early hits.

The group’s fourth studio album, Arrival, a number-one bestseller in Europe and Australia, represented a new level of accomplishment in both songwriting and studio work, prompting rave reviews from more rock-oriented UK music weeklies such as “Melody Maker” and “New Musical Express,” and mostly appreciative notices from US critics.

“Knowing Me, Knowing You” was one of the first ABBA songs to deal with the break-up of a relationship and proved to be one of ABBA’s most successful singles, hitting #1 in West Germany (ABBA’s sixth consecutive chart-topper there). In the UK, “Knowing Me, Knowing You” was the biggest single of 1977. Group member Benny Andersson named “Knowing Me, Knowing You” as one of ABBA’s best recordings in a 2004 interview. ABBA 

“Dancing Queen” is a Europop song and the lead single from ABBA’s fourth studio album, “Arrival.” It was a worldwide hit, topping the charts in more than a dozen countries including ABBA’s native Sweden (where it spent 14 weeks at the top) and became ABBA’s only number one hit in the U.S. Musically, “Dancing Queen” is a Europop version of American disco music. As disco music dominated the US charts, the group decided to follow the trend, replicating Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” arrangements. The song alternates between “languid yet seductive verses” and a “dramatic chorus that ascends to heart-tugging high notes.” Lyrically, the song concerns a visit to the discotheque, but approaches the subject from the joy of dancing itself, thus having a greater emotional content than that of many other disco songs of that period. uploaded by Craig Gagné

“The name of the game” was released in 1977 and was the first single from the group’s fifth studio album, “ABBA: The Album.” It was their most complex composition yet – with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad sharing the lead vocals. The song also contained influences of the laid-back California sound of the day. It became a UK number one, topping the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in November 1977.  ABBA 

“Take a chance on me” is the second single from their fifth studio album “ABBA: The Album.” The song’s origins sprang from Ulvaeus, whose hobby was running. While running, he would sing a “tck-a-ch”-style rhythm to himself over and over again, which then evolved into “take-a-chance” and the eventual lyrics. “Take a Chance on Me” proved to be one of ABBA’s most successful chart hits, becoming the group’s seventh UK #1 (their third consecutive chart-topper in the country).ABBA 

“Chiquitita” (a Spanish term of endearment for a woman meaning “little one”) was released in January 1979 as the first single from the group’s “Voulez-Vous” album. Agnetha Fältskog sang the lead vocals. In the UK, “Chiquitita” debuted at #8 in the singles chart, making it the highest place début for any ABBA single release. ABBA recorded “Chiquitita” in Spanish by phonetics and it was one of the featured tracks on the Spanish-language release “Gracias Por La Musica.” uploaded by Craig Gagné

“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” was a very successful song for ABBA. It hit #1 in Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Norway. It also proved to be ABBA’s most successful song in Japan, peaking at #17. The lead vocals are sung by Agnetha Fältskog. ABBA 

Additional sources: Wikipedia ABBA

ABBA’s Music: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Next week the second half of the 1970s and more of ABBA’s iconic hits.

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial
Regular Venue – Cave Wilson

 

As always William would love to receive your feedback… thanks Sally.

 

75 thoughts on “Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King Meets the Legends – ABBA – Part Four 1980s – Gimme, Gimme more Hits.”

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  3. All of these are terrific, but I’ll add my vote to the others for Dancing Queen as a particular favourite! Many thanks to both of you, and have a lovely weekend. Hugs!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. What a fantastic start and end of my day today.
    I’d saved this post for a time when I could listen and read it.
    A short break away and catch up, today was a back to school day.
    I managed to listen before heading off to school and then enjoyed the rest on my return.
    A lovely upbeat musical 🎵 selection.
    Thank you so much for sharing.
    A sunny 😎 smile day today.
    Have a great weekend and
    ‘Thank you for the music 🎵’
    Loved 🥰 them all

    Liked by 2 people

    • That’s absolutely great, Sue. Delighted that their music helped make your day. Thank you very much. Happy weekend to you and yours. Hugs

      Liked by 2 people

  17. I’m still single, but if I do marry someday, I want to play this song at the wedding, “Bridal Dancing Queen” ;)
    https://www.google.com/search?q=muriel%27s+wedding+song+list&client=safari&bih=604&biw=1056&hl=en&ei=tfGUZNeJELHH0PEPqfWBgAw&oq=Muriel%27s+Wedding+song&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiFU11cmllbCdzIFdlZGRpbmcgc29uZyoCCAEyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeSOB1ULQzWOZRcAF4AZABAJgBd6AB9gOqAQMyLjO4AQHIAQD4AQHCAgoQABhHGNYEGLADwgIKEAAYigUYsAMYQ8ICDhAAGOQCGNYEGLAD2AEBwgIQEC4YigUYyAMYsAMYQ9gBAsICCBAAGIAEGLEDwgIFEC4YgATCAgcQABiKBRhDwgIIEAAYigUYhgPiAwQYACBBiAYBkAYTugYGCAEQARgJugYGCAIQARgI&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:431a0630.0d923fae,vid:BUDz7m0BXjk,st:0 ;)

    Liked by 1 person

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