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| "Mamma Mia" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Danish vinyl single | ||||
| Single by ABBA | ||||
| from the album ABBA | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | September 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 12 March 1975 | |||
| Studio | Metronome, Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Genre | Europop, Pop rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| ABBA singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Mamma Mia" on YouTube | ||||
"Mamma Mia" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It is the opening track on the group's third album, the self-titled ABBA (1975). The song was released in September 1975 as its sixth single. The song's name is derived from Italian, where it is an interjection used in situations of surprise, anguish, or excitement. It corresponds to the English interjection "my, my!" (which can indeed be found in some lines within the song), but literally translates as "my mother". The song was ABBA's first number one in the UK since "Waterloo" in 1974.
History and impact
The distinctive sound at the start of the song is the marimba.[2] According to biographer Carl Magnus Palm, the instrument was incorporated at the last minute, added after Benny Andersson found it in the studio and decided its "tick tock" rhythm was perfect for the track.[3]
"Mamma Mia" was written at the home of Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, and was the last track recorded for the album ABBA. It was one of four songs from the album to have a music video made to promote the album. Initially, however, "Mamma Mia" was never intended for release as a single.[2] Around this time, many artists were recording ABBA songs (such as "Honey, Honey" and "Bang a Boomerang"), similarly ABBA offered "Mamma Mia" to British pop group Brotherhood of Man, who turned it down.[4]
"I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" topped the Australian charts for three weeks; however, the promo clip for "Mamma Mia" proved the more popular after repeat screenings on Australian television, notably Countdown. ABBA's Australian record company, RCA, asked that "Mamma Mia" be released as a single but Polar Music refused.[5] However, Stig Anderson agreed to this; "Mamma Mia" was released in Australia in August 1975, where it spent 10 weeks at number one.[2] Cash Box said the single was "an example of excellent musical taste," stating that the "tune is upbeat, with characteristically varied textures."[6]
After this success in Australia, Epic Records in the United Kingdom took notice of ABBA for the first time since their Eurovision Song Contest winner "Waterloo". From then on, Epic began to heavily promote ABBA's singles with the immediate result of "S.O.S." reaching the Top 10 in the British market, their first hit since "Waterloo". "Mamma Mia" soon followed, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart in January 1976, the second of ABBA's 18 consecutive Top 10 singles there.[2]
Record World said that "the reason should be self-explanatory after just one listen."[7]
The B-side for the Australian release of "Mamma Mia" was "Hey, Hey Helen". In most other countries the B-side was the instrumental "Intermezzo Number 1". ABBA's British label Epic selected "Tropical Loveland" as the B-side for the UK release, believing another vocal track, especially one showcasing ABBA in a different musical style, would better promote the parent album.
"Mamma Mia" is widely considered to be one of ABBA's best songs. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number seven on their list of the 15 greatest ABBA songs,[8] and in 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the song number five on their list of the 25 greatest ABBA songs.[9]
As of September 2021, it is ABBA's seventh-biggest song in the UK with 860,000 chart sales (pure sales and digital streams).[10]
Track listings
International single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mamma Mia" |
| 3:32 |
| 2. | "Intermezzo No. 1" |
| 3:48 |
UK single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mamma Mia" |
| 3:32 |
| 2. | "Tropical Loveland" |
| 3:05 |
Personnel
- Anni-Frid Lyngstad – lead and backing vocals
- Agnetha Fältskog – lead and backing vocals
- Björn Ulvaeus – rhythm guitar and backing vocals
- Benny Andersson – piano, marimba, Hammond organ and backing vocals
- Janne Schaffer – lead guitar
- Mike Watson – bass guitar
- Roger Palm – drums
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[43] | 3× Gold | 150,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[44] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[45] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[46] sales since 2009 |
Gold | 15,000‡ |
| Kenya | — | 10,000[47] |
| Portugal | — | 20,000[48] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[49] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[51] | Platinum | 860,000[50] |
| Yugoslavia[52] | Silver | 55,000[52] |
| United States | — | 193,000[53] |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe | — | 3,500,000[54] |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
A-Teens version
| "Mamma Mia" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by A-Teens | ||||
| from the album The ABBA Generation | ||||
| Released | 30 April 1999 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 3:44 | |||
| Label | Stockholm | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Ole Evenrude | |||
| A-Teens singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Mamma Mia" on YouTube | ||||
"Mamma Mia" is the debut single of Swedish pop group A-Teens. It was released on 30 April 1999 by Stockholm Records as the first single from their debut album, The ABBA Generation (1999). The song is a cover of the popular hit by ABBA.
Upon its release, it became a smash hit in Sweden, where it peaked at number one and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks, earning a quadruple platinum certification.
On initial pressings of the single, the name of the band appeared as ABBA-Teens, but Stockholm Records thought it would be better to change the name of the band to A-Teens, so new pressings of the single were made.
Commercial performance
The single reached the top 20 in several European countries, reaching number three in Norway, number nine in Switzerland and the Netherlands, number 10 in Germany, number 12 in the United Kingdom, and number 14 in Austria and Finland. A Spanish version of the song was recorded for promotion in Latin America and Spain. Despite the worldwide success, the song failed to attract the Australian public, peaking at 72 on the ARIA Singles Chart, although it did reach number 13 in New Zealand.
In the United States, the single peaked at 63 on the Billboard Hot Single Sales Chart, becoming the band's first single to chart in the country.[55]
Music video
The accompanying music video was directed by Henrik Sylvén and was filmed in Sweden. It shows the A-Teens as waiters at an art exposition, and they are suppressed by the manager; but soon they discover that one of the paintings transports them to a party where the manager and patrons he's helping also join in on the fun.
Track listings
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