Waterloo (ABBA song)


"Waterloo" is the first single from the Swedish pop group ABBA's second album, Waterloo, and their first under the Epic and Atlantic labels. This was also the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA.
On 6 April 1974 the song was the winning entry for Sweden in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The victory began ABBA's path to worldwide fame. The Swedish version of the single was a double A-side with "Honey, Honey", while the English version usually featured "Watch Out" on the B-side.
The single became a No. 1 hit in several countries. It reached the U.S. Top 10 and went on to sell nearly six million copies, making it one of the best-selling singles in history.
At the of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005, it was chosen as the best song in the competition's history.

Writing, recording and meaning

"Waterloo" was written specifically to be entered into the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, after the group finished third with "Ring Ring" the previous year in the Swedish pre-selection contest, Melodifestivalen 1973.
The original title of the song was "Honey Pie". "Waterloo" was originally written with simultaneous rock music and jazz beats.
Recording of the song commenced on 17 December 1973, with instrumental backing from Janne Schaffer, Rutger Gunnarsson and Ola Brunkert. The song's production style was influenced by Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound": prior to recording "Ring Ring", engineer Michael B. Tretow had read Richard Williams' book Out of His Head: The Sound of Phil Spector, which inspired him to layer multiple instrumental overdubs on the band's recordings, becoming an integral part of ABBA's sound. Subsequently, German and French versions were recorded in March and April 1974 respectively: the French version was adapted by Claude-Michel Schönberg, who would later go on to co-write Les Misérables.
The title, "Waterloo", does not refer to Waterloo, London, nor its landmark station, but is about a woman who "surrenders" to a man and promises to love him, referencing Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

At Eurovision

The band considered submitting another song to Eurovision, "Hasta Mañana", but decided on "Waterloo" since it gave equal weight to both lead vocalists Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, while "Hasta Mañana" was sung only by Fältskog.
ABBA performed the song at Melodifestivalen 1974 in February, singing it in Swedish. The song won, and therefore advanced to Eurovision.
The song differed from the standard "dramatic ballad" tradition of the Eurovision Song Contest by its flavour and rhythm, as well as by its performance. ABBA gave the audience something that had rarely been seen before in Eurovision: flashy costumes, plus a catchy uptempo song and even simple choreography. The group also broke from convention by being the first winning entry in a language other than that of their home country; prior to 1973 all Eurovision singers had been required to sing in their country's native tongue, a restriction that was lifted briefly for the contests between 1973 and 1976, then reinstated before ultimately being removed again in 1999. Compared to later ABBA releases, the singers' Swedish accents are decidedly more pronounced in "Waterloo".
The song scored 24 points to win the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 final on 6 April, beating runner-up Gigliola Cinquetti of Italy's entry "Sì" by six points.

Reception

The song shot to No. 1 in the UK and stayed there for two weeks, becoming the first of the band's nine UK No. 1's, and the 16th biggest selling single of the year in the UK.
It also topped the charts in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, South Africa, and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and ABBA's native Sweden. The song also spent 11 weeks on Svensktoppen, including 7 weeks at No. 1.
Unlike other Eurovision-winning tunes, the song's appeal transcended Europe: "Waterloo" also reached the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Rhodesia, and the United States. The Waterloo album performed similarly well in Europe, although in the US it failed to match the success of the single.
ABBA had originally cited the song "See My Baby Jive", by English glam rock band Wizzard, as a major influence; in the wake of their Eurovision victory, they were quoted as saying that it would not surprise them if artists such as Wizzard would consider entering the Eurovision in the future.

Legacy

"Waterloo" was re-released in 2004, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ABBA's Eurovision win, reaching No. 20 on the UK charts.
On 22 October 2005, at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest, "Waterloo" was chosen as the best song in the competition's history.
Harry Witchel, physiologist and music expert at the University of Bristol, named "Waterloo" the quintessential Eurovision song.

Track listing

Swedish version

a. "Waterloo" – 2:45
b. "Honey Honey" – 2:55

English version

a. "Waterloo" – 2:46
b. "Watch Out" – 3:46

Official versions

RegionDateTitleLabelFormatCatalog
Sweden4 March 1974"Waterloo" / "Honey, Honey" PolarSinglePOS 1186
Sweden4 March 1974"Waterloo" / "Watch Out"PolarSinglePOS 1187
UK1974"Waterloo" / "Watch Out"EpicSingleEPC 2240
US1974"Waterloo" / "Watch Out"AtlanticSingle45-3035
West Germany1974"Waterloo" / "Watch Out"PolydorSingle2040 116
France1974"Waterloo" / "Gonna Sing You My Lovesong"VogueSingle45. X. 3104

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

''Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'' version

"Waterloo" was released on 1 June 2018 as the second single from the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again soundtrack, by Capitol and Polydor Records. The song is performed by Hugh Skinner and Lily James and was produced by Benny Andersson.

Charts

Other cover versions