Post by erik on Feb 20, 2021 18:28:44 GMT -5
The second Top 40 American hit for Sweden's greatest export to America (after Volvo, that is) is in this week's Pop Music Hits Spotlight.
HONEY HONEY (Abba; Atlantic; 1974)—Aside from Volvo, the 70s Euro-pop quartet Abba is the single biggest import to come out of Sweden. The quartet of Agnetha Falktskog, Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (the first letters of their first names formed the name of the group), although they had known each other for years, actually came together in 1972; and two years later, in 1974, they became the first Swedish act to win the Eurovision Song Contest (a forerunner of later U.S. TV shows like American Idol and The Voice) with their original hit “Waterloo”. Not only was that song a hit in Europe and in England; but in America, where the Eurovision song contest was hardly known, it became a serious hit that summer, peaking at #6, following being signed to Atlantic Records by Ahmet Ertegun. While their European success, which was almost Beatles-like, was not necessarily repeated in the United States, partly because they didn’t mount an American tour until 1979, they nevertheless managed to score at least two Top 40 hits in America each year between 1974 and 1980. Their second hit, “Honey Honey”, could be considered a precursor to the Eurodisco movement that soon became the rage, even to some small extent inside of America. Utilizing keyboards and synthesizers, the song, while not an overtly large hit, nevertheless managed to reach #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending October 26, 1974, as well as #27 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Abba continued to have massive success in Europe, particularly in their native Sweden and in England, while their U.S. success was, if not necessarily monstrous then certainly nothing to sneeze at. Many hits and a few divorces later, the group got inducted into America’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, while “Dancing Queen”, the group’s biggest American hit (#1 in April 1977), was put into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015. The group’s reputation in America was further enhanced by the musical Mamma Mia! (named after their classic 1976 hit), and the big 2008 hit movie, starring Meryl Streep, that came from it.
HONEY HONEY (Abba; Atlantic; 1974)—Aside from Volvo, the 70s Euro-pop quartet Abba is the single biggest import to come out of Sweden. The quartet of Agnetha Falktskog, Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (the first letters of their first names formed the name of the group), although they had known each other for years, actually came together in 1972; and two years later, in 1974, they became the first Swedish act to win the Eurovision Song Contest (a forerunner of later U.S. TV shows like American Idol and The Voice) with their original hit “Waterloo”. Not only was that song a hit in Europe and in England; but in America, where the Eurovision song contest was hardly known, it became a serious hit that summer, peaking at #6, following being signed to Atlantic Records by Ahmet Ertegun. While their European success, which was almost Beatles-like, was not necessarily repeated in the United States, partly because they didn’t mount an American tour until 1979, they nevertheless managed to score at least two Top 40 hits in America each year between 1974 and 1980. Their second hit, “Honey Honey”, could be considered a precursor to the Eurodisco movement that soon became the rage, even to some small extent inside of America. Utilizing keyboards and synthesizers, the song, while not an overtly large hit, nevertheless managed to reach #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending October 26, 1974, as well as #27 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Abba continued to have massive success in Europe, particularly in their native Sweden and in England, while their U.S. success was, if not necessarily monstrous then certainly nothing to sneeze at. Many hits and a few divorces later, the group got inducted into America’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, while “Dancing Queen”, the group’s biggest American hit (#1 in April 1977), was put into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015. The group’s reputation in America was further enhanced by the musical Mamma Mia! (named after their classic 1976 hit), and the big 2008 hit movie, starring Meryl Streep, that came from it.
