Abba's Dancing Queen: A Unique Song?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

You may hate it for its ubiquity, but not only does Dancing Queen not sound like any other Abba song, it doesn't sound like any other song I know.

Also notable for being a dancefloor filler even tho it is quite slow.

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:04 (twenty-one years ago)

what do you think of DC? You'd think lots of ppl would have ripped it off, seeing as it was (and is) so successful, but in the pub yesterday we were racking our brains trying to think of a song which ripped off DC, but couldn't.

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:05 (twenty-one years ago)

erm, DQ!

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:06 (twenty-one years ago)

in which ways do you see it unique mark ?

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

the way it is so slow, almost stately, yet isn't regarded as a smoochy song, ppl will usually take to the dancefloor en masse and move to it in a slowed down versh of the way they dance to more upbeat numbers. It's so high as well.

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:31 (twenty-one years ago)

the beat is actually pretty similar to KC & The Sunshine Band's 'That's The Way I Like It' but not sure which came first

― the neurotic awakening of s (blueski), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:33 (twenty-one years ago)

really tho i think it's all about the lyrics - YOU can dance, you CAN jive...encouraging, if inaccurate...it's just a very hopeful euphoric nostalgic/reflective song when you remove the whole 'oh god not this again' problem and consider it on it's own merits.

― the neurotic awakening of s (blueski), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:35 (twenty-one years ago)

well, i really like this song and think it's a great "pop" song but i don't find it particularly unique. there are many "rush the dancefloor" songs that are quite slow (most hip hop trax for instance)

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Friday, 13 August 2004 10:48 (twenty-one years ago)

it starts with the chorus!

― AaronK (AaronK), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:05 (twenty-one years ago)

erm... what part of a song is the chorus already ? (sorry, not english speaking here !)

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:12 (twenty-one years ago)

its a really wistful song, just like most of abba's songs, but its also TOTALLY AWESOME, like most of abba's songs.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:13 (twenty-one years ago)

the delivery is quite unusual. The pauses! "Looking out for a place to ..........go"

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:19 (twenty-one years ago)

>>but in the pub yesterday we were racking our brains trying to think of a song which ripped off DC, but couldn't

Olivers Army? Not exactly a dancefloor filler though.

― Logger, Friday, 13 August 2004 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

The chorus of "C'est La Vie" by Shania Twain (which I have been listening to a lot lately) is a blatant Dancing Queen ripoff. Not a dancefloor filler, either.

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:36 (twenty-one years ago)

olivers army OTM

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Costello seems obsessed with this song... Aside from "Oliver's Army," he uses the chorus lyrics in "When I Was Cruel Pt 2," resulting in one very odd co-writing credit.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Friday, 13 August 2004 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

the chorus: You can dance! You can jive!

― AaronK (AaronK), Friday, 13 August 2004 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

The descending piano intro. The only other song I can think of which does this is the equally perennial (and similarly BPM-ed) "I Want You Back" (J5).

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Friday, 13 August 2004 12:38 (twenty-one years ago)

There must be some black magic in this song, as I still swoon everytime I hear those "ooooh-hoo ooh!" vocals in the very beginning. A fabulous sounding recording, and no, I'm not sick of it.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Friday, 13 August 2004 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

There are two instrumental moments in DQ that set it apart. The piano octaves for sure, but perhaps more subtly the strings building up to the chorus, the "YA-da-da-da, YA-da-da-da, YA-da-da-da, YA-da-da-da...DANCING QUEEN!" part. Very, very breathless, even after all these years of radio play.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 13 August 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

the chorus sounds like a bridge, it all blurs into one - this is clever (whether intentional or not)

― the neurotic awakening of s (blueski), Friday, 13 August 2004 13:06 (twenty-one years ago)

i assume madonna's "you can dance" lyric in "into the groove" is a homage.

american music club pay tribute in "hello amsterdam."

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 13 August 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a hint of drama in the descending melody at the end of each verse that I adore.

― Barms, Friday, 13 August 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

best song ever. obv.

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Friday, 13 August 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I really think it is the best pop song ever recorded. It sounds terribly tacky at some points, yet it is so exciting to listen to it. I fell in love with this song since I saw Muriel's Wedding; I realized it can be very sad as well

― daavid (daavid), Friday, 13 August 2004 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

True, true ... I'm a bit surprised (well, not really I guess) that more people don't consider it a sad song.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 13 August 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

twelve years pass...

The combination of euphoria and wistfulness is pretty much unequaled in any song I can think of right now, just in terms of how incredibly well they pull it off. The latter aspect sneaks up on you slowly the longer it goes, somehow. this is possibly my favorite song ever.

― nomar, Friday, 7 April 2017 21:36 (nine years ago)

I often think I'm sick to the back teeth of this song, but I'm not sure I ever will be. I love the rhythm section on this!

― ...so music and chicken have become intertwined (Turrican), Friday, 7 April 2017 21:48 (nine years ago)

it's all about the piano

― Yoni Loves Chocha (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 7 April 2017 23:23 (nine years ago)

the hi-hat at the end of every 4th bar is the shit

― a but (brimstead), Friday, 7 April 2017 23:56 (nine years ago)

^ OTM!

― ...so music and chicken have become intertwined (Turrican), Saturday, 8 April 2017 00:07 (nine years ago)

for me this song is all about how this lyric just RISES up

"Feel the beat from the tam--bour--iiiiine"

― nomar, Saturday, 8 April 2017 00:22 (nine years ago)

xxpost
OTM. though for me it's - even more - the syncopated gracenote on the snare before the downbeat and the hihat.
the whole combination of that, repeated throughout the song, with unchanged calm and poise, contrasting the movement of the strings and the vocals which rise, swell, and subside before each verse.

of course, it's also about beginning from the end - with the chorus upfront, then descending into the normalcy of the verse. thus the giddiness.

― Max Florian, Saturday, 8 April 2017 09:29 (nine years ago)

i always thought it was "you can dance! you can die! having the time of your life!" this song was kind of menacing to me as a kid - the euphoria mixed with a sense of impending doom

― flappy bird, Saturday, 8 April 2017 17:06 (nine years ago)

"you can dance! you can die!

LOL

― Punnet of the Grapes (Tom D.), Saturday, 8 April 2017 17:11 (nine years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.