Real Actual Best ABBA Single Poll With Waterloo In It And Everything

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My master text for this is "The Complete Singles Collection" so you get rub like "People Need Love" (apologies to the 500 "People Need Love" fans who will now emerge)

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Dancing Queen	12
SOS	11
The Winner Takes It All	8
Waterloo	5
The Name Of The Game	3
Knowing Me Knowing You	3
The Day Before You Came	3
Fernando	2
Take A Chance On Me	2
Summer Night City	2
Under Attack	1
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)	1
Super Trouper	1
Lay All Your Love On Me	1
Chiquitita	1
Eagle	1
Honey Honey	1
So Long	1
Wer Im Wartesaal Der Liebe Steht*	1
One Of Us	0
Happy New Year	0
Head Over Heels	0
I Have A Dream	0
Voulez-Vous	0
Does Your Mother Know	0
Thank You For The Music	0
Money Money Money	0
Mamma Mia	0
I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do	0
Ring Ring	0
People Need Love	0

― Groke, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 06:20 (seventeen years ago) link

* I have no idea what this is either.

Poll closes on Saturday.

My predictions:

SOS will win.
The Day Before You Came will outpoll Dancing Queen, this being ILM.

― Groke, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 06:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Apols to "the table is the table" by the way.

― Groke, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 06:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Wer Im Wartesaal Der Liebe Steht can be the "I Don't Like ABBA" option.

(not that I'll use it)

― abanana, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 07:02 (seventeen years ago) link

Where's the double A sided love for "Angel Eyes"?

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 07:03 (seventeen years ago) link

I know, and "The Visitors" isn't here either, which was a single in loads of places. Sorry!

― Groke, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 07:04 (seventeen years ago) link

i'm sad that "when i kissed the teacher" was never a single.

― poortheatre, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 07:18 (seventeen years ago) link

My vote went to "Summer Night City" since it pretty much invents Trevor Horn; check out in particular the long version with its orchestral prelude - Lexicon Of Love or what?

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 07:32 (seventeen years ago) link

even on ILM, Dancing Queen should win

― jabba hands, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 07:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Still, no "The Visitors". Not that it affects my pick, which remains "Lay All Your Love On Me", but I know there are fans of that song on ILM.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 08:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Dancing Queen just shades it from SOS, One Of Us, Take A Chance On Me and Super Trouper.

― Dr.C, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 08:32 (seventeen years ago) link

I apologise, if it makes you feel bad.
Seeing me so tense -
No self-confidence. But you see...

― Groke, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 08:36 (seventeen years ago) link

that's what I voted for.

― danzig, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 08:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Dunno if the backlash against the backlash against the anti-"Dancing Queen" backlash is in effect yet. So I'll go with "Take A Chance On Me". A dipshit former co-worker used to irritate the hell out of me by singing "Chance take a chance takeatakeachancechance" whenever it was on the radio. The fact that I can still listen to (and love) the song is a testimony to its greatness.

(But "Dancing Queen" is eternal.)

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 08:56 (seventeen years ago) link

The possible twist of course is that "Dancing Queen" gets no votes because everyone assumes that everyone else will vote for it.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 08:58 (seventeen years ago) link

I consider "Dancing Queen" one of the weakest ABBA singles. Along with "Summer Night City" and maybe a couple of their other disco moments.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:05 (seventeen years ago) link

But you're mad.

― Dr.C, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:08 (seventeen years ago) link

"Dancing Queen", cause it came on the radio when I was 12 and getting a haircut once. And all of a sudden I realised what a great, unbeatable, utterly deathless song it was. That has to count for something, dammit.

Boo, Geir.

x-post

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Yes, but you see the rhythm track for "Dancing Queen" was partly inspired by "Rock Your Baby," the record which helped usher in the amelodic rhythm dominate disco era so no wonder Geir doesn't like it!

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:25 (seventeen years ago) link

SOS, but I do (x5) comes very close. And i've got a soft spot for 'under attack'

― whatever, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:27 (seventeen years ago) link

A lot of disco was rather melodic. ABBA were usually more melodic when they did pop or ballads though.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:27 (seventeen years ago) link

zpost: OMGWTF, I had the same experience with "Mamma Mia", aged 13. It's my Getting A Haircut In Doncaster Epiphany song.

― mike t-diva, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:27 (seventeen years ago) link

Quick, someone start a best song to get a haircut to thead!

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 09:31 (seventeen years ago) link

This is SO HARD. Maybe the hardest poll so far? I don't really like Dancing Queen having attended one too many crappy student nights but nearly everything else is (pardon the pun) GOLD!

I apologise, if it makes you feel bad.
Seeing me so tense -
No self-confidence. But you see...

This has nearly swung me. Probably the greatest breakup song ever and that "But you see..." seals it in such a subtle way. At the same time I'm tempted to go for Under Attack for the wickedy synth solo and robot voices. Super Trouper as well - something ecstatic about the singer's depression. It's too difficult. Especially with the glut of minor Super Trouper/Visitors songs at the bottom of the list which I love too.

― the next grozart, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:26 (seventeen years ago) link

I'd have been cheating myself if I voted for anything other than 'Dancing Queen'

― braveclub, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Why no "I FUCKING HATE ABBA" selection like there was in the other polls?

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:38 (seventeen years ago) link

YEAH!!???

I tolerated them when they released a single every so often, as a band does.. "ah, OK, nice tune, no bother, etc"

But when I was confronted with a "Abba Tribute" band I was all "NOOO MAKE IT STOPPPPP!!!!"

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:42 (seventeen years ago) link

cause we don't?

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Abba Mania on peaktime Saturday ITV1 presented by Zoe Ball looking like she wants to die. That's the downside.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:44 (seventeen years ago) link

i voted for Dairy Queen too

― 600, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:45 (seventeen years ago) link

[Removed Illegal Link]

mmm blizzard

― 600, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:45 (seventeen years ago) link

It's very easy to get Abba all wrong, isn't it. I couldn't think of anything worse than going to see Mamma Mia or Bjorn Again. It took me ages to decontextualise the image from the music and appreciate great songs for what they were rather than associating them with the cheesy campy student irony-for-the-sake-of-it crap fashion thing that they got bundled in with in the early 90s.

― the next grozart, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:45 (seventeen years ago) link

actually can i change my vote to illegal link in italics?

― 600, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:45 (seventeen years ago) link

But I've hated Abba for THIRTY YEARS!!! I want the "none of them! I hate Abba" option.

There's lots of polls I don't care either way about, but Abba are a band I hate so much I want the option.

― Masonic Boom, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:46 (seventeen years ago) link

Abba Mania on peaktime Saturday ITV1 presented by Zoe Ball looking like she wants to die. That's the downside.

-- Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:44 (4 minutes ago)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

huh? is that real? has this really happened?

― pisces, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Always been a tossup between "Waterloo" and "SOS" for me, but "Waterloo" it is because it scared the shit out of me in the backseat of my parents car on the highway one night, circa 1975 or so.

― sw00ds, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:51 (seventeen years ago) link

(pisces xpost) I think it has. You get the occasional rash of these things - Grease Mania, Elvis Mania, ad nauseam, with the same rotating cast of Z-list celebrities and Zoe Ball grinding her teeth to the point of dust - presumably because they're cheap to do and ITV1 considers its core audience porcine.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 10:52 (seventeen years ago) link

[/i]

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:02 (seventeen years ago) link

[Removed Illegal Link]

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:05 (seventeen years ago) link

[Removed Illegal Link]

strike?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:05 (seventeen years ago) link

OK, I see what the problem is!

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:06 (seventeen years ago) link

~~strike out [Removed Illegal Link]~~

yes?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:07 (seventeen years ago) link

What was it?

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:08 (seventeen years ago) link

]

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Basically, if an image is placed within *not* the img but the i square brackets, the "Removed Illegal Image" function kicks in, but loses the 'closing' function.

And I have now screwed the Abba thread.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:09 (seventeen years ago) link

what the every... everything's...

any better?

― the next grozart, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:09 (seventeen years ago) link

― the next grozart, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:10 (seventeen years ago) link

This is getting worse.

― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:13 (seventeen years ago) link

[b]how about now?

― the next grozart, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:14 (seventeen years ago) link

muahahaha

― the next grozart, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:14 (seventeen years ago) link

It's the kurse of Kate.

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:19 (seventeen years ago) link

"I ran you an Abba Singles Poll"

"But I strikethroughed it!"

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:21 (seventeen years ago) link

[Removed Illegal Link]

Typing.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:22 (seventeen years ago) link

yes

― JN$OT, Wednesday, 2 May 2007 11:29 (seventeen years ago) link

This ends tomorrow so vote now if you haven't yet.

― Groke, Friday, 4 May 2007 08:51 (seventeen years ago) link

I voted for "SOS".

― o. nate, Friday, 4 May 2007 15:49 (seventeen years ago) link

I used to hate Abba and made fun of people who liked it. Then I learned to stop worrying and love the cheese.
Waterloo, I think, though Fernando and Gimme Gimme Gimme are close for me...

― I eat cannibals, Friday, 4 May 2007 19:28 (seventeen years ago) link

the winner takes it all

― gman, Friday, 4 May 2007 19:46 (seventeen years ago) link

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