Move On earns a special place at the top of my overall ABBA song list, due to its complete and utter flawless nature, both in melody and in lyrics. When All Is Said And Done was a no brainer, as it takes something potentially emotionally weak and insecure (being the breakup of a relationship) and turns it into something strong and hopeful. Those lyrics are so fully of boldness and hope they give me chills. SOS I believe is their most classic pop song, and one of their most emotional, although also with a weird underlying sense of happiness in its melody that is just out of reach to explain. Mamma Mia - well we couldn't go wrong there - it is like SOS in that it has all the hallmarks of a classic pop song, but in other ways, totally different. One Man One Woman, like Move On, is one of ABBA's most brilliant utterly flawless melodies, although not quite as good in lyrics.
I Have A Dream - how could anyone not like it. It's angelic, pure, and hopeful. The Visitors gets a special place on the list due to its ability to depict feelings of dealing with oppression and social anxiety. The Name Of The Game similarly deals with social anxiety but perhaps not in quite such a blunt way, and a more mainstream pop type of way also. Chiquitita is another one of those songs whose lyrics are so hopeful they just make me chill - although funnily I didn't like this song at first. I think it's the lyrics that make this song work - and when I went over them and applied them to the situation I was going through at the time, I suddenly clicked. It was right up my alley. Why Did It Have To Be Me is just one of those MANY songs that not enough people know about that really should - it's one of the many songs that unfortunately couldn't be released as singles but would have made great single material. It's fun, it's immediately catchy, and it's a flawless pop song.
Kisses Of Fire is deep and daring in dealing with the full-on fiery emotions of a love affair. I Let The Music Speak - well, that's what ABBA is all about isn't it? Letting the music speak? It's probably the most elegant sounding song they ever did - not like their earlier songs at all. Should I Laugh Or Cry also deals with pressure from authority although likely within a personal relationship setting. Andante Andante is so delicate and melodic it's hard not to fall head over heels for it. Nina Pretty Ballerina is one of their cutest songs of all, although you obviously don't like it for the lyrics. I've Been Waiting For You is a flawless ballad, which unfortunately was only a hit in New Zealand. The melody is full of hope and the "na na na"'s at the end top it off perfectly.
My Love My Life is another perfect example of this - again, a real shame this beautiful ballad couldn't have been a single. The Day Before You Came of course was destined to be a fan favourite, because of how it unusually delves into great detail about a day in the life of the character. One wonders whether the singer Agnetha is singing about herself. It's also kinda an interesting concept, makes you think. Gonna Sing You My Lovesong joins I've Been Waiting For You and My Love My Life as ABBA's strength at redefining the limits of beauty in a ballad. And Honey Honey, well, how could I not include this - it's catchy, it's happy, it's ABBA at their best. It was just a shame it didn't even reach number one anywhere.
As for the remaining 21 to 50 (note that ABBA has about 100 songs in total so my top 50 basically makes up my top half) - there are some notable entries - particularly at number 24 with the famous smash hit Dancing Queen. It had everything about it that a great hit could ever be, and although it's not my favourite ABBA song, I am still able to appreciate it for its real quality. Watch Out at number 26 is another notable Waterloo album track - this male vocal-led performance is a little unusual but surprisingly appealing. Lay All Your Love On Me at number 36 is just a clear example of how multi-talented ABBA were, this time in the disco arena. This song reached number one on the US dance charts. Number 42, Hole In Your Soul, sounds very much like everything you would expect a number one US pop song to sound like. But again, unfortunately, it was never released as a single So, here it goes:
1. Move On
2. When All Is Said And Done
3. SOS
4. Mamma Mia
5. One Man, One Woman
6. I Have A Dream
7. The Visitors
8. The Name Of The Game
9. Chiquitita
10. Why Did It Have To Be Me
11. Kisses Of Fire
12. I Let The Music Speak
13. Should I Laugh Or Cry
14. Andante Andante
15. Nina Pretty Ballerina
16. I Am The City
17. I've Been Waiting For You
18. My Love My Life
19. The Day Before You Came
20. Gonna Sing You My Lovesong
21. Honey Honey
22. Put On Your White Sombrero
23. The Piper
24. Eagle
25. Dancing Queen
26. On And On And On
27. Watch Out
28. Happy New Year
29. Angel Eyes
30. The Way Old Friends Do
31. I'm A Marionette
32. Arrival
33. Bang A Boomerang
34. Super Trouper
35. Money Money Money
36. Soldiers
37. Lay All Your Love On Me
38. Gimme Gimme Gimme
39. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
40. Take A Chance On Me
41. Me And I
42. I Wonder (Departure)
43. Hole In Your Soul
44. Slipping Through My Fingers
45. That's Me
46. Sitting In The Palmtree
47. Cassandra
48. Head Over Heels
49. Intermezzo No.1
50. The King Has Lost His Crown
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