Super Trouper (song)
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| “Super Trouper” | |||||
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| Single by ABBA from the album Super Trouper |
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| B-side | "The Piper" | ||||
| Released | November 1980 | ||||
| Format | Single | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 4:10 | ||||
| Label | Polar Music | ||||
| Writer(s) | Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus | ||||
| Producer | Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus | ||||
| Certification | Gold (UK) | ||||
| ABBA singles chronology | |||||
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"Super Trouper", at first called "Blinka lilla stjärna" (the Swedish title of nursery rhyme "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"), was a hit single for Swedish pop group ABBA, and was the title track from their 1980 studio album Super Trouper, written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The song - with lead vocals by Anni-Frid Lyngstad - was the last to be written and recorded for this album. "Super Trouper" is included on the ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits compilation, as well as in the Mamma Mia! musical.
The name "Super Trouper" referred to the gigantic spotlights used in stadium concerts and such. It is widely known that ABBA were not always fond of performing onstage, preferring the confines of the studio to being on tour. This is reflected in the lyrics, which, in typical ABBA style, are presented as happy and upbeat, yet tinged with an underlying hint of sadness.
[edit] Reception
"Super Trouper" was yet another successful chart-topping single for ABBA, providing the group with their ninth and final No.1 in the UK, whilst also topping the charts in Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and West Germany. It also reached the Top Five in Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Mexico, France and Finland. In the USA, where ABBA never quite managed to achieve the same sort of popularity experienced elsewhere, the single only reached No.45. However, combined with "Lay All Your Love on Me" and "On and On and On", it managed to top the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart.
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1980) | Position (Weeks on top) |
|---|---|
| Belgian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 11 |
| German Singles Chart | 15 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 13 |
| UK Singles Chart | 13 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Mexican Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 3 |
| French Singles Chart | 4 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 5 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 8 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 11 |
| Zimbabwean Singles Chart | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 45 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 77 |
[edit] Cover versions, appearances in other media etc.
- Swedish pop group A*Teens covered this song in 1999 on their debut album The ABBA Generation.
- Another cover slightly similar to the A*Teens version was included on the tribute album ABBAdance by Angeleyes from 1999.
- A hi-NRG/techno dance version and various remixes by ABBA tribute group Abbacadabra were released through the English label Almighty Records in the late 1990s.
- Another dance version by Jaybee is on the compilation Lay All Your Love On ABBA.
- A slower, ambient dance version is included on the tribute album ABBA Dance by Euphorica in 2003.
- The ABBAMetal compilation (also released as A Tribute to ABBA) featured a cover by German heavy metal band Custard.
- The song was covered in a 1920s style by German singer Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester.
- On the New Zealand ABBA tribute album ABBAsalutely, the song was covered by the band Headless Chickens.
- The 2004 British ABBAMania 2 album includes a version sung by British TV actors Lucy Benjamin of EastEnders fame, and James Gaddas.
- Swedish musician Nils Landgren included a rendition of the song on his 2004 tribute album Funky ABBA.
- American musician/songwriter Pamela McNeill covered the song on her Tribute To ABBA album. Her husband, Dugan McNeill, helped produce the album.
- An electronica version of the song by Mitchell Sigman can be found on the compilation The Electronic Tribute To ABBA.
- On the tribute album ABBAlicious performed by various drag queens from the U.S., the song was covered by Betzy.
- A cover of the song by C.C. Miles can be found on the 2006 chill out music compilation ABBA Chill Out.
- Glasgow indie pop band Camera Obscura covered the song on the b-side of their 7" vinyl release Tears For Affairs single in 2007.
- The song is performed in the Mamma Mia! stage musical. When Niklas Strömstedt wrote lyrics for the Swedish staging of the musical, "Glasgow" was replaced by "Gränna" as the place from which the singer calls in the lyrics.
| Preceded by "The Tide Is High" by Blondie |
UK number-one single November 29, 1980 |
Succeeded by "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon |
| Preceded by "Your Love" / "You're My Magician" by Lime |
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single (with "Lay Your Love on Me" and "On and On and On") May 2, 1981 |
Succeeded by "Paradise" / "Hold Tight" / "Heaven of My Life" by Change |
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