"Mamma Mia" | ||||||||
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Single by ABBA | ||||||||
from the album ABBA | ||||||||
B-side | "Intermezzo No.1" "Tropical Loveland" (UK) |
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Released | September 1975 | |||||||
Format | 7" single | |||||||
Recorded | 12 March 1975 at Metronome Studio | |||||||
Genre | Europop, pop, Disco | |||||||
Length | 3:35 | |||||||
Label | Polar Music | |||||||
Writer(s) | Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus Stig Anderson |
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Producer | Benny Andersson Björn Ulvaeus |
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Certification | Silver (UK) | |||||||
ABBA singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Mamma Mia" is a song from ABBA's 3rd album, ABBA, written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus & Stig Anderson, with the lead vocals shared by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The song "Mamma Mia" is a common song used in bands or orchestras. The song's name is derived from Italian, where it is an interjection (literally, "My mum").
The song is about a woman who is time and time again disappointed by her unfaithful partner, but forgives him anyway.
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The distinctive sound at the start of the song is the marimba.[1]
"Mamma Mia" was written at the home of Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, and was the last track recorded for the album "ABBA". The song was one of the four songs from the album to have a promo clip made to promote the album. The song, however, was never intended for release as a single.[1] Around this time, many artists were recording ABBA songs (such as "Honey, Honey" and "Bang a Boomerang"), similarly ABBA offered "Mamma Mia" to British pop group Brotherhood of Man, who turned it down.[2]
When "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" topped the Australian charts for 3 weeks, the Australian public was hungry for more ABBA - the beginnings of ABBAmania. It was the promo clip for Mamma Mia that was proving the most popular after repeat screenings on Australian television, notably Molly Meldrum's Countdown. ABBA’s Australian record company, RCA, asked that Mamma Mia be released as a single but Polar Music refused.[3] However, in the end Stig Anderson agreed & "Mamma Mia" was released in Australia in August 1975 where it spent 10 weeks at #1.[1]
After this success in Australia, Epic Records in Great Britain took notice of ABBA for the first time since Eurovision and "Waterloo". From then on, Epic began to heavily promote ABBA's singles with the immediate result of "S.O.S." reaching the Top 10 in the important British market, their 1st hit since "Waterloo". "Mamma Mia" soon followed reaching #1 on the British charts in early 1976, the 2nd of ABBA's 18 consecutive Top 10 singles.[1]
The B-side for the Australian release of "Mamma Mia" was "Hey, Hey Helen". In most other countries the singles' B-Side was the instrumental "Intermezzo Number 1". However ABBA's British label Epic selected "Tropical Loveland" as the B-side for the UK release, feeling another vocal track especially one showcasing ABBA in a different musical style would better promote the parent album.album, as it showed a different style of music and they thought it would be better than an instrumental song.
In the UK Singles Chart of January 1976, "Mamma Mia" replaced Queen's song "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the number 1 position, which itself coincidentally contains the lyrical phrase "Mama Mia".
The song is ABBA sound engineer Michael B. Tretow's favorite ABBA song.
Chart (1975–1976) | Position |
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Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 3 |
Belgian Singles Chart | 2 |
British Singles Chart | 1 |
Canadian Singles Chart | 20 |
Dutch Singles Chart | 13 |
Finnish Singles Chart | 14 |
German Singles Chart | 1 |
Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 2 |
Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
Rhodesian Singles Chart | 20 |
South African Singles Chart | 5 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 32 |
Chart (2008) | Position |
Italian Singles Chart | 12[4] |
Australian Singles Chart | 48[5] |
British Singles Chart | 56[6] |
Swiss Singles Chart | 60[7] |
"Mamma Mia" | ||||
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Single by A-Teens | ||||
from the album The ABBA Generation | ||||
Released | May 10, 1999 | |||
Format | CD Single Cassette vinyl 12" airplay |
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Recorded | January 1999 | |||
Genre | Pop, Europop | |||
Length | 3:44 (Album Version) 3:42 (Radio Edit) |
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Label | Universal Music | |||
Writer(s) | B. Andersson S. Anderson B. Ulvaeus |
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Producer | Ole Evenrude | |||
A-Teens singles chronology | ||||
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"Mamma Mia" became the first single by the A-Teens which was released as the debut single from the album The ABBA Generation. The song is a cover version of the popular hit by ABBA.
When the single came out in the spring of 1999, it became a smash hit in their home country, Sweden, where it peaked at number-one and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks earning a platinum certification.[8]
On the initial pressings of the single, the name of the band appeared as ABBA*Teens, but Universal Music thought it would be better to change the name of the band to A-Teens so the new pressings of the single were made.
The single hit Top Twenty in almost every European country, reaching number-three in Norway, number-nine in Switzerland & Netherlands, number-ten in Germany, number-twelve in the United Kingdom, number-fourteen in Austria and Finland, among others. A Spanish version of the song was recorded for promotion in Latin America and Spain.
Despite the worldwide success, the song failed to attract the Australian public, peaking at seventy-two on the ARIA Charts. The album flopped and the A-Teens stopped releasing singles/albums in that country until the 2002 single "Can't Help Falling in Love". "Mamma Mia" also peaked at thirteen in New Zealand, but due to the lack of success in Australia, the further singles were never released in that country either.
In the United States the single peaked at sixty-three on the Billboard Hot Single Sales Chart, becoming the band's first single to chart in the country.[9]
The music video was directed by Henrik Sylvén and was filmed in Sweden. It shows the A-Teens as waiters in an art exposition, suppressed by the Manager, but soon they discover that one of the paintings transports them to a party.
The video hit number-one on several music channels and was the main single outside the US, where "Dancing Queen" was used as the main single to promote the album.[10]
European 2-Track CD Single
International Edition
U.K. CD1
Video: Mamma Mia
U.K. CD2
U.K. Cassette
U.S. CD Single
Promo CD
12" Vinyl Promo
Preceded by "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" by ABBA |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one single 10 November 1975 - 5 January 1976 |
Succeeded by "S.O.S." by ABBA |
Preceded by "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen |
UK Singles Chart number-one single 31 January 1976 - 13 February 1976 |
Succeeded by "Forever and Ever" by Slik |
Irish Singles Chart number-one single 31 January 1976 - 28 February 1976 |
Succeeded by "Broken Promise" by Red Hurley |
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Preceded by "Moviestar" by Harpo |
German Singles Chart number-one single 6 February 1976 |
Succeeded by "Moviestar" by Harpo |
Preceded by "Dolannes-Melodie" by Jean-Claude Borelly |
Swiss Singles Chart number-one single 6 February 1976 - 13 February 1976 |
Preceded by "Boom Boom Boom Boom" by Vengaboys |
Swedish Singles Chart number-one single (A-Teens version) 20 May 1999 - 20 July 1999 (8 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...)" by Lou Bega |
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